Unesco Chair- Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience

20/10/2026

Bridging borders for seismic and landslide resilience: The Interreg Italy-Slovenia Project reaches its mid-term milestone! 🇮🇹🇸🇮🛡️

On 13 October 2026, partners from Italy and Slovenia gathered at the Seismological Research Centre (CRS) of OGS in Udine for the 3rd General Meeting of the Interreg CONCORDIA project.

Halfway through its lifecycle, the project continues to strengthen cross-border collaboration to make the region between Italy and Slovenia safer and more prepared against earthquakes and earthquake-triggered landslides.

Key Highlights & Focus Areas:
📊 Mid-Term Progress: Lead partner University of Trieste and OGS presented the state of play, upcoming deadlines, and strategic goals leading toward the project's conclusion in May 2027.

🛰️ Enhanced Monitoring & Assessment: Upgrading seismic and ground-movement monitoring networks while developing shared tools to evaluate structural damages and indirect risks (such as landslides and rockfalls).

💡 Data to Action: Transforming complex scientific data into rapid, actionable insights for civil protection authorities, local institutions, and communities.

🎓 Knowledge Transfer: Fostering continuous training and dissemination to ensure developed tools are effectively implemented across both nations.

📖 Read the full article here (in Italian only): https://www.ita-slo.eu/it/notizie-ed-eventi/notizie/concordia-udine-il-terzo-incontro-generale-del-progetto

08/10/2026

From 25 September to 3 October 2026, at the SERM Academy training ground in Portis Vecchio (Venzone, Italy 🇮🇹), the National Fire and Rescue Service (Vigili del Fuoco) of Friuli Venezia Giulia, within the SERM Academy activities and with the scientific support of SPRINT-Lab researchers, designed and built a temporary work to secure a damaged building in a simulated post-earthquake scenario ⚠️

The activities were part of the cross-border exercise "EXE SISMA FVG 50", promoted by Friuli Venezia Giulia Civil Protection for the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Friuli earthquake.

🔧 Following the procedures of the Vademecum STOP technical manual, the teams prepared and assembled a timber containment grid, lifted it into place with a mechanical arm and anchored it to the building with steel cables. This solution, widely used after the 2016 Central Italy earthquake, counters wall overturning and bulging and roof collapse: in the event of a new shock, any collapse is contained and channelled inward, away from the street.

🤝 On 3 October, Civil Protection teams from several Italian regions, Slovenia 🇸🇮 and Austria 🇦🇹, together with the Fire and Rescue Service, carried out damage surveys and usability assessments (AeDES forms) on the buildings of Portis Vecchio, followed by a debriefing supervised by Prof. Stefano Grimaz. Drones were also used to support technical and operational activities.

The day was also attended by local authorities, the leadership of Friuli Venezia Giulia Civil Protection and a representative from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), who saw first-hand the methodologies and technologies tested on site.

Thank you to all the teams, institutions and partners involved!

Please access the dedicated article here (in Italian only): https://sprint.uniud.it/exe-sisma-fvg-50/

17/07/2026

We are thrilled to share the newly updated flyer for our Unesco Chair- Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience!

What’s inside? Swipe through to explore:
📊 Our 5 core pillars: How we create and transfer knowledge, train future leaders, collaborate globally, and develop practical decision-support tools.
🚀 Key platforms: Our long-term initiatives, including the ResiliEnhance Program, SERM Academy, and the UNIUD-RESILHub laboratory school.
🗺️ Global & regional impact: From our international UNESCO-VISUS school safety assessments across the globe to active medium-term projects like ECHO, MAPS, and CONCORDIA.

A huge thank you to our team, partners, and the UNESCO Office in Venice for their continuous collaboration!

