COCHAIR: COllaborative research CHAIRS

Project funded by the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), under grant “ANR-22-EXIR-0002 (project COCHAIR)”

The “Collaborative Research Chaires” project (COCHAIR) is a cross-disciplinary project within PEPR Risques, dedicated to the implementation of four collaborative research chairs to develop and promote a range of cross-disciplinary scientific activities.

COCHAIR aims to meet the challenges posed by ongoing global changes, which are exposing human societies to an unprecedented increase in risks and disasters, due in particular to the combination of climate change impacts and human activities. It will enable us to respond to the challenges posed by the intricacy of risks at different scales, to build new tools and frameworks for characterizing these risks and their consequences, and to develop policies covering the entire risk cycle (assessment, prevention, preparedness, reduction, mitigation, crisis management, reconstruction and recovery), taking into account changes in natural hazards, the growing impact of climate change, economic activities, lifestyles and the many uncertainties that shape contemporary societies.

COCHAIR contributes in particular to address 5 main objectives:

• Strengthen PEPR Risks cross-disciplinary scientific activities, by enabling new collaborations, the emergence of integrated approaches to risks to overcome silo approaches;
• Produce and promote new scientific knowledge on multi-hazard situations in terms of observation, anticipation and governance;
• Build the conditions for better appropriation of scientific knowledge and expertise for decision-making and public action;
• Develop new, innovative forms of social and cultural representation of risks and disasters, in collaboration with professionals and cultural institutions.
• Create synergies with other programs on major challenges to enhance the relevance of the knowledge produced to contemporary issues, and the visibility of PEPR Risks results.

COCHAIR is organized into five workpackages (WPs), including a WP0 dedicated to coordination and valorization, to the integration and synthesis of the various results in interaction with the other focus projects of the Risk Program, and to the dissemination of results.

WP1 corresponds to Chair 1 – Data, models and decision-making in risk science.

WP2 corresponds to Chair 2 – Multirisks

WP3 corresponds to Chair 3 – Science, expertise and policy in the era of global change

WP4 corresponds to Chair 4 – Risk culture and mediation