Partner Spotlight: Coordinating Climate Resilience with IVM at VU Amsterdam.

In a time of accelerating climate impacts, safeguarding Europe’s infrastructure requires more than weatherproofing. It demands coordinated research, data-driven risk assessments, and system-level adaptation strategies. In the MIRACA project, the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam plays a central role in driving this vision; supporting the consortium’s efforts to build a climate-resilient future for Europe’s interconnected infrastructure systems.

Pioneering environmental science and policy

Founded in 1971, IVM is the oldest environmental research institute in the Netherlands and a global leader in sustainability science. As part of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, IVM brings together more than 200 researchers, PhD candidates, and students committed to advancing environmental understanding through interdisciplinary approaches.

Renowned for its scientific excellence and its ability to navigate complex natural-societal systems, IVM is uniquely equipped to coordinate MIRACA’s cross-sectoral, multi-hazard work.

Coordinating a vision for resilient infrastructure

