Actualités
Challenges
France has a solid international reputation in the field of risk sciences : French research teams collaborate with key players in the field, actively participate in academic associations or learned societies, and are involved in international research infrastructures and observatories. However, the fact that research teams are widely scattered across France and work in disciplinary silos does not always make the French research effort in risk science any easier to understand at international level.
There is a need to strengthen international networking to promote knowledge sharing and comparative studies while also enhancing France’s position in risk sciences within intergovernmental organizations and international institute networks (such as UNDRR, UNESCO, Belmont Forum, Future Earth, etc.). This would improve the visibility of French research in this field. Additionally, increasing the international attractiveness of doctoral programs involved in risk sciences is a key objective of the INTERRISK project.
Objectives
The INTERRISK project aligns with the goals of Risques (IRiMa) research program, which aims to build a multidisciplinary science of risk using a holistic, internationally recognized, and attractive approach, particularly at the European level. The project aims to:
- Offer interdisciplinary research-based training in risk sciences, open to international participants.
- Promote doctoral student integration through international mobility.
- Increase the impact and international visibility of the Risk Research Program.
- Support Risques (IRiMa) program teams in establishing sustainable partnerships.
The initiative fosters interdisciplinarity by encouraging knowledge and best practice exchanges between young researchers (doctoral and postdoctoral students) as well as between Risques (IRiMa) program teams and European teams with shared scientific interests and similar societal challenges in risk management.
Key figures
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7.00years
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6.00annual research schools
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1.00network of doctoral schools
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6.00joint theses
Implementation
Several actions will be implemented throughout the seven years of the project to meet these objectives:
1. An international doctoral program, including:
- A network of doctoral schools in risk sciences, serving as an informal forum for discussions and recommendations aimed at refining risk science training at the master’s and doctoral levels, considering interdisciplinary challenges and young researchers' career prospects.
- An annual risk science research school for doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, socio-economic and scientific partners from European and non-European universities and laboratories. The school will offer seminars and hands-on laboratory sessions. A call for applications to host these schools will be published annually.
- A young researchers' club (Risk Club), open to all doctoral and postdoctoral students recruited under the Risques (IRiMa) programme initiative, to build and engage the community, encourage exchanges on different disciplinary approaches to risk sciences, and share resources and contacts.
- Co-funding for six co-supervised PhD theses with strategic European partners of the Risques (IRiMa) programme to strengthen or develop privileged partnerships within the programme, for example, through comparative studies.
2. Support for researcher mobility
The initiative will support the mobility of young researchers (doctoral students recruited under the Risk Research Program) by enabling them to spend 3 to 6 months at partner European laboratories. Additionally, senior researchers will be invited to France for research stays up to three months. A call for mobility project proposals will be issued annually.
3. Funding for study missions and promotion of Risques (IRiMa) program at the European level
This includes support for new partnership initiatives (such as responding to Horizon Europe program calls) to increase the visibility and international impact of the risk science community.
The project also aims to contribute to the development of international networks, particularly through EU-supported networking initiatives (such as the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions), to support PEPR Risks researchers. Furthermore, a network linking European master’s programs will be established to attract students from these programs.
Coordinator
Didier GEORGES, Professor at Grenoble INP-UGA.
He teaches at Grenoble INP-ENSE3 and Grenoble INP-PHELMA and conducts research within the Infinity team at GIPSA-lab (UMR 5216). His research in engineering and information sciences focuses on the optimal architecture of observation/diagnostic systems (optimal sensor placement and observation) and the control of complex systems.
Didier Georges was deputy director of GIPSA-lab from 2007 to 2009 and served as Director of UGA’s doctoral college (3,700 doctoral students across 14 doctoral schools) from 2014 to 2016. He also led the CDP RISK Transdisciplinary Project, which brought together over 100 researchers from around 15 Grenoble-based laboratories, focusing on risk and resilience. He initiated the RISK interdisciplinary track at the GS@UGA Graduate School. Since 2022, he has been co-director of PEPR Risques alongside Soraya Boudia and Gilles Grandjean.
Partenaires
