About Us
The Scientific-Professional Society for Disaster Risk Management (SPS-DRM)(Naučno-stručno društvo za upravljanje rizicima u vanrednim situacijama) is a dynamic, non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the field of disaster risk management. Established for an indefinite period, our mission is to elevate the theoretical knowledge base, conduct cutting-edge quantitative and qualitative research, organize impactful national and international conferences, launch and manage academic journals, deliver comprehensive training programs, and perform thorough risk assessments, along with other academic activities in this vital field. Recognizing the immeasurable importance and pivotal role of non-governmental organizations and civil society in disaster risk management, including their proactive contributions to public policy, risk reduction actions, advocacy for enhanced preparedness and resilience, aid to affected individuals, and collaboration with emergency response services, Prof. Dr. Vladimir M. Cvetković founded NSDR-URVS on June 15, 2018. This organization unites scientists and practitioners from Serbia and the region to collectively advance theoretical and empirical principles and support local decision-makers and leaders in managing disaster situations effectively.
The Scientific-Professional Society for Disaster Risk Management (NSDR-URVS) is led by President Prof. Dr. Vladimir M. Cvetković, with Anja Beli serving as the Secretary. NSDR-URVS boasts a diverse membership of over 1,500 individuals, including professors from all state and private universities and faculties in Serbia, scientific researchers, practitioners (such as members of the police force, fire and rescue units, emergency medical services, military, and security-related NGOs), as well as students and young professionals directly or indirectly involved in research and practical activities related to emergency situations. Membership is open to all interested individuals and can be obtained by filling out the application form available on our website and submitting it via the Society’s email. Join us and be part of a vibrant community dedicated to advancing the field of disaster risk management.
To further enhance our scientific endeavors, on December 21, 2020, we adopted the Statute and established the International Institute for Disaster Research. This institute serves as a hub for basic, applied, and developmental scientific research in disaster risk management. Our research spans various crucial areas, including disaster and hazard phenomenology, preparedness and risk mitigation, protection and rescue operations, disaster recovery, international cooperation, and legal frameworks related to disasters. We are committed to exploring innovative solutions and sharing our findings to build a safer, more resilient world.
Goals of SPS-DRM
The Scientific-Professional Society for Disaster Risk Management (SPS-DRM) is committed to achieving several key objectives. Firstly, it focuses on conducting research in the field of disaster studies. This includes undertaking comprehensive studies to understand the various facets of disasters and their management. Secondly, the Society aims to establish and manage an international journal, specifically the International Journal of Disaster Risk Management, to facilitate the dissemination of research findings and advancements in the field. Additionally, SPS-DRM is dedicated to preparing, applying for, and implementing national and international projects on various aspects of disaster risk management. This involves collaborating with various stakeholders to secure funding and support for impactful projects. The Society also prioritizes the promotion, design, implementation, and improvement of preventive measures against disasters, ensuring communities are better prepared and resilient.
Another crucial objective is raising public awareness. SPS-DRM develops and executes campaigns, programs, and plans to enhance public understanding of the necessity for improved disaster preparedness. This includes educating the public on best practices and safety measures. Furthermore, the Society organizes national and international scientific conferences on disaster risk management, providing a platform for knowledge exchange and networking among professionals. Conducting expert risk assessments and developing protection and rescue plans for emergency situations are also vital goals. These activities ensure that there are robust plans in place to mitigate the impact of disasters. Moreover, SPS-DRM is committed to organizing and conducting various forms of training, courses, seminars, and other educational activities for citizens, students, and employees in interested institutions. These programs are designed to enhance skills and knowledge in disaster risk management. Lastly, the Society performs other tasks in accordance with the law and its Statute, ensuring compliance and alignment with broader regulatory and organizational frameworks. Through these comprehensive efforts, SPS-DRM aims to significantly contribute to the field of disaster risk management and improve community resilience.
National Scientific Research Projects
Partner on the Project: Increasing Readiness and Participation of Civil Society Organizations and Youth in Disaster Risk Reduction in Serbia
Research Objective
The scientific research aims to provide a thorough explanation of the factors influencing the readiness and capacities of high schools, civil society organizations (CSOs), and local self-governments (LSGs), specifically Civil Protection Departments (CPDs), within the West Morava Basin (comprising 18 municipalities) in Serbia to prevent disaster risks in compliance with the Law on Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Management. Specifically, the study will examine the following:
The effectiveness of collaboration among CPDs, high schools, and CSOs within the West Morava Basin regarding integrated disaster risk management (prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery).
The representation of youth and CSOs in reforming integrated disaster risk management in the region.
The level of readiness and the factors influencing youth awareness of the importance of disaster risk reduction in the area.