📥 Swipe through the document below to check out the flyer

06/07/2026

🔵 The University of Udine trains its first 32 Resilience Officers, experts in crisis management!🛡️🎓

Thanks to an intensive course organized by UniUD RESILHub in collaboration with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the participants developed technical, strategic, and interpersonal skills to tackle environmental, territorial, and socio-economic emergencies

This marks the launch of a new professional profile dedicated to the safety, sustainability, and response capacity of our territory—fostering coordination between entities, risk management, and the planning of resilience strategies

➡️ Read the full news on Qui.Uniud: https://qui.uniud.it/studio-e-lavoro/formati-i-primi-32-resilience-officer-esperti-in-emergenze-ambientali-territoriali-e-socio-economiche/?fbclid=IwY2xjawS4kM9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBsbkNoN2VTWVl1OE9ycEVUc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHh8ZDwULkZ7n9w3orGrd83h3eqPka0ZQzH8obQJjSzBi791OCtNeF59zn3IB_aem_le-olgZAVPXhw_fuvPtNsQ

🔵 L'Università di Udine forma i primi 32 Resilience officer, esperti in situazioni di crisi

Grazie a un corso intensivo organizzato dall'Uniud ResilHub in collaborazione con la Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia, i partecipanti hanno sviluppato competenze tecniche, strategiche e relazionali per affrontare emergenze ambientali, territoriali e socio-economiche.

Un nuovo profilo professionale al servizio della sicurezza, della sostenibilità e della capacità di risposta del territorio, che favorisce il coordinamento tra enti, la gestione dei rischi e la pianificazione di strategie di resilienza.

🗞️ Leggi la notizia completa su Qui.Uniud ➡️
https://qui.uniud.it/studio-e-lavoro/formati-i-primi-32-resilience-officer-esperti-in-emergenze-ambientali-territoriali-e-socio-economiche/

25/06/2026

Field training for the Interreg CONCORDIA Project: bridging theory and operational practice 🇮🇹🇸🇮

Our team recently organized two specialized field trips in Venzone and Portis Vecchio (Friuli Venezia Giulia Region) for the Interreg Italy-Slovenia CONCORDIA project. The initiative was structured across two separate days to target specific audiences: civil protection stakeholders and technical experts participated on the first day, followed by a dedicated session for university students on the second.

The educational program, led by Unesco Chair- Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience researchers and professors, covered three main operational areas:
⛰️ Geological risk assessment: Led by Prof. Poli, featuring on-site observations of the landslides and seismotectonic characteristics of Portis Vecchio.
🏗️ Emergency management: Utilizing the SERM Academy training camp to demonstrate advanced procedures developed by the SPRINT-Lab for mapping structural damage and securing historical buildings.
🏛️ Resilience and post-disaster reconstruction: Visiting the Tiere Motus museum to understand the full impact of the 1976 earthquake, followed by an architectural examination of the recovery of Venzone and its Cathedral.

This initiative reinforces our commitment to capacity building and the development of shared emergency protocols between Italian and Slovenian institutions 🤝🌍

17/06/2026

Strengthening Territorial Resilience: The "Manifesto Friuli 2026" 👏

The Unesco Chair- Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience is pleased to have supported the organization of the forum that led to the strategic development of the "Manifesto Friuli 2026".

Bringing together over 200 key stakeholders, the University of Udine, the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, and technical professional bodies have established a collaborative commitment towards a unified, multidisciplinary network covering the entire risk management cycle 🤝

Key Innovations introduced:
🔹 The Technical Resilience Advisor: A vital new specialist role designed to support public decision-making, local authorities, economic operators, and citizens alike
🔹 Targeted Training: This specialized training will be driven by the UniUD RESILHub laboratory school in Gemona del Friuli

Under the leadership of our Chairholder, Prof. Stefano Grimaz, our team is honored to bridge the gap between academic research and territorial governance. As Rector Angelo Montanari noted, this initiative honors the very foundation of UniUD: contributing directly to the safety and development of our territory.

