SYNYO is a research-based company focusing on research, innovation and technology located in Vienna, Austria. SYNYO explores, develops and implements novel methods, approaches, technologies and solutions in various domains with a particular focus on tackling societal, political, ecological and economic challenges. SYNYO analyses the impact of emerging technologies from different angles and from an interdisciplinary perspective. The team at SYNYO consists of 25 highly skilled employees specialized in various scientific and technical fields such as Social Sciences, Safety & Security, Energy & Sustainability, Urban Future, Smart Technologies, Smart Health, or Digital Systems.

SYNYO has access to a vast network of knowledge including research institutions, networking organisations, technology providers and industry leaders being well connected within the scientific community and will provide own research and innovation network platforms in the near future. In 2015 and 2016, SYNYO was among the Top 3 most successful research-oriented SMEs in Austria (H2020 Performance Monitor by FFG-the Austrian Research Promotion Agency).

Magen David Adom in Israel is the National Emergency Medical Service (EMS) for the state of Israel, National Blood Service and the National Red Cross Society. MDA serves 7.8 million inhabitants (the Israeli population) through 9 state of the art operations centers with a highly advanced C4I system, a fleet of around 900 vehicles (basic and advanced life support ambulances, medical evacuation helicopters, and special operations appliances – all train, motorcycles) all tracked through localization systems. MDA has 1’650 staff members and 10’000 volunteers who respond to about 1’250 calls for assistance daily, in addition to tens of thousands of life guardians, responding to nearby emergencies. MDA blood services recruit the donors, collect the unit, test it, and provide the different blood products to the hospitals. This is achieved through a state of the art system, for 1’000 blood units per day.

MDA has the responsibility to prepare for, respond to and learn from all health related emergencies. As the national EMS and National Red Cross society, is involved in preparing for and responding to various disasters (conflict related, natural and technological), by preparing the protocols, purchase of the equipment, training of staff and volunteers. MDA train first responders in different levels: from basic first aid training to the general public, through EMT training to ambulance staff and volunteers, to advanced courses like paramedics training and ACLS/PALS courses for physicians and nurses. MDA has vast experience in working with Ben Gurion international airport on its emergency plans, including during the SARS outbreak and the preparedness to the H1N1 pandemic. MDA has invested extensively in the preparedness for an “unusual biological event” and participates in every biannual exercise organized by the Israeli MoH. MDA is involved in the national response to COVID-19 in sampling, treating and transporting patients and individuals under isolation. MDA’s blood services collect plasma from patients who recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies, and provide it to hospitals to treat severe patients.

SAMUR-Protección Civil is a pre-hospital emergency service operating in the City of Madrid under de management of the General Directorate of Emergency and Civil Protection (DGEPC) of the City Council of Madrid.

SAMUR-PC as a public institution has the responsibility to:

1. Cover the first medical and psychological response in emergency situations in Madrid metropolitan area.
2. Deal with the organization and attention of disasters and situations of public calamity. Provide International medical support to disasters under the umbrella of EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
3. Channel and organize the voluntary public response to medical emergencies.
4. Provide medical coverage during mass events at any foreseeable risk
5. Provide education programs in basic emergency care measures for general population and non-medical first responders.

SAMUR- Protección Civil handle around 130,000 medical emergencies per year. To achieve this goal, counts on 22 operational stations strategically located all over the city, a fleet of 200 vehicles (Basic Life Support Ambulances, Advanced Life Support Ambulances, Rapid Intervention Vehicles, motorcycles and special operations vehicles),a staff composed of 800 public employees including physicians, nurses, EMTs, psychologists, pharmacist , sociologist and administrative personnel. Besides that, 1250 volunteers are part of the Organization.

During the project SAMUR-PC will provide experience and knowledge at all stages of COVID 19 pandemic: preparation, response at first and second wave of the disease, areas to be improved and best practices, identification of local/national/trans-border issues, including interoperability of plans. Assess the affectation of the COVID outbreak on the most vulnerable population. SAMUR also will participate in the review of studies on COVID-19 to identify relevant indicators, describe public health services and responses on the national level and social and cultural factors influencing public health response, collaborate in conducting empirical research on community and citizen responses, etc

SAMUR staff involved in the project:

Ms. Paloma Rey, RN, MSN. Female. Emergency nurse since 1990 in the prehospital and hospital seetings. Member of the management team of SAMUR-Protección Civil being part of the Quality Department. Currently Head of Unit of Quality Assurance, responsible for maintenance of Quality Certifications according to ISO 9001, ISO 22320, ISO 14001, EMAS, Madrid Excelente standards and the implementation of CAF Model. Coordination and participation of SAMUR-PC in EU Projects: NMFRDisaster, SECUR-ED, OPSIC, REACHING-OUT, 5-G TRANSFORMER , NO FEAR and Labyrinth.

