Project

DIRECTED – Disaster resilience for extreme climate events through improved data accessibility, communication and risk governance

The EU-funded Horizon Europe project, DIRECTED, seeks to reduce vulnerability to extreme weather events, and to foster disaster-resilient societies. The project aims to design a new system that integrates climate risk-assessment tools, disaster-warning systems and disaster-communication approaches. The goal is to help emergency agencies better prepare for and respond to such crises.

Active project

2022–2023

Project contacts

Sukaina Bharwani / sukaina.bharwani@sei.orgJanne Parviainen / janne.parviainen@sei.orgNatascha Ng / Natascha.Ng@sei.org

The flooded Danube River in Budapest. Photo: sndr / Getty Images.

The EU-funded Horizon Europe DIRECTED project seeks to create disaster and climate resilient European societies by enhancing the interoperability of data systems, knowledge, and communication between stakeholders engaged in risk governance. It aims to harmonize their ability to act and exchange information by overcoming silos between different sectors of science and practice and leverages existing capacities to reduce fragmentation within the domains of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA).

The complexity of disaster risks and the effects of climate change across Europe are challenges which require systemic solutions and transformational learning toward resilience. To achieve this, interdisciplinary collaboration, inclusive governance, and strong relationships are required to enable more democratic risk management across scales. Furthermore, improved access to contextually relevant information is needed to support the ability of stakeholders and people to understand existing hazards and future scenarios through integrated climate data, therefore broadening the available options for managing current and future risks.

Against this backdrop, the DIRECTED project utilizes state-of-the art risk management tools and approaches and the principles of co-production to test and establish new best practices through Real World Labs placed in strategic locations across Europe. Stakeholders from the Rhine-Erft Region, Capital Region of Denmark, Emilia Romagna and the Danube Region will lead this process with the support of DIRECTED partners, in efforts to build bridges between different domains and disciplines toward interdisciplinary risk management solutions. The project will also support the development of an integrated Data Fabric, which connects currently available information and models under one umbrella. This will strengthen the synergies between disaster data and climate services and secures the availability of data to decision makers and practitioners on the ground.

Specifically, DIRECTED commitments seek to:

Overcome silos between technical and political authorities, sectors and sciences across all levels by improving communication between actors engaged in DRR and CCA.
Leverage existing synergies and reducing the fragmentation within these domains, including by supporting inclusive multi-level governance.
Promote multi-risk thinking that can address complexity, natural hazards and the adverse impacts of climate change to current and future risks. The project will develop and build upon a signature Risk-Tandem framework aimed at assessing, evaluation, managing and communicating complex risk scenarios in collaboration with stakeholders from the Real-World Labs.
Develop capacity and lasting real-world partnerships that will continue beyond the project’s scope.
Exploit the power of open data and open science, improving capabilities via the Data Fabric architecture to connect currently fragmented information (including knowledge and tools developed in the past, present and future research, as well as current innovation initiatives).

The DIRECTED project provides an opportunity to advance several signature areas of SEI research regarding co-production, climate services and knowledge management.

It will advance the Tandem framework and related guidance to support the application of Risk-Tandem.

Collaboration to bridge the gap between climate science and adaptation policy

Feature / The SEI Initiative on Climate Services generated new insights about co-design and co-production proocesses to integrate climate science into adaptation policy.

18 May 2020 / About Adaptation, Cities, Climate services, Disaster risk and Participation

PLACARD

Project / This project will establish a comprehensive coordination and knowledge exchange platform for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

2015 - 2020 / About Adaptation and Disaster risk

Transforming knowledge management for climate action: a road map for accelerated discovery and learning

Other publication / This report suggests ways to improve knowledge management for the climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction communities.

6 May 2020 / About Adaptation and Disaster risk

MAIA – Maximising impact and accessibility of European climate research

Project / MAIA is an EU Horizon Europe project that seeks to expand the impact and uptake of European climate research.

2022 - 2025 / About Adaptation, Climate services and Disaster risk

DIRECTED will also develop and scale up the Connectivity Hub by linking to the Data Fabric architecture.

Invited perspectives: fostering interoperability of data, models, communication, and governance for disaster resilience through transdisciplinary knowledge co-production

Journal article / This perspective argues for transdisciplinary approaches to foster interoperability of information for disaster risk and climate adaptation needs.

18 September 2025 / About Adaptation and Disaster risk

Capacity development for locally led knowledge co-production processes in Real World Labs for managing climate and disaster risk

Journal article / This article outlines key capacities needed for locally led knowledge co-production processes to address disaster risk and climate change adaptation.

22 May 2025 / About Adaptation and Disaster risk

The Risk-Tandem Framework: an iterative framework for combining risk governance and knowledge co-production toward integrated disaster risk management and climate change adaptation

Journal article / This journal article outlines the Risk-Tandem Framework, which uses transdisciplinary knowledge co-production to help address the governance of climate risks.

22 January 2025 / About Adaptation and Disaster risk

People gathered in a conference room participating in a tabletop exercise, with documents, maps, and coffee on tables arranged in a U-shape; a presentation slide is projected at the front of the room.

Camaraderie in chaos: using play to build needed trust in uncertain times

Perspective / Serious games offer a way to help foster the trust that underpins needed collaboration on climate, environment and sustainable development issues.

16 June 2025 / About Adaptation and Disaster risk

Aerial view of a narrow road cutting through a flooded landscape, with a single orange vehicle parked on the road near a large, leafless tree surrounded by water.

Dikes won’t do: why Europe is failing to reduce flood risks

Perspective / In this perspective, SEI's Janne Parviainen argues that the impacts of Storm Boris show why Europe must rethink its approach to addressing rising flood risks.

23 September 2024 / About Adaptation, Cities and Disaster risk

Online guidance to collaboratively address climate change adaptation

Tool / Tandem guidance is an interactive, online tool to help scientists and decision-makers collaborate to improve climate change adaptation planning and policies.

About Adaptation and Climate services