Page - 671 - in Book of Full Papers - Symposium Hydro Engineering

4.6. RAW MATERIALS, PLANT AND BUILDING MATERIALS RESEARCH Materials science and engineering is an interdisciplinary field that deals with the research and development of new materials (e.g. lighter, smarter…) to be used for individual protection and safety for first responder organizations for example. Furthermore, research on new materials to be used for collective protection measures such as building structures, are being addressed. 4.7. EDUCATION, TRAINING & OPERATION DCNA members have the opportunities to get education and training within their research focus as well as trainings out of other DCNA-relevant fields of technology. In addition, DCNA members will be able to participate in large-scale disaster and response training sessions and provide their scientific expertise to the task forces during these test runs. Using the competence map of DCNA, participating institutions and scientists can present their expertise in the field of disaster research and are proposed to the requesting task force in the event of a disaster. 5. MOBILE DCNA-RESEARCHPLATFORM In the past decade, there have been an increasing number of disasters in Austria, caused for example by floods, mudflows or large-scale gravitational movements. Dealing with these natural phenomena presents massive challenges to the public safety organizations. In the phases of disaster management and recovery, but also in the area of prevention, recent disasters and the increasing complexity of scenarios have shown that response organizations and decision- makers at all administrative levels grow a higher demand of scientific expertise and advice. For this reason, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna and Graz University of Technology have launched the "Disaster Competence Network Austria” to transfer scientific knowledge into practice. With the assistance of acute assignments as well as through cooperative research and educational activities carried out in cooperation with a wide variety of stakeholders, the DCNA platform offers, among other things, the following synergies and added value: • Contributing to the preservation of human life by avoiding damage caused by disasters and their consequences • Advisory body of decision-makers in public authorities and organizations at federal and state level 671