National Knowledge and Research Center for Emergency Readiness
The National Knowledge and Research Center for Emergency Readiness with eighty-five researchers was established in January 2018 by the Israel Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) of the Ministry of Defense. Core institutions involved are University of Haifa, the Technion and the Hebrew University, together with researchers from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Rambam Hospital, Tel Hai College, and the Israel School for Humanitarian Aid; the municipality of Haifa and NATAN International Humanitarian Aid. The Center's mission is to provide a state-of-the-art scientific research institute to serve as a think-tank for policy framers, decision-makers, the academic community and practitioners from all sectors. The two intertwined functions of the Center are 1) independently generated, cutting-edge and multi-disciplinary research, and 2) solicited real-time response to requests by NEMA, government ministries, elected officials, NGOs and other stakeholders.
Activities include mentoring graduate and post-graduate researchers, conducting workshops, and inter-disciplinary conferences, at the national and international levels, allowing for the exchange of data, comparative analysis, and dissemination of knowledge. The Center seeks to foster knowledge sharing and international research collaborations, with an aim of developing a cadre of comparative studies and evaluations of recommended practices.