The development of multisectoral collaboration among high schools, LSGs, and CSOs in disaster risk reduction within the West Morava Basin.
The general hypothesis posits that the readiness and capacities of high schools, LSGs, and CSOs are at a lower level, there is insufficient collaboration and youth representation in reform processes, and multisectoral collaboration among these entities is underdeveloped.
Data Collection Methods
Given the multi-method approach of the project, various data sources will be utilized. These can be categorized into two primary groups: existing data sources and data specifically generated for this research. Existing data sources will include documentation and archives from various local, regional, national, and international institutions. Additional materials such as newspapers, press releases, and media appearances by decision-makers relevant to the study will also be analyzed. Furthermore, all available scientific and professional publications in Serbian and English will be utilized. These systematically collected data will be analyzed using secondary analysis, content analysis, comparative legal analysis, and literature review.
Newly generated data will be collected through surveys conducted with students, school staff, CSO representatives, and CPD representatives, employing survey and interview techniques. Data collection will focus on the readiness and capacities of high schools, CSOs, and CPDs for integrated disaster risk reduction, their collaborative effectiveness, youth and CSO representation in reforms, youth influence on public awareness of disaster risk reduction, and the multisectoral collaboration among these entities. A multistage random sampling method will select 10 LSGs out of the 18 in the study area.
Ethical Standards
The quantitative research will adhere to the Helsinki Declaration, which defines standards for socio-medical studies involving human subjects. Participants will provide informed consent to participate in the study (see attachment—Informed Consent). The research protocol will be approved by the Scientific Research Committee within the Scientific-Professional Society for Disaster Risk Management.
Analytical Methods
Quantitative analysis will employ parametric and non-parametric statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, ANOVA, and correlation analyses. Organized and classified data will be analyzed using methods such as frequency determination, percentage distribution, and statistical tests to identify significant differences between groups or relationships between variables. Before analysis, raw data from questionnaires will undergo preliminary preparation, including editing, coding, and statistical adjustments. Descriptive statistical indicators such as measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode), dispersion (range, standard deviation, coefficient of variation), and distribution shape (skewness, kurtosis) will be calculated. Data will then undergo cross-tabulation and statistical testing for deeper analysis.
Presentation Methods
Research findings will be presented in a comprehensive report that includes textual, tabular, and graphical representations. Additionally, a presentation highlighting the most significant results will be prepared.
Anticipated Risks and Mitigation Strategies
Identified risks include potential refusals by certain high schools to participate in the research, which can be mitigated by selecting alternative schools. Another risk involves potential non-participation of CPD representatives without prior approval from the Ministry of Interior (MoI). This can be addressed by submitting an official request for research approval to the Serbian MoI.
Strengthening the Integrated Disaster Risk Management System in Serbia: DISARIMES
The territory of Serbia is vulnerable to various types of natural hazards, and the risk is not uniformly distributed across the country; it varies depending on the type of hazard and the expected damage potential. Seismic hazards, landslides, rockfalls, floods, flash floods, excessive erosion, droughts, and wildfires are some of the significant natural hazards in Serbia. These natural processes can directly and indirectly endanger the environment, population, and material assets. The current state of disaster protection in Serbia is characterized by incomplete and inaccessible information about risks from potential natural disasters and their consequences, along with insufficient public participation. There is a notable lack of capacity among local authorities, professional services, and consultants for a modern approach to disaster risk management. Additionally, the current situation is characterized by the absence of a unified database on the spatial distribution of certain natural disasters, such as floods, landslide hotspots, torrents, etc., and the determination of potentially critical zones.
The overall state of the disaster protection system in Serbia is unsatisfactory, especially regarding the spatial aspects of risk management. Despite the continuous increase in the number, frequency, and intensity of natural disasters, the Republic of Serbia has not conducted a comprehensive scientific study to identify the weaknesses and opportunities for improving the disaster risk management system. In this context, the main goal of the project is “Strengthening the Integrated Disaster Risk Management System in Serbia – DISARIMES.” The project results will enable the strengthening of the disaster risk management system through research, development, and the application of innovative solutions in the phases of preparation (education and training of local populations, etc.), mitigation, response, recovery, and post-disaster recovery.
The scientific significance of the planned research lies in creating opportunities to enhance theoretical and empirical knowledge in the scientific field of disaster risk management and its practical application, considering that this is a relatively young scientific discipline in Serbia. The project research results will assist decision-makers in Serbia in understanding the deficiencies of the system while providing innovative opportunities for improving its functioning in conditions of increasingly frequent and severe disasters. The establishment of a scientific and professional society in the field of disaster risk management will create sustainable and necessary conditions for transferring and enhancing knowledge and experiences significant for raising the operational capacity of Serbia’s protection and rescue system in the event of disasters.
