Held in Bali, Indonesia from 5 to 9 September 2026, the 16th Annual Conference of the International Society for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM 2026) adopted the theme “Resilient Cities in Multi-Hazard Crises: Bridging Innovation, Implementation Science, and Grassroots Action”. The conference brought together experts and scholars worldwide in disaster risk management to conduct in-depth discussions on cutting-edge topics including urban and community resilience, disaster early warning, risk governance, and climate adaptation. Dr. Jiang Xinyu from the Department of Emergency Management, together with PhD candidates Qin Xinyue and Lin Yue, attended the conference.

Qin Xinyue delivered a presentation in the “Urban Community Resilience” parallel session entitled Smartness without shared emergency preparedness? Uneven policy benefits from China's smart city pilot. Her research reveals that improvements in urban smartness do not automatically translate into cross-regionally shared emergency preparedness capacity. Spatial spillover effects rely on mechanisms such as data interoperability, cross-regional joint drills, and open sharing of resources.

Lin Yue presented in the “Implementation Science for Inclusive Sustainable Resilience” parallel session. His talk, Assessing disaster ripple effects in coupled firm and transport networks using an Agent-based model: Evidence from Hubei Province, China, introduced research findings on disaster ripple effects within coupled firm-transport networks.

Dr. Jiang Xinyu chaired a special session titled Towards Consensus: Exploring Economic Research across Different Backgrounds for Integrated Disaster Risk Management. This session aimed to clarify the complementary relationships among disaster economic studies from diverse perspectives and seek consensus within disaster economics. The presentations and discussions proceeded smoothly. Participants exchanged ideas extensively, fostering intellectual exchanges for interdisciplinary disaster risk research.

The annual conference featured the Young Scientists Session competition, which attracted more than 180 young researchers from prestigious universities including the University of Cambridge, University College London, the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University. With solid research outcomes and an excellent on-site presentation, Qin Xinyue was awarded the Second Prize of the Young Scientist Award.

The International Society for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM Society) is a key international academic organization in disaster risk management, committed to advancing interdisciplinary research and practice of integrated disaster risk management. Hosted annually in different countries and regions, the IDRiM Annual Conference serves as a vital global platform for academic exchange and cooperation in disaster risk management.

By presenting research on smart cities and emergency preparedness, disaster economic impacts and systemic risks, the faculty and students strengthened academic exchanges with international and domestic peers. This participation contributes to expanding international collaborations and enhancing the academic influence of our School in emergency management and disaster risk research.