The Swiss Re Institute/AXA Research Fund Risk Resilience Partnership calls on researchers from academic institutions to hand in their project proposals on Resilience Post Natural Catastrophes - Disaster Preparedness and Reconstruction until January 31st 2025.
Incidents resulting from weather-related disasters like floods, rainfall, hailstorms, wildfires or droughts, have increased seven-fold since the 70’s. In 2023, global economic losses alone reached USD 280 billion, without accounting for numerous unquantified natural, social, and cultural losses. The physical, social and economic repercussions caused by these events often leave regional economies or local communities nonfunctional for weeks or months while houses and infrastructure are being rebuilt and public services repaired.
The urgent need to build back better.
In 2020 and 2021 alone, disasters disrupted the provision of over 363,184 basic services in 44 reporting countries, including health and educational services[1]. Reconstruction is often slow and does not always contribute to resilience, especially in places that are likely to be hit again. Therefore, a key challenge is to improve preparedness and enable swift reconstruction which positively contributes to reducing vulnerabilities and avoids unsustainable, costly and dangerous repetitions. The UN defines this process as “building back better” (BBB).
Insurance plays a central role in this scenario to safeguard people against disaster related losses, help reduce the broader economic fallout and accelerate the recovery of people, businesses, and communities. Yet, as the severity of perils increases so does the cost for insurers and those insured. In addition, not everyone benefits from insurance. This can affect financial stability and weaken the financial position of governments, which have to step in to provide relief or cover losses in the aftermath of a catastrophe, and further widen economic inequality.
Call for proposals.
This call for projects invites researchers to investigate how to improve reconstruction/post-disaster recovery (e.g. private homes, buildings and infrastructure, social services, general economic activity) and economic resilience building after extreme weather events causing systemic risk to societies and economies.
It shall contribute to effectively organize and finance activities pertaining to ‘build back better’ by supporting research projects exploring ideas to create or contribute to functional, replicable and sustainable frameworks to BBB, with close references to the role of insurance and financial institutions. Such frameworks should include stakeholders’ cooperation, key success factors to enable BBB, including efficient incentives though different economic stakeholder and the role of financial institutions and insurance in that context.
Target beneficiaries and projects
The Risk Resilience Partnership aims to support top-tier research on systemic risks. Research project proposals should demonstrate their scientific originality and innovative nature and have the potential to contribute to a step change in the proposal's specified areas.
The proposals are expected to:
Be scientifically outstanding
Create results applicable for risk identification and risk assessment by corporate, and
Inform governments and/or private sector on how to build resilience against systemic risks in the specific Call themes
Application platform will be live on December 02, 2024.
Applications will be accepted from academic institutions across the globe. Academic institutions are the only eligible direct beneficiaries which may receive funding through this Partnership. Private companies, NGOs, governmental bodies, foundations, independent research centers, cultural institutions (such as museums), and hospitals are not eligible as direct beneficiaries. However, due to the applied nature of the funding, it is possible for academic institutions to collaborate and partner with other organizations from public and private sectors.
More on the call for proposals (download the guidelines)
For any questions on the guidelines or the eligibility to the call: axaresearchfund@axa.com
If you encounter any questions on the technical platform during the application process, please write to the Help Desk : esf-panels@esf.org
[1] Sendai Framework Monitor, 2022