The increasing risk of disasters (Cvetković, 2014; Cvetković & Dragićević, 2014; Cvetković et al., 2018; Dragićević et al., 2013; Ivanov & Cvetković, 2016), accompanied by the growing vulnerability of people and their assets, directly imposes the need for a responsible society in Serbia to improve its resilience level (Cvetković & Miladinović, 2018; Cvetković, 2017; Cvetković, Kevin, et al., 2019a; Cvetković et al., 2018; Cvetković, Roder, Öcal, Tarolli, & Dragićević, 2018; Kostadinov, Dragićević, Stefanović, Novković, & Petrović, 2017).
It is necessary to seriously reconsider the needs and opportunities for improving the existing disaster risk management system (Akter & Wamba, 2019; Fan, Zhang, Yahja, & Mostafavi, 2021; Moşteanu, Faccia, & Cavaliere; Poblet, García-Cuesta, & Casanovas, 2018; Saja, Goonetilleke, Teo, & Ziyath, 2019). The flaws and limitations of the formal-legal regulatory framework in the field of disaster risk management (Cvetković and Filipović, 2017), as well as the ineffective and untimely implementation of legal solutions, urgently point to the necessity of implementing more serious scientific research projects to devise concrete and applicable proposals for changing the current legislation. Additionally, there is an increasing need to transform the functioning of the system from a reactive to a proactive approach that emphasizes and implements measures and activities to reduce disaster risks. Furthermore, there is an evident lack of preventive measures (Cvetković, Öcal, & Ivanov, 2019; Cvetković et al., 2017; Цветковић, 2017) to mitigate the consequences of disasters and insufficient public awareness of their significance. Practice shows an inability to overcome existing obstacles (Cvetković, Bošković, Janković, and Andrić, 2019), which prevent entities and forces of the disaster risk management system from devising, developing, and implementing disaster risk reduction measures.
Although the comprehensive efforts to reduce disaster risk seem serious but not systematic, disaster consequences continue to threaten the safety of people and their assets in the territory of the Republic of Serbia. For example, the 2014 floods alone caused the death of 51 people, 23 of whom drowned, while 31,879 were temporarily evacuated from flooded and destroyed homes, including 24,000 from Obrenovac (UNDAC Report, Serbia Floods, May 2014). For this reason, strengthening the disaster risk management system through research, development, and the application of innovative solutions in this field can have the effect of reducing disaster risks (Henderson, 2004; Lettieri, Masella, & Radaelli, 2009; Meissner, Luckenbach, Risse, Kirste, & Kirchner, 2002; Moe, Gehbauer, Senitz, & Mueller, 2007; Pelling & Wisner, 2012; Zhang, Okada, & Tatano, 2006), which will directly increase the level of safety for citizens and their resilience to disaster consequences.
In the past, disasters affecting certain areas of Serbia caused enormous material, economic, and human losses (Cvetković & Janković, 2020; Cvetković, Nikolić, Nenadić, Öcal, & Zečević, 2020; Cvetković Vladimir M. et al., 2020; Janković & Cvetković, 2020; Öcal, Cvetković, Baytiyeh, Tedim, & Zečević, 2020). After the 2014 floods, besides the direct danger to human life and health, the total damage exceeded €1.7 billion, representing more than 4% of the gross domestic product. Innovative solutions offered by DISARIMES can reduce direct damage to the public and private sectors. They can also lower the level of losses in major production sectors such as agriculture, industry, trade, and mining, as well as damages to critical infrastructure, which is costly to repair (Jha, 2020; Kaur, 2020; Öcal, 2019; Olawuni, Olowoporoku, & Daramola, 2020; Perić & Cvetković, 2019; Thennavan, Ganapathy, Chandrasekaran, & Rajawat, 2020; Vibhas, Adu, Ruiyi, Anwaar, & Rajib, 2019; Vibhas, Bismark, Ruiyi, Anwaar, & Rajib, 2019; Xuesong & Kapucu, 2019). Its impact on reducing the vulnerability level of critical infrastructure will mitigate the disabling or limitation of vital state functions (governance, healthcare, education, energy, economic, social, and security functions in general) (Aqib, Mehmood, Alzahrani, & Katib, 2020; Etinay, Egbu, & Murray, 2018; Kalkman & de Waard, 2017; Kapucu & Demiroz, 2017; Oloruntoba, Sridharan, & Davison, 2018; Sarma, Das, & Bera, 2020).
