The Academy of the Disaster Research Unit (ADRU), in German: Akademie der Katastrophenforschungsstelle (AKFS), is a non-profit organisation specialising in social science disaster research, practice-oriented consulting, and education and training. Established in 2016 as an independent spin-off of the Disaster Research Unit (DRU) at Freie Universität Berlin, the ADRU was founded with the aim of translating scientific knowledge into practice in flexible, application-oriented and socially impactful ways.

The ADRU takes an inter- and transdisciplinary approach with a clear social science profile. Its work focuses on analysing, communicating and addressing social, cultural and institutional dynamics in the context of crises and disasters. This work is based on the central premise:

Disasters are not “natural” events, but arise from social vulnerabilities, political priorities and culturally shaped perceptions.

Accordingly, the ADRU focuses on the social and cultural causes of disasters and the conditions that shape how they are managed – rather than on technical solutions alone.

Our Approach

The ADRU understands itself as a bridge between research, practice and society. We respond flexibly to current challenges in civil protection and civil defense, disaster management and resilience-building – from the municipal level to international cooperation. Our activities include:

  • Social science research and consulting on a broad range of topics related to disaster management and civil protection, including human behaviour before, during and after extreme events, risk and crisis communication, social vulnerability and resilience, organisational learning, and volunteering, whether affiliated or spontaneous. Previous research funders include the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR; formerly BMBF) and the German Research Foundation (DFG). Consulting assignments have been carried out for clients including StädteRegion Aachen, the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), the German Red Cross (DRK) and the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB).
  • Education and training for professionals from public administration, aid organisations, government agencies, universities, civil society organisations and businesses – practice-oriented, participatory and grounded in scientific research. Topics include public behaviour in emergencies, safety training for researchers, and working with unaffiliated volunteers.
  • Services in the areas of risk and crisis communication, evaluations, population surveys, concept development and facilitation, for public and private actors in disaster preparedness and response.

What Sets Us Apart

Our mission is to make socially relevant research directly applicable – through training, consulting and scientific support for specific processes within organisations and public administrations. All our work is non-profit, independent and reflexive.

The ADRU brings current insights from social science disaster research to where they are needed – to municipal emergency management and disaster management and civil protection, educational institutions, international disaster risk reduction programmes, and the strategic development of organisations.

Our Perspective

Disasters are not isolated states of exception, but reflect social inequalities, political decisions and culturally shaped interpretations. Our work seeks to make these interconnections visible and to contribute to the development of sustainable and participatory solutions.

Disaster management, preparedness and civil protection begin with understanding social realities.