Dr. Javier Acebedo, RN, MSN, Ph.D. Male. Emergency Prehospital Nurse since 1990. Professor in several postgraduate courses on Emergency Nursing, particularly in the prehospital setting, as well as he delivers classes related to the Science of Resuscitation. Doctoral Thesis focuses on the importance of the reflective thinking, the emotions, the intutive knoledge and the complexity, all of them related to the decision making process and the proffessional development in the emergency personnel. Active member of the Spanish Resuscitation Council. Involved in the pre-hospital assistance to patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 disease.

Ms. Paloma Miravet, RN, MSN. Anthropology degree Female. Emergency hospital and pre-hospital nurse since 1994. Responsible for quality control of nursing and EMTs performance on scene at SAMUR-PC  Professor at European University of Madrid, CBRN instructor (Todd institute) Participating in several international missions (Haiti and Philippines) Introduction course of the European Civil Protection Mechanism. Participation in UE projects: Reaching Out, NO FEAR. Involved in the pre-hospital assistance to patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

Dr. Alberto Hernández , MD, PhD. Male. Magister in Bioethics and Biolaw by UNESCO Chair. Specialist in Critical and Intensive Care Medicine. Transplant procurement management by Barcelona University. Advanced Life Support instructor initially by ERC and formerly by Spanish Society of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine (SEMICYUC). Teacher in master’s degrees of clinical echography and emergency. Board of Directors of Spanish Society of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine (SEMICYUC). ICU at 12 de octubre Hospital and Fundación Alcorcón in Madrid (2003-2017).Volunteer of SAMUR-Protección Civil since 1997.Emergency medicine in the prehospital setting (SAMUR) since 2017. Promoter of the multicentre study EPIPUSE on critical care patients. Involved in the assistance to ICU patients with COVID-19 at the contingency hospital deployed at IFEMA in Madrid. Participation in UE project NO FEAR.

The Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, founded in 1921, includes four campuses (Milan, Brescia, Piacenza-Cremona, Rome). The understanding and study of those topics that have proved vital to the well-being of each human being are at the centre of its mission.

The School of Medicine, established in Rome in 1961, is at present a world-class training ground for future leaders in medical research and practice including every modern medical discipline. It plays a pivotal role in Italy and Europe through its teaching hospital Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, that represents almost 10% of the entire productive capacity of Lazio Regional Health Service with almost 100.000 patients yearly and 1.559 beds. In 2018 the Gemelli Hospital has obtained from the Italian Ministry of Health the status of IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico), a status granted to Excellency hospitals committed to healthcare and research.

The main departments involved in COVINFORM are:

• the Department of Laboratory Sciences and Infectious Diseases whose activity ranges from basic science to clinical care. Research comprises a wide range of topics including: HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, emerging infectious diseases, development of diagnostic models for multidrug resistant infections, translational medicine for STDs durability and patient satisfaction in HIV patients treated with dual therapy, models of care for an antibiotic stewardship approach. The Department is a Regional Hub for Infectious Diseases and is caring for the highest number of COVID patients of the Lazio Region during the pandemic;
• the Department of Translational Medicine and Surgery in this project, due to its vast experience, is dedicated to ethics in research and data management.

SINUS is an independent social and market research institute founded in 1978. Our core competencies include quantitative and qualitative study design and execution, social analytics, market segmentation, usability testing, and participatory methodologies (such as co-creation workshops and visual ethnography). SINUS has conducted thousands of bespoke research projects and over 300 large-scale social segmentation studies in more than forty countries and territories, cultivating long-term relationships with a range of private- and public-sector partners. COVINFORM draws upon two research areas upon which we have focused strongly for over twenty years: information behaviour and health behaviour.

