CONRIS
CONRIS is a network of universities with accredited degree programs in risk, safety & security management. CONRIS aims at increasing safety and security in Europe through collaboration in education and research. We facilitate student and teacher mobility, both physical and online, within the Erasmus+ program; improve our curricula through developing and giving (summer) courses together and cooperate in setting up, implementing and disseminating safety and security research.
Origin
In 2007, Martin Langer of the FH Campus Wien invited representatives of safety and security management courses to discuss possibilities for cooperation. Most safety and security courses were only recently established. Therefore, the idea was to form a network where the teaching staff of accredited safety and security programs exchange ideas and experiences about new developments in the safety and security sector, take on projects together with students, teachers and researchers and facilitate the exchange of students and teachers. The network started with several German universities, including Brandenburg, Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Magdeburg, and Wuppertal but also two Dutch universities (Saxion and HU Utrecht) were involved from the early beginning.
The idea became a reality in 2009 when the COoperation Network for RIsk, Safety and Security studies was established and formalised through a letter of intent that was signed in Hamburg. From then on, the network comes together every 6 months and new partners have joined the network after a formal application.
Partners
CONRIS partners have an extensive network of Erasmus agreements, allowing extensive and fluent staff and student exchange opportunities.
In 2014 a long-planned project has been realized: the implementation of the CONRIS Summer Course. The first Summer Course took place in Utrecht on crisis communication during a tunnel incident. This summer course has been prepared by the teachers of the various universities and was followed by 30 students from the CONRIS universities. Now every year the “baton” is handed over to another university participating in CONRIS, which has resulted in Summer Courses in Berlin, Espoo, Antwerp, Portsmouth, Barcelona, Den Bosch, Hamburg, Split, and Bodo/Harstad. A cooperation between CONRIS partners and the Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Center (DRMKC) led to the development of the Disaster Risk Management training. In March 2018 this one week training was conducted at Saxion. So far DRM training weeks have been conducted yearly physically as well as online.
On top of that there is the yearly European Student Research Conference (ESRC).
Role of a partner
Being a partner of CONRIS also means being an active contributor. Participation in organization of joint events, education, research, development and professional networking are all highly valuable experiences. Each partner brings their own strengths and advantages to the table, making CONRIS stronger than the sum of its parts.
Becoming a new partner
The process of becoming a CONRIS partner is actually very simple: simply send an email to the chair (Hidde de Jong) of CONRIS, in which you tell us about your academic activities and how they fit in with CONRIS, what you expect to get out of the CONRIS network and what you have to offer to the other partners. Afterwards we will be in touch, inviting you to formally apply by giving a short presentation during the next CONRIS meeting. A positive vote among full CONRIS partners will grant the applicant a provisional partner status. As a provisional partner you are welcome to join all CONRIS activities. A full partnership will be voted on three meetings later (approximately 18 months). Active participation as a provisional partner is the best way to show that the CONRIS partners will warrant you full partnership status!