Academic Research & Development

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Humanitarian crises generate urgent questions that emergency operations alone cannot answer. Why does one flood trigger a disease outbreak while another does not? How reliable is forecast data when lives depend on it? What does it actually take for communities to act early on a warning they have never seen before?

The Netherlands Red Cross invests in applied research to find answers that improve how National Societies prepare for and respond to crises. Research starts from questions that National Societies and operational partners bring from their experience. Topics span impact-based forecasting and trigger models for anticipatory action, risk and impact data quality, digital inclusion, the potential of nature-based solutions, and the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in humanitarian decision-making. Every research project connects directly to a specific expertise of the Netherlands Red Cross. Findings feed back into operations, shaping tools, guidelines, and approaches that National Societies can actually use.

How we work together

Research is structured to generate the most useful output with the least overhead. It can include:

Supervising BSc, MSc and PhD students on assignments co-designed with operational teams, lasting six to nine months, generating substantial research output with a relatively small investment in staff hours.
Conducting direct project-based research in collaboration with academic institutions, anchored by the Princess Margriet Chair “Data for Disaster Resilience” at the University of Twente.
Publishing findings in peer-reviewed journals and integrating them into digital products, tools and guidelines that National Societies can use directly.
Collaborating with UNDRR, WMO, UN OCHA and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre to connect research to global humanitarian policy and operational priorities.
Reviewing research priorities annually with Netherlands Red Cross teams and the scientific lead to keep the agenda grounded in field needs.

Local example

In Cameroon, research by Netherlands Red Cross students on cholera risk and cross-sector collaboration supported the world’s first validated Early Action Protocol (EAP) for epidemics, now run by the Cameroon Red Cross.