SINUS and its partner company INTEGRAL have conducted regular quantitative and qualitative research on information behaviour and online life since the 1990s, with one long-running example being the Austrian Internet Monitor series of opinion studies. Other relevant recent projects include ongoing consulting for several major media groups and a series of large-scale studies for the German Institute for Trust and Safety on the Internet, which address issues of channel access and preference, online-offline security, and technology acceptance. SINUS has also established a strong profile in health research in Germany, conducting quantitative and qualitative studies on a nationwide basis for the Federal Centre for Health Education and the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. Our approach is unique in that we take into account not only sociodemographic factors, but also milieus, or social segments united by similar values and lifestyles. Doing so provides stakeholders with multi-dimensional and humanistic insight into the diverse attitudinal and behavioural characteristics of local communities, as well as barriers and pathways to effective messaging and participatory governance.

Trilateral Research is an interdisciplinary socio-technical research and technology development SME, based in the UK and Ireland. Our team collaborates across social science and technology to bring insights from each to capture the benefits of data-driven innovation. We take a rigorous and responsible approach to research and development, underpinned by an emphasis on privacy and security by design in research, data science, and technology development. Our research impacts a variety of disciplines, all focused on enhancing societal well-being, including (but not limited to) security and human rights, crisis and disaster management, and responsible digital transformation.

Through our dissemination and communication services, we engage with a variety of stakeholders to maximise end-user participation and impact. Trilateral has a long record of successful involvement in European and international projects, including those on crisis and disaster management. This includes EU projects on pandemic crisis management (e.g., STAMINA), crisis management standardisation (e.g., STRATEGY, ResiStand), disaster preparedness (e.g., TACTIC), and the role of data gathering and information management for effective crisis management (e.g., IN-PREP) and on tenders related to the use of social media analysis tools for preparedness (e.g., PREP1, Comparative Review of Social Media Analysis Tools for Preparedness).

The Center for Security Studies (KEMEA) is a think tank on homeland security policies and an established research center since 2005 (L. 3387/2005) within the Hellenic Ministry of Citizen Protection, aiming to support security policy implementations in Greece, at a strategic level.

KEMEA is actively involved in:

1. Research and  development  in  the  context  of  implementation  of  National  and European  projects    under  the  topics  of  physical  and  cyber  security  and  civil  protection,  in  close  cooperation  with LEAs, working under the auspices of the Ministry of Citizen Protection, civil protection national, regional and local authorities;
2. Training of practitioners in new systems and technologies;
3. Certification of practitioners in private security professions at national level;
4. Organization of table-top and field exercises to test and evaluate preparedness and response of public services, organizations and authorities to emergencies and crises.

KEMEA also provides advisory and consulting services to the Ministry of Citizen Protection, as well as other Public and Private authorities, on safety and security issues, bringing together in parallel together all national Law Enforcement Agencies interconnecting them with corresponding agencies, research institutions and the industry from around Europe. This dedicated approach to exploring synergies, establishing communication links, and working together to produce end-user driven research on all fronts of the Security Sector, has earned KEMEA its participation in numerous National and EC R&D projects.

KEMEA’s 123 highly qualified researchers and Security experts are specialized in various topics such as: Border Management and Surveillance, Crisis Management,  Emergency Response,  Hazardous Materials,  Information Security, Cyber Crime, Civil  Protection,  Operational Readiness Exercises, International Relations, Law and Ethics, Dissemination, Communication & Exploitation, etc.

FS is a dynamic SME consultancy specialised in Environmental Psychology, Risk Assessment, Decision Analysis, Sustainability and Resilience management. FS crosses data in engineering and physical science with psychological and social science knowledge on stakeholder and societal needs to develop and implement solutions to problems ranging from simple evaluation of environmental systems to complex interactive problems on a global scale. FS services multiple sectors, including infrastructure and construction, land planning, health, water, energy, mobility and transportation, and information technology. FS operates across the globe (Europe, Africa and America) and its team has experience on managing projects funded by international entities (e.g. EU, IFC, ADB…) as well as national governmental agencies. More recently Factor Social members became part of CIP Institute, an organization aiming to promote knowledge share on crisis management between professionals working on the area.