Concept and Methodology
The subject of the scientific research planned within the DISARIMES project is a multi-method study (quantitative and qualitative research) (Creswell, Klassen, Plano Clark, & Smith, 2011; Hesse-Biber, 2010; Timans, Wouters, & Heilbron, 2019), along with conducting SWOT analyses to scientifically explain the factors preventing the strengthening of the disaster risk management system (Aleksandrina, Budiarti, Yu, Pasha, & Shaw, 2019; Kumiko & Shaw, 2019; Mano, A, & Rapaport, 2019; Öcal, 2019; Perić & Cvetković, 2019; Vibhas, Adu, et al., 2019; Vibhas, Bismark, et al., 2019; Xuesong & Kapucu, 2019).
Within the tradition of quantitative research, a large number of surveys will be conducted using questionnaires to examine the attitudes of citizens in various vulnerable local communities, employees in relevant organizations and disaster risk management institutions (Anderson-Berry & King, 2005; Balluz, Schieve, Holmes, Kiezak, & Malilay, 2000; Diekman, Kearney, O’neil, & Mack, 2007; Etkin, 1999; Falkiner, 2006; Mileti & Fitzpatrick, 1993), members of rescue services, and other relevant practitioners regarding the strengthening of the disaster risk management system. Additionally, a series of semi-standardized interviews (qualitative research) will be conducted with managers of many relevant organizations and institutions in the field of disaster risk management. Furthermore, content analysis of existing documentation, regulations, and archival materials from the Republic of Serbia in the field of disaster risk reduction will be conducted to analyze and compare them with documents and regulations from other relevant developed countries (Cvetković, 2020; Cvetković, Kevin, et al., 2019b; Cvetković & Svrdlin, 2020; Cvetković, Öcal, & Ivanov, 2019).
The application of SWOT analysis will create prerequisites for improving the mentioned system based on the use of existing or newly developed innovative solutions (Cvetković, Tomašević, & Milašinović, 2019; Cvetković, 2019; Mumović & Cvetković, 2019). This will identify all the strengths and weaknesses, i.e., favorable and unfavorable factors of the disaster risk management system, as well as opportunities for implementing certain innovations in the disaster risk reduction system in Serbia. The created analytical framework will provide all relevant information about the system itself, external factors affecting it, and its development opportunities. Strategic opportunities and threats to the disaster risk management system will be reviewed in relation to its strategic strengths and weaknesses.
Planned Research Outputs
Based on the mentioned research results and SWOT analysis, a matrix will be developed to improve the existing system by identifying innovative solutions in disaster risk management. The analysis of the obtained results will serve as a starting point for analyzing, identifying, and prioritizing innovative capabilities and solutions to strengthen the system. Additionally, data will be collected for a complex analysis of natural conditions as basic factors for the occurrence of geo-hazards. This will include compiling and processing existing spatial planning and other relevant documentation and data in both analog and digital formats, fieldwork (preliminary mapping of various natural conditions), sensitivity mapping to individual hazards, identifying protected natural resources, endangered habitats/biotopes/species, cultural and historical heritage, vulnerability assessment (mapping) of identified protected areas, creating individual and multi-hazard maps, defining and delineating the most vulnerable zones by overlaying identified protected areas and multi-hazard maps, and a detailed vulnerability assessment using various scenarios.
Dissemination of Results
The DISARIMES project incorporates a wide range of communication and dissemination methods for research findings and innovative solutions across all phases of disaster risk management, including:
- A public DISARIMES website (RDI Knowledge Base and Scientific-Professional Society, sensitivity, vulnerability, individual and multi-hazard maps) and social networks (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, etc.).
- Organized press conferences to present information about the project, research findings, and innovative solutions applied in the disaster risk management system.
- A scientific conference, seminars, and training programs in disaster risk management to regularly showcase project activities and research findings.
- Open-access scientific papers published in national and international journals, along with monographs, reports, and reviews of innovative solutions.
Impact of the Project
DISARIMES aims to increase the innovation capacity in disaster risk management regarding the phases of prevention, mitigation, and preparedness (pre-disaster phase), as well as response, rehabilitation, and reconstruction (post-disaster phase) in Serbia. The project will facilitate the creation of a sustainable and open database of research, development, and innovations accessible to all societal stakeholders, enabling them to identify and apply appropriate innovative solutions across the phases of disaster risk management (preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery) to improve the system. It will also enable the creation of a spatial database containing thematic maps and all resulting individual and multi-hazard maps, vulnerability maps, monitoring data, and models for potential application.
Implementation Plan
The implementation plan includes five work packages:
- WP1 – Analysis of natural conditions, single-hazard, and multi-hazard analysis.
- WP2 – SWOT analysis and framework development.
- WP3 – RDI knowledge base development and monitoring.
- WP4 – Building a scientific-professional network and community engagement.
- WP5 – Innovations in disaster risk management policy.
Each work package specifies objectives, activities, and deliverables that collectively contribute to developing a robust disaster risk management system for Serbia.
