[01/26] Project lead Dr Ellen Robson (PDRA, IHRR), and co-leads, Prof Bruce Malamud (Director, IHRR), and Dr Ashutosh Kumar (IIT Mandi) have been awarded a US$100k grant by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) to develop a Primer on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (PoDRI).
The Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience (IHRR) at Durham University (UK), in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi (India) and the University of Canterbury (New Zealand), have been awarded this US$100k grant (running from December 2025 to October 2026) by the CDRI’s Infrastructure Resilience Academic Exchange (IRAX) programme.
This project will develop and deliver a high-quality, self-paced, open-access online course titled Primer on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (PoDRI), comprising approximately 8–10 hours of asynchronous learning. Designed to be globally accessible and relevant to a wide range of infrastructure stakeholders—including students, faculty, policymakers, financiers, engineers, and disaster risk reduction (DRR) professionals—PoDRI will equip participants with both foundational and applied knowledge on disaster-resilient infrastructure in the face of natural hazards.
A robust needs assessment will form the foundation of curriculum development, allowing for an evidence-based understanding of learner profiles, sectoral gaps, and pedagogical requirements. The needs assessment will consist of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and an online workshop with our team of expert advisors. Expert advisors for the project include academics from Durham University (UK), the University of Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania), Fiji National University (Fiji), the IIT Mandi (India), IIT Bombay (India), Loughborough University (UK), University of Mauritius (Mauritius), Mekelle University (Ethiopia), Tribhuvan University (Nepal), Tohoku University (Japan), as well as consultants from a range of organisations including ARUP, SW Nepal, and Winter Associates.
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Photo credit: Robson 2025
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