Factor Social’s expertise includes:

• Developing risk assessment methods and tools
• Supporting agencies in developing environmental and infrastructure management policies
• Developing methodology for resilience quantification and management
• Experience in Energy and Transportation Sectors in Portugal and worldwide
• Environmental and Social Impact Assessment
• Risk Communication
• Stakeholders’ Engagement
• Managing Organizations’ Development and Change
• Training
• Behaviour change
• Sustainability Programs

The Austrian Red Cross (ARC) is a non-profit organisation based on the Red Cross law in Austria. It is guided by the fundamental principles of the Red Cross Movement and it implements its humanitarian activities with the help of volunteers and employees. Through its activities, ARC aims to help the most vulnerable in society, both at national as well as at international level. In Austria, ARC has a network of around 75.000 volunteers, 10.200 employees and 88.000 registered Team Österreich spontaneous volunteers , and at the headquarters it employs around 600 staff members. ARC is the Austrian member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

ARC is mandated by authorities at all levels (district, regional, national) to be in charge of command & control of emergency medical and psychosocial situation.

In the field of civil protection ARC is providing the following services to the public – mandated by law – all over Austria: Emergency Medical Services, Ambulance Services, First-Responder Services, Humanitarian Disaster Relief, Psychosocial Support, First Aid-Training for the population, Paramedic-Training and relevant research activities. ARC is the biggest provider of emergency medical service (EMS) dispatch in Austria with more than 3 million operations per year – out of it 500.000 rescue operations. It is a very active actor in civil protection in Europe.

The department of National Disaster Management & Research is responsible for coordinating not only emergencies at national level, but participating in European research projects, fostering innovation into the organisation while providing feedback and concept validation to participating projects. In the last years, ARC has been involved in several research projects from research programmes such as FP7, Horizon 2020, European Civil Protection, among others.

MISSION

Media Diversity Institute (MDI) works internationally to encourage accurate and nuanced presentation of race, religion, ethnic, class, disability, gender and sexual identity issues in media landscapes around the world. While our work is grounded in the principles of freedom of expression and the values of diversity and inclusion, our day-to-day activities focus on cultivating practical skills to combat negative stereotypes and disinformation while improving media and information literacy. 

VALUES

Our work is grounded in the principles of freedom of expression and the values of diversity and inclusion.

TARGET GROUPS

We work with variety of stakeholders:

• MDMs–or “media decision makers” such as board members, media moguls and high ranking editors at mainstream and minority media outlets
• Social media platforms
• Civil society organisations representing marginalised groups around the world
• Academics specialized in media, communications and journalism at universities around the world
• Media development organisations
• Donors community and policy makers

HOW WE DO IT?

We use a bottom-up approach to tackle the issues important for civil society and citizens.

• By working directly with our target groups because nobody can know better what the solutions are than those who are directly affected by a situation
• By empowering our beneficiaries to ensure their voices are heard
• By educating our target groups to provide them with necessary knowledge, tools and skills to further impact their own communities
• By monitoring and reporting hate speech with multiple innovative strategies to help bystanders become upstanders online
• Creating bridges between people from around the globe to share their experiences and cultivate a community of practice. 

WHERE DO WE WORK:

MDI is focusing on working in different parts of the world:

• Countries of the European Union
• Eastern Europe (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Belarus, Russia)
• Western Balkans (Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, BiH)
• China
• Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Mauritania, Mali, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco.
• Cuba 

OFFICES:

All MDI organisations work towards achieving the same goals, while being present in different regions: London, Brussels, Boston, Belgrade  and Yerevan.

ROMANIAN RED CROSS

FUNDED: 1876

47 Branches nation wide

7000 volunteers

200 employees at national level

The Romanian Red Cross is a legal person of public law, independent, non-governmental, non-political and without patrimonial purpose.

It carries out activities of a humanitarian nature as a voluntary aid organization auxiliary to the public authorities. It functions both in peace time and war time on the basis of the Law 139/1995, of its own Statutes and on the Geneva Conventions of August 1949 to which Romania is part.

RRC is acting as an auxiliary to the public authorities in carrying out its humanitarian activities. The RRC enjoys a good reputation and has a favorable image among the large public and the authorities, which recognized the RRC expertise in carrying out humanitarian operations.

Mission: the Romanian Red Cross assists vulnerable people in disaster and crisis situations. Through its programs and activities in the benefit of the society, it contributes to preventing and alleviating human suffering in all forms, it protects health and life, it promotes the respect for the human dignity without any discrimination based on nationality, race, sex, religion, and age, social or political background.

Vision: The unity in action helps the Romanian Red Cross adapt to all chaining in the society in order to support communities face crisis situations and human suffering.

RRC is guided by the seven principles of the Red Cross Movement: Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Volunteering, Unity, and Universality.

