New Trends in Societal Security research in the Nordic countries 26 - 27 November 2014 in Stockholm

1. The Centre for Natural Disaster
Science (CNDS)
Susann Baez Ullberg, PhD
CNDS – A joint initiative by Uppsala University, Karlstad University and National Defence College

2. The five units of CNDS
• Karlstads University
• Center for Climate and Safety
• National Defence College
• CRISMART National Centre for Crisis Management Studies
• Uppsala University, Earth Sciences
• Geology and Geophysics
• Air, Water, and Landscape Science
• Uppsala University, Technology
• Informations Technology
• Engineering Sciences
• Uppsala Universitet, Social Sciences
• Political Science
• Peace and Conflict Research
• * Ej MSB-projektet
CNDS – A joint initiative by Uppsala University, Karlstad University and National Defence College

3. Long story short:
Strategic application 16 March 2009
Government decision 15 September 2009
Parliament decision 18 November 2009
Further support from MSB 10 December 2010
Also builds on Sida support since 2008
Five-year evaluation in 2014
If positive – permanent Government funding after
2015
• Main ideas:
• Five strong units produce high-class reserch in their own fields
• Promises Government to start collaborating to solve societal security and
emergency problems
• Starts with open-minded PhD students and post-docs within the framework
of a research school
CNDS – A joint initiative by Uppsala University, Karlstad University and National Defence College

4. Funding
• Government
• 11,4 MSEK/year until 2014 – Followed by and
evaluation and, if found acceptable, permanent
funding thereafter.
• MSB
• 2,7 MSEK/year 2011–2014
• Sida
• Around 4 MSEK/year 2009–2015
• Partner co-funding from own sources
• Around 6 MSEK/year after 2011
CNDS – A joint initiative by Uppsala University, Karlstad University and National Defence College

5. An area with large knowledge
gaps!
2009: UN/ISDR requiest
coordinated inter-disciplinary
research
CNDS – A joint initiative by Uppsala University, Karlstad University and National Defence College

6. An area with large knowledge
gaps!
2010: ICSU launches IRDR with
main IPO in Beijing
CNDS – A joint initiative by Uppsala University, Karlstad University and National Defence College

7. What characterises a natural disaster?
Elbe 2002
An extraordinary event/process
produced at the interface of nature
and society, involving a
geophysical hazard and societal
vulnerabilities.
Resilience to natural disasters needs
Arvika 2000
CNDS – A joint initiative by Uppsala University, Karlstad University and National Defence College
collaborative support from
engineering, natural and social
sciences.

8. Natural disaster science
Besides the need for inter-disciplinary collaboration there is a need for a
perspective where you, together from different aspects, study the different
phases of a natural disaster: Before – during – after – learning from previous
phases to improve preparedness for the next event.
CNDS – A joint initiative by Uppsala University, Karlstad University and National Defence College

9. Interdisciplinarity, a tough challenge
ICSU (2008) A Science Plan for Integrated Research on Disaster Risk:
… identified the most significant research gaps to be
interdisciplinary cohesion, i.e. the intersections of the natural,
socio-economic, health and engineering sciences …
KVA, Miljökommittén (2009) Tvärvetenskap – nödvändigt för att möta dagens
miljöutmaningar:
Idag finns förväntningar och krav på hur samhället ska hantera de
stora utmaningar som klimatförändring, global utveckling och
stressade ekosystem innebär. Dessa utmaningar går inte att finna
lösning på genom disciplinär forskning eftersom de rör sig i
tvärsnittet mellan människan och naturen.
CNDS – A joint initiative by Uppsala University, Karlstad University and National Defence College

10. Interdisciplinary research
but how?
• Despite the apparent benefits of interdisciplinary research,
researchers interested in pursuing it often face daunting obstacles
and disincentives.
• Some of them take the form of personal communication or “culture”
barriers;
• others are related to the tradition in academic institutions of organizing
research and teaching activities by discipline-based departments
• a tradition that is commonly mirrored in
•funding organizations,
•professional societies,
•and journals.
Santa Tecla 2001
CNDS – A joint initiative by Uppsala University, Karlstad University and National Defence College

11. CNDS – A joint initiative by Uppsala University, Karlstad University and National Defence College

12. The CNDS Research School
- Governed by a syllabus (”särskild studieplan”)
- 28 PhD students are admitted to disciplinary subjects
and follow their study plans
- Two courses given to all, more specialised in individual
study plans
- Common seminar series
- Support for collaboration around concrete cases and
study object, preferably co-publication where this is
possible
CNDS – A joint initiative by Uppsala University, Karlstad University and National Defence College

13. Forum for Natural Disasters
CNDS – A joint initiative by Uppsala University, Karlstad University and National Defence College
- Annual meeting place for
academia and authorities/industry
- Arranged in 2012, 2013, and 2014
- Growing from year to year
- Co-arranged in 2013 and 2014 by
CNDS, Swedish National Platform
for Disaster Risk Reduction, and
National Knowledge Centre for
Climate Adaptation
- 18–19 November 2014 at the
National Defence College,
Stockholm (one day in Swedish,
one in English)

14. CNDS Academy
CNDS – A joint initiative by Uppsala University, Karlstad University and National Defence College
- A meeting place for academic
discussion
- Gradually opening up for parties
outside of CNDS
- Around four times a year
- Always striving to promote inter-disciplinary
discussions

15. Thank you for listening!
CNDS – A joint initiative by Uppsala University, Karlstad University and National Defence College