New European Congress To Address Natural Hazards In The Alpine Region
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 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