Main programs: Disaster intervention and preparedness; First Aid; Social Services; Health Education; Restoring Family Links; Migration; International Humanitarian Law and promotion of Humanitarian Values; Youth and Volunteering

Romanian Red Cross is working closely with the state authorities in charge of managing the CoVID-19 Crisis (State Dept. of Emergency Situations, Ministry of Health, Secretariat of Government,) on one hand to better contain the spreading of the virus and to prevent new infections and on the other hand, to provide the front line personnel with the needed materials and equipment enabling them to fight against the virus and to properly assist the patients, obtaining better results. a. The NS together with the authorities launched a public campaign in order to keep the population informed with updated and verified information and instructions on prevention

1. RRC, on national level, based on the authorities’ recommendations of the authorized hospitals and medical care institutions for COVID-19 treatment, has distributed tents for triage, medical and protective equipment and other equipment and materials needed for the personnel working in the front line.
2. Romanian Red Cross distributed in the communities, on national level, through its branches, information materials on prevention, including stress mitigation and also how to maintain wellbeing in this period of crisis and lock-down.
3. On a local level, RRC Branches are working with the County Committees for Emergency Situations, with the General Directions for Social assistance, with Directions of Public Health, Prefecture and Municipalities.

RRC has been designated by the government as the main actor to receive donations both cash and in-kind and to distribute products and specific materials to the hospitals, personnel working in the front line and other categories in need. In this respect, RRC opened different channels for donations, through a national fundraising campaign #RomaniaSalveazaRomania a. SMS campaign for donations – available only on national level (Romanian mobile phones networks)

1. Online donations – available on the RRC website
2. Corporate partnerships for cash and in-kind donations. The money raised are used for the purchase of medical equipment and protective materials to support the hospitals and first responders.

2 000 volunteers and staff worked daily during the pandemics.

Provide a description of your organisation (and department) fitting to the project context (between 1300 and 2000 characters including spaces).
The University of Antwerp (UANTWERPEN) is a young, dynamic and forward-thinking university, with 6205 members of staff and 21 133 students. The aim of the university is to conduct creative and innovative scientific research which strives for international excellence. It stimulates both basic and applied research and their valorisation. The University of Antwerp is characterised by its high standards in education, internationally competitive research and entrepreneurial approach. In 2019 the university of Antwerp ranked 22nd in the Times Higher Education Ranking for Young Universities. Moreover, the University of Antwerp is committed to the development of its city and region and shares its expertise with both public and private partners. The University of Antwerp fosters diversity and offers its staff and students equal opportunities and maximum potential for personal development.

In the COVINFORM project, three research groups will participate, coordinated by the Centre for Migration and Intercultural Studies (CeMIS), which is an interdisciplinary research centre focusing on the study of 1) international migration, 2) integration and social cohesion and 3) migration and development. Under the coordination of CeMIS, the Global Health Institute of Antwerp and Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV) will also participate in the COVINFORM project. The Global Health Institute (GHI) was created in 2015, and its mission is to conduct research aimed at improving the health of people around the world, to build capacity for global health research, and to engage in the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based interventions for health problems affecting low- and middle-income countries. In 2020, the GHI launched the International Citizen Project Covid-19 (ICPcovid) to assess adherence to public health measures and their impact on the COVID-19 outbreak in low- and middle-income countries (https://www.icpcovid.com/ ). Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV) is a unit within the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences at the University of Antwerp. The centre conducts research in 4 main areas: (1) (sero-) epidemiology of infectious diseases; (2) vaccine trial studies including assessment of safety, protective efficacy and immunogenicity of vaccines; (3) injection and diagnostic device research; (4) kinetics of vaccine-induced antibodies, including passive transfer of maternal antibodies and maternal immunisation.

The Centre has been recognized by the World Health Organization as a WHO Collaborating Centre for the control and prevention of viral hepatitis since 1996, and as WHO Collaborating Centre for the control and prevention of infectious diseases since 2010. Several international collaborations have started with the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology of Hanoi and the University for Medicine and Pharmacy of Can Tho in Vietnam, Bangkok in Thailand and UNIKIN in DRC Congo. Since 1994 the CEV has coordinated the Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board (VHPB) at the international level and has just started up a similar prevention board for HPV (Human Papilloma Virus). CEV is part of the European Joint Action on Vaccination (EU-JAV) launched in 2018, with the aim to build concrete tools to improve vaccination coverage in the EU and therefore to improve population health.

