Unesco Chair- Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience

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.

23/04/2026

The RESILHub | University of Udine Resilience Officer program, co-designed with the Civil Protection of Friuli Venezia Giulia, has entered its operational phase! 🤓

Days 3 and 4 shifted the focus from situational analysis to the high-stakes environment of institutional decision-making within the Regional Emergency Committee (COREM).

Key highlights of the Sessions:
📊 Methodologies: Applying analytical-evaluative "lesson learning" techniques to master crisis management.
✍️ Collective wisdom: Laboratory sessions dedicated to drafting "lesson learnt" sheets from complex, real-world case studies.

21/04/2026

🔵 The RESILHub Advanced Training School on Resilience at the University of Udine has initiated a course for Resilience Officers!

Thanks to this course, future Resilience Officers will be equipped to operate in crisis contexts, anticipating vulnerabilities and strengthening operational cohesion among the various actors within the regional civil protection system.

The first two days of the program, held in Paluzza and Palmanova, integrated sector-specific knowledge with transversal skills to facilitate a systemic approach to emergency scenarios.

More to come about the course content shared during days 3 and 4 - stay tuned! 📢

20/04/2026

Last week, the SERM Academy (Safety and Emergency Response Management) held the SERM-Ex 2025 (in 2026) at the Portis Vecchio training camp in Venzone 🇮🇹
This intensive, full-scale exercise served as a vital hub for intersectoral collaboration, bringing together:
🚒 Regional Fire Brigades
🎓 Unesco Chair- Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience
🛡️ Regional Civil Protection
🤝 The Association of Earthquake-Affected Municipalities
🏘️ The Municipality of Venzone

A major highlight of last week's operations included the controlled demolition of the former Portis kindergarten. Additional tasks included counter-checking road safety and conducting structural safety assessments of buildings facing roads.

🌐 Discover the SERM Academy mission: https://unescochair-sprint.uniud.it/en/serm-academy/

15/04/2026

Great to see our Chairholder, Prof. Stefano Grimaz, featured in the latest ECHO Project EU interview series!

As the head of our Unesco Chair- Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience, Prof. Grimaz discusses the challenges in urban resilience management and how the ECHO project is addressing these critical challenges.

📽️ Watch the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YwZjMoo1N0
🌐 Learn more about the project here: https://echo-horizon.eu/

Welcome back to the ECHO Partner Interview series, where we interview a range of ECHO consortium members to discover what the ECHO Project is, what challenge...

23/03/2026

We are honored to share that UNESCO has officially renewed the mandate for our Unesco Chair- Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience at the University of Udine for the next four years! 🌍🌟
We are so proud to continue our work in "Intersectoral Safety"!

What’s next?
✅ 4 more years of international research and collaboration
✅ Expanding the VISUS method to keep more schools safe worldwide
✅ Pursuing our work on the ResilIEnhance Programme, operating across global (Resilience Catalysts), regional (ResiliEnhance Platform), and local levels (EUReKA project)

This achievement belongs to our researchers, our partners, and our territory. Together, we are building a safer, more prepared future 🤝💪

Check out the full story here: https://qui.uniud.it/ateneo/il-friuli-si-conferma-capitale-della-resilienza-rinnovato-il-mandato-alla-cattedra-unesco-delluniversita-di-udine/

UNESCO Office in Venice

8 Marzo 2026 Istituita nel 2018, fondata e diretta da Stefano Grimaz Il Friuli si conferma capitale della resilienza, rinnovato il mandato alla Cattedra Unesco dell’Università di Udine Nuovamente riconosciuta centro di ricerca d’eccellenza internazionale sulla “sicurezza intersettoriale”, u...

18/03/2026

🌍 Building Resilience Together: ECHO 1st General Assembly
The Unesco Chair- Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience is in Málaga, Spain 🇪🇦 , for the first General Assembly of the ECHO Project EU!

From March 18–19, 2026, we are joining international partners at the historic La Térmica building to advance multi-hazard resilience through open data and collaborative innovation

What we are focusing on:
🔹 Strategic collaboration: Contributing to stakeholder engagement and pilot discussions
🔹 Community tools: Collaborating on the development of services for community resilience
🔹 Knowledge sharing: Participating in cross-sectoral workshops to tackle common safety challenges

We are proud to bring our expertise to this Horizon Europe initiative as we work to empower and connect diverse communities 🙌

Learn more about the project here: https://echo-horizon.eu/

10/03/2026

On 9 March 2026, the UNIUD RESILHub was officially inaugurated at the historic Palazzo Fantoni in Gemona del Friuli 🏛️ 🇮🇹 —a new advanced training school in resilience for sustainable development, established by the University of Udine.

Born in close synergy with our Unesco Chair- Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience 🤝, the UNIUD RESILHub is designed as a hands-on laboratory for ideas and knowledge, bridging scientific rigor with multi-sectoral experience to tackle increasingly complex global challenges—from disasters of natural origin to pandemics, climate change, and socio-economic crises.

The first concrete step is an intensive course for Resilience Officers, co-designed with the Civil Protection of Friuli Venezia Giulia, aiming to train highly specialized professionals to operate within complex crisis management structures 🛠️📚. The course will conclude in May 2026, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Friuli earthquake—a deeply meaningful moment for our region and a milestone in the history of resilience.

The choice of Gemona is no coincidence: it stands as a symbol of reconstruction, community strength, and the enduring power of resilience.

🔗 Read more: https://qui.uniud.it/citta/a-gemona-del-friuli-e-nata-uniud-resilhub/

16/02/2026

Honored to have contributed to the recent event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Friuli earthquake.

Reflecting on the 1976 disaster is not just about remembering the past; it is about recognizing the "Friuli Experience" as a global benchmark for resilience and intersectoral reconstruction. At the Unesco Chair- Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience, we are proud to play a role in translating these historical lessons into modern strategies for a safer world.

Learn more about the commemoration activities (in Italian only):
🌐 Read the dedicated article: https://qui.uniud.it/ateneo/oltre-100-studiosi-italiani-di-terremoti-in-visita-ai-luoghi-del-rischio-sismico-in-friuli/

📺 Watch the event highlights: https://www.ansa.it/friuliveneziagiulia/notizie/2026/02/13/viaggio-nei-terremoti-del-friuli-ricercatori-studiano-la-resilienza_b6d3d4cc-b1d6-446a-8955-1d3247f18300.html