New European congress to address natural hazards in the Alpine region

The risk of natural hazards in the Alpine region is ever increasing as a result of climate change. Continuous further development of forecasting, prevention, monitoring and management is becoming increasingly important. Against this backdrop, the Austrian Federal Research and Training Centre for Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape (BFW), together with the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management’s Forest Engineering Service in Torrent and Avalanche Control Tirol (WLV) and Congress und Messe Innsbruck GmbH (CMI), is launching the European Inter-Alpine Natural Hazards Conference (INAC). With the slogan “Industry Meets Science” INAC aims to assemble key players in the fields of research and practice, including experts on industry and infrastructure. The world's leading international trade fair for alpine technologies, INTERALPIN, taking place simultaneously at Messe Innsbruck, will also establish a connection with practice and industry. The first Inter-Alpine Natural Hazards Conference is planned from 5 to 7 May 2025 at Congress Innsbruck and Messe Innsbruck.

Innsbruck, 02/07/2024. By launching the Inter-Alpine Natural Hazards Conference, the Federal Research Centre for Forests (BFW) and Torrent and Avalanche Control Tirol (WLV), collaborating with the Congress Messe Innsbruck (CMI), are introducing a new conference with the aim of connecting infrastructure operators with stakeholders in the fields of research and industry. At INAC, the focus will be on natural hazards in the Alpine region that occur all year round, in particular avalanches, mudflows, floods and rockfall. The first edition of the congress will take place from 5 to 7 May 2025 and will bring together European experts from the relevant application industries, manufacturers and engineering firms, organisations and institutions, municipalities and regions, owners and operators of infrastructure like roads, railways, electricity, water, telecommunications, mountain railways and ropeways, as well as stakeholders in the fields of science and research. The congress will subsequently take place every two years. 

International exchange to put research into practice

The aim of the Inter-Alpine Natural Hazards Conference is to promote ways of identifying potential hazards, preventive measures, early warning and warning systems as well as looking at incident management and damage repair, explains Jan-Thomas Fischer, Head of the Institute for Natural Hazards at BFW: “INAC will address the question of how integral Alpine natural hazard management can be designed for the future within the context of global climate change.“ The focus here is particularly placed on international exchange, elaborates Gebhard Walter, Head of the WLV: “By launching the Inter-Alpine Natural Hazards Conference, we aim to connect key players in the natural hazards sector from all over the world in order to develop new solutions for sustainable protection on the one hand and to encourage more intensive application of current concepts that have emerged from industry and manufacturers on the other.” INAC will therefore open up opportunities for interdisciplinary and cross-industry exchange through practical insights and best-practice examples in order to discuss and develop safety concepts in the field of natural hazard and risk management. 

Science meets industry: INAC overlaps with the world's leading trade fair, INTERALPIN

The goal pursued by launching the Inter-Alpine Natural Hazards Conference is to establish new, forward-looking links between practice and science in Europe. The fact that INAC and INTERALPIN, the leading international trade fair for Alpine technologies, are taking place concurrently is a unique opportunity to bring together the highest level of expertise in business in an efficient and constructive way, thus creating new, highly effective synergies, reports Christian Mayerhofer, Managing Director of CMI: “At INTERALPIN, we welcome exhibiting companies from over 60 countries, some of which are already addressing natural hazards and providing solutions. Trade visitors to INTERALPIN come from around 130 countries. This enables us to make the best possible use of our expertise and global appeal.” Innsbruck was deliberately chosen as the venue for the conference, clarifies Gebhard Walter: “Innsbruck’s location in the heart of the Alps is ideal for intensive exchange on mitigating the increasing risks of natural hazards in the Alpine region caused by climate change. We will be delighted if the congress can create and consolidate diverse networks with the aim of developing sustainable solutions that can be applied to this sector in the future to protect against natural hazards.”  

More information on the congress on www.inac-conference.com