For reaching desired progress in science and technology, disaster risk reduction (DRR) Innovations, building resilience of nations and communities’, the following key-elements are needed: data-collection, assessment, management methods, disaster risk institutional arrangement, risk communication, knowledge-sharing and group-work innovations. Additionally, these elements enhance decision-makers managing DRs, implementing and monitoring particularly Sendai Framework for DRR 2015 - 2030. Building resilience is a cross-cutting issue and a fundamental interdisciplinary concept, which requires natural and social sciences innovations. Building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters requires adopting holistic approaches concepts and tools.
An-Najah National University’s Urban Planning and Disaster Risk Reduction Center (UPDRRC) brought players, using scientific knowledge and community services driving through change towards policy, preparedness and public awareness. UPDRRC, as an academic hub, has important role enhancing Palestinian communities’ disaster resilience, through adopting holistic approaches to DRR activities adopting scientific strategy drawing together decision-makers, practitioners and the public driving towards sustainable RR, exceeding traditional academic centers parameters. Based on networking and integration concepts and to achieve its goals and objectives, UPDRRC was participated and/or conducted several local, regional and international DRR projects and activities in cooperation with UN organizations and other scientific research institutes, such as: EUCENTRE and IUSS in Italy, GFZ in Germany, USGS in USA, etc. The paper contains examples for several dissemination activities as well as a detailed case study for one scientific project "Seismic Risk Mitigation in Palestine - SASPARM1 and SASPARM2".
Key words: Resilience, Academic Hubs, SASPARM, Public Awareness, DRR, Vulnerability, Innovations...