The CHANGES network will develop an advanced understanding of how global changes, related to environmental and climate change as well as socio-economical change, will affect  the temporal and spatial patterns of hydro-meteorological hazards and associated risks in Europe; how these changes can be assessed, modeled, and incorporated in sustainable risk management strategies, focusing on spatial planning, emergency preparedness and risk communication..  

The main objectives are:

(1)  provide high-level training, teaching and research in the field of hazard and risk management in a changing environmental context to European young scientists.

(2)  reduce the fragmentation of research on natural processes, and

(3)  to develop a methodological framework combined with modeling tools for probabilistic multi-hazard risk assessment taking into account changes in hazard scenarios (related to climate change) and exposed elements at risk. 

The MCITN is inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral by its nature. Active stakeholders’ participation and the dissemination of the project results are important features of the project. High-level training facilities as well as scientific and technological excellence will be provided to the next generation of researchers in the field of hazard and risk management.

It is expected to foster European young scientists to be able to find employment in European organizations, in different sectors. The CHANGES network hopes to contribute to the Topical Action numbers 2 and 3 of the Hyogo Framework for Action of the UN-ISDR, as risk assessment and management, combined with innovation and education are considered essential to confront the impacts of future environmental changes. The network consists of 11 full partners and 6 associate partners of which 5 private companies, representing 10 European countries. It it proposed to hire 12 ESR's and 3 ER's.

Links with other projects

Mountain Risks

This was an earlier FP6 Marie Curie ITN. Its focus was research and training in all aspects of mountains hazards and risks asses  sment and management. This European network developed an advanced understanding of how mountain hydro-geomorphological processes behave and to applied this understanding to living with the hazards in the long-term. Several of the partners in CHANGES have also collaborated in this project.

SafeLand

Living with landslide risk in Europe: Assessment, effects of global change, and risk management strategies. SafeLand will develop and implement an integrated and comprehensive approach to help guide decision-making. The methodologies developed will be tested in selected hazard and risk "hotspots” in Europe, in turn improving knowledge, methodologies and integration strategies for the management of landslide risk.

KULTURisk

This FP7 project aims at developing a culture of risk prevention by evaluating the benefits of different risk prevention initiatives. This evaluation will be carried out by developing a novel methodology and referring to different types of water-related catastrophes, such as river inundations, urban flash floods, storm surges, rainfall triggered debris flows and landslides.

CHANGES in the news

Documentary made by Romanian national TV in Buzau county, Romania, of a meeting of the CHANGES network.
Newspaper article (in French) about a CHANGES meeting in Barcelonnette.