Funded Projects

We engage in direct research activities, through research undertaken by our members and in conjunction with colleagues across UCC, academic partners and civil society organisations. We gratefully acknowledge the funding provided by different organisations for such research activities.

Expert Roundtable on the Proposed Convention on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters, 2025

This small-scale project aims to bring together key stakeholders in Ireland to discuss the proposed UN Convention on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters. (Funder: UCC College of Business & Law Research Enhancement Fund). 

Home in Crisis project: Deconstructing ‘home’ in crisis – understanding intersecting crises through the lens of ‘home’

This project locates the idea of ‘home’ at the centre of an intimate and experiential understanding of crisis. Using home as a lens through which to understand the climate crisis, the project seeks to better understand the ways in which the crisis is intimate, shaped by gender, location, community, age, disability, sexuality, and how we know and live in our homes. The project is a collaboration between researchers based in Norway, Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom, working with partners in South Africa, Canada and a global environmental law charity. The researchers adopt an arts and humanities approach, rooted in theatre, literature, and Indigenous practice to enable the creative aspect of law, that might otherwise remain outside the normal jurisdiction of legal thought. (Funder: CHANSE-HERA, Research Ireland).

AlertHub: Warning Communication Knowledge Network, 2024-2028

This EU-funded networking project aims to: (1) develop an open-access knowledge platform focused on warning systems, relevant legal and political frameworks, challenges in effective warning communication, (2) identify best practices and governance recommendations for effective warning communication, and (3) create new formats for knowledge exchange and networking between key stakeholders in Europe. (Funder: EU COST Action).

DIRECTED: Directed Resilience for Extreme Climate Events providing Interoperable Data, Models, Communication and Governance, 2022-2026

The DIRECTED project aims to reduce vulnerability to extreme weather events and foster disaster-resilient European societies by promoting interoperability of data, models, communication and governance on all levels and between all actors of the disaster risk management and climate adaptation process. The project mission is to promote multi-risk thinking in interdisciplinary research to overcome silos and enable interoperability. A key component are the four Real World Labs, which are located across Europe in the Rhine-Erft Region, the Capital Region of Denmark, the Danube Region, and the Emilia-Romagna Region. (Funder: EU Horizon Europe). 

Public Participation in Urban Climate Change Adaptation Processes: A Comparative Study of Post-Industrial Cities – Łódź and Cork, 2025-2026

Building on the PROCOMMS project, this UNIC-funded project links the cities of Cork, Ireland and Łódź, Poland to undertake comparative research into the best ways of communicating climate and disaster risk at the municipal level. (Funder: EU Support for European University Alliances). 

Climate Diplomacy Training for the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, 2025

Dr Cubie and Dr Aronsson-Storrier helped co-create and deliver a bespoke Climate Diplomacy Training programme to the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs under the auspices of the UCC Sustainability Academy. Their contribution focused on the international legal frameworks promoting international cooperation and solidarity in preventing, preparing and responding to extreme weather events and disasters, and the impacts of climate change on global human mobility. (Funder: Department of Foreign Affairs).

Promoting Resilient Cities through Community Participation and Communication of Climate and Disaster Risks (PROCOMMS), 2023-2024

As part of the broader UNIC initiative – The European University of Cities in Post-Industrial Transition – PROCOMMS was a small-scale project to promote networks and connections between urban stakeholders in Cork, Ireland and Malmö, Sweden, and to identify good practices for community participation and communication of climate and disaster risks within municipalities. The key project activities were workshops in Cork and Malmö with representatives from the local authorities, academic institutions, and civil society stakeholders. The project published its findings in: Guidance on Risk Communication & Community Engagement Practices: Experiences from Cork, Ireland and Malmö, Sweden (Aug 2024). (Funder: UNIC)

Disseminating Disaster Law for Europe (DILAW4E), 2019-2022

The Jean Monnet Project Disseminating Disaster Law for Europe (DILAW4E) aimed to support information activities, disseminate knowledge and promote research debate on the crucial implications of disaster law for the European, international and national institutions and to assess its impact on humanitarian activities of relevant stakeholders. (Funder: EU Erasmus+ Programme).

“Leave No One Behind Behind— Developing Climate-Smart/Disaster Risk Management Laws that Protect People in Vulnerable Situations for a Comprehensive Implementation of the UN Agenda 2030”, 2019-2021

This project examining the linkages between climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction was undertaken by IRC-MSCA CAROLINE Research fellow Dr Tommaso Natoli following his secondment to the IFRC Disaster Law Programme. Reports from this study can be viewed on the CCJHR website. (Funders: Irish Research Council and Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions). 

Enhancing the Integration of Disaster Risk and Climate Change Adaptation in Irish Emergency Planning, 2020-2022

The UCC MaREI Centre and the School of Law undertook research to assist key stakeholders in further integrating DRR and CCA in planning for risk management in the most vulnerable sectors and communities. Learn more about this project on the MaREI website. (Funder: Environmental Protection Agency). 

Advancing International Networks for Understanding, Researching and Implementing International Disaster Laws, 2017-2018

Dr Cubie and the Irish Red Cross Society worked in partnership to undertake a series of information and awareness raising events to advance understanding of the evolving field of international disaster law. (Funder: Irish Research Council)

Learn more about the workshops by clicking on the links below:

• First Networking Workshop (Dublin, May 2017)
• Second Networking Workshop (Cork, June 2017)
• Disaster Displacement Seminar (Dublin, Feb 2018)

Research Activities

International Disaster, Emergency and Law Network (IDEAL Net)

IDEAL Net is an international network of academics, practitioners, and students involved with disaster law, as well as various research centres and organisations. Members are passionate about learning, researching, and sharing various different perspectives about the impacts and challenges of disaster events. Their aim is to be a hub for legal research and discussion related to the various questions and challenges posed by emergencies and disasters. By fostering an international collaboration of ideas, IDEAL Net hopes to facilitate a community of accessible disaster law research and researchers from around the world.

IFRC Disaster Law Database

The IFRC Disaster Law Database is the world’s largest collection of documents relating to disaster law, and was established to collate the resources needed for practitioners and academics working in the field of disaster law. The materials in the Database come from the international, regional and domestic levels, and from a wide range of actors including states, international organisations, the IFRC and academic institutions.

Yearbook of International Disaster Law

The Yearbook of International Disaster Law aims to represent a hub for critical debate in this emerging area of research and policy and to foster the interest of academics, practitioners, stakeholders and policy-makers on legal and institutional issues relevant to all forms of natural, technological and human-made hazards. This Yearbook primarily addresses the international law dimension of relevant topics, alongside important regional and national dimensions relevant for further development of legal and policy initiatives.