The University of Rome La Sapienza is the second largest university in the world and one of the most renowned. Department of Methods and Models for the Economy, Territory and Finance (MEMOTEF) is one of its 63 Departments. Located in the School of Economics, the Department include 50 professors and researchers, and hosts two PhD programmes. The Department has as its mission the creation of an advanced scientific research context, both nationally and internationally, based on the integration of methods, tools and approaches aimed at multidisciplinary conceptual description and the analysis of economic phenomena, land management and to support decisions in the financial sector.

It promotes and coordinates research activities on the following topics: probability theory and statistical modelling; mathematical models, statistical and computational economics, finance and insurance; methods for social research, population and policy analysis; methods for linguistic research, languages and foreign cultures; economic and spatial analysis; economic history and regional studies. The Department has a long experience in transdisciplinary research based on the application of both quantitative and qualitative methods, and in the participation and coordination of large-scale international research projects. It will contribute to this project thanks to its expertise in migration studies, population dynamics, data mining and modelling, statistical surveying, European policy analysis and evaluation.

Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC) is a young public university with several campuses in the greater Madrid area, whose mission is to foster innovative research and high-quality education in one of Spain’s fastest-growing regions. URJC has managed to grow to 38.000 students and nearly 1,400 lecturers, being currently the third largest among the six public Universities in Madrid. URJC has a strong international projection, with an academic community comprising 3.500 foreigners from 92 countries.

The URJC Department of Political Science and Public Law, is involved in the project through the Good Governance Observatory whose researchers have extensive experience in the definition, analysis, formulation and impact of public policies. As well as in the qualitative and quantitative analysis of government, local and national, responses to different events.

The URJC Department of Medical Specialties and Public Health, collaborates in the project through researchers skilled on epidemiology and diagnosis of infectious diseases, as well as, Public Health responses and impact assessment to diseases, for instance, using of space-temporary models for outbreak detection and monitoring of immunoprevenible diseases using administrative databases.

Swansea university is one of the top research institutions in the United Kingdom and the top-ranked university in Wales.  Swansea achieved outstanding results in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), being ranked joint 9th in the UK for research impact and 11th for research environment. Building upon this research excellence, Swansea university places clear emphasis on increasing inter-disciplinary research collaborations with global partners. The Centre for Migration Policy Research stems from the Migration Unit founded in 1992, and has since gained extensive experience of innovative research into international migration and public health responses, leading to top-quality academic publications and policy-recommendations. Researchers at the Centre for Migration Policy Research have significant expertise in analysing cross-European migration movements and researching demographic trends and socio-economic development. We have expertise in health inequalities, health (physical and mental) and disability. Professor Louise Condon’s close relationships with local and national health services in Wales, underpins our ability to conduct high-quality health research. Our experience in participatory action research, impact assessment and award-winning creative public engagement provides a firm basis for developing conceptual tools for migration management, reconnecting migrants and policymakers and exploring possibilities for social and economic transformation.

The University of Gothenburg is a multidisciplinary university housing 49,000 students and 6,000 staff. It is situated in the second largest city on the west coast of Sweden. The Department of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMG) is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences and a leading research and teaching centre in its field. The JMG har around 500 students in journalism and communication studies, and 80 staff. The Department also houses the survey centre, the SOM-Institute, and the Laboratory of Opinion Research (Lore). The department’s research within risk and crisis communication is
considered world leading in the latest external ranking (2019). Since the 1980’s, the JMG has researched how authorities, media and citizens have acted and communicated in conjunction with risks and crises affecting society. The research has a distinct civil and social perspective, and departs in theories of democracy, power, culture, technology development and adaptation, norms and institutions. The conducted studies include case and panel studies, and analyses of longitudinal changes, comparisons of editorial environments, and comparisons of countries.

Central themes in research are

• News evaluation, news narratives and editorial practices in conjunction with different types of social crisis.
• The authorities and their strategic crisis and risk communication.
• Public reactions to crises and risks, communicative practices, information channels and media use in conjunction with crises.
• The importance of communication and the media in society’s transitions between normality and crisis situations, as well as between different crises situations. The focus here is on issues of trust, responsibility and recovery, as well as how society learns from crises and crisis management.
• How the emergence of digital and social media changes the conditions for society’s crisis communication, and how new media technologies are used by authorities/organisations, the media and the public during crises.