Read the full article here (in Italian only): https://qui.uniud.it/ateneo/nasce-il-manifesto-friuli-2026-per-costruire-un-sistema-di-resilienza-territoriale/

🔵 All'Università di Udine nasce il "Manifesto Friuli 2026" per costruire un sistema di resilienza territoriale

L'Ateneo, la Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia e i rappresentanti del mondo delle Professioni tecniche hanno sottoscritto un documento che si pone l'obiettivo di definire una rete coordinata e multidisciplinare capace di coprire l'intero ciclo di gestione dei rischi di disastro, con al centro il ruolo della Protezione civile.

🔷 A questo scopo nasce la figura del "Technical resilience advisor", uno specialista chiamato a operare sia nei processi di decisione pubblica sia a supporto degli enti locali, degli operatori economici e dei cittadini.
Alla sua formazione saranno dedicati specifici percorsi della Scuola laboratoriale sulla resilienza per lo sviluppo sostenibile "Uniud ResilHub" dell'Ateneo, con sede a Gemona del Friuli.

🔷 Il documento è stato approvato al termine di un forum con oltre 200 attori coinvolti nei processi tecnico-decisionali e operativi in caso di crisi.

Nelle parole del Magnifico Rettore Angelo Montanari, «mai come quest'anno, cinquantesimo anniversario del terremoto del Friuli, il Manifesto rappresenta simbolicamente e nella concretezza degli atti l'essenza del perché è nata l'Università di Udine: contribuire allo sviluppo civile, culturale, sociale ed economico del territorio».

🗞️ Leggi la notizia su Qui.Uniud ➡️ https://qui.uniud.it/ateneo/nasce-il-manifesto-friuli-2026-per-costruire-un-sistema-di-resilienza-territoriale/

15/06/2026

Petra Malisan!

08/06/2026

We were honored to participate in the 1st National Meeting of UNESCO Chairs in Greece, held in Alexandroupolis! 🇬🇷 ✨

Hosted by the Democritus University of Thrace (D.U.Th.) on the occasion of World Environment Day, this event brought together 18 Greek UNESCO Chairs, UNESCO Headquarters represented by Ms. Inga Nichanian, researchers, and key institutional stakeholders to discuss the importance of academic and scientific diplomacy in advancing the UN 2030 Agenda.

Dr Petra Malisan participated on behalf of our Unesco Chair- Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience. It was a great opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary knowledge sharing, focusing on the holistic integration of climate resilience, environmental protection, and regional development.

Thank you to the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO and the Democritus University of Thrace for hosting such a successful and inspiring forum. We look forward to continuing this collaborative journey toward building resilient communities!

01/06/2026

The EUReKA 2026 Knowledge Arena successfully took place on 28 May in Gemona del Friuli (Udine, Italy) 🇮🇹
Developed within the framework of the ResiliEnhance Program, the initiative was organised by the Unesco Chair- Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience at the University of Udine (Italy) in collaboration with the Istituto Superiore Magrini-Marchetti of Gemona.

The event established an important intergenerational forum designed to enhance safety and community resilience by engaging future decision-makers. Specifically, it involved third- to fifth-year students from the Istituto Magrini-Marchetti, who entered into a constructive dialogue with local teachers and administrators from municipalities across the mountain area of Friuli ⛰️👥

While the 2024 EUReKA Arena focused on the past—examining seismic resilience in relation to the 1976 Friuli earthquake—and the 2025 edition addressed the "present" through educational resilience, EUReKA 2026 looked towards the future. This year's arena dedicated its focus to climate change resilience, tasking participants to project themselves to the year 2050 and use backcasting to propose innovative resilience projects for the mountain areas of Friuli 🌍 🔮

This intergenerational debate successfully bridged the gap between students, academic staff, and local administrators. It provided a collaborative platform to turn knowledge into actionable insights, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each proposal, and share valuable suggestions for future development 🤝

04/05/2026

👏 The final milestone for our future Resilience Officers!

The RESILHub | University of Udine Resilience Officer program has successfully concluded. On Monday, April 27, participants engaged in a dynamic role-play simulation, stepping into a real-case scenario.

This final day of activities was designed to bridge the gap between institutional theory and field reality, allowing future officers to put their decision-making and emergency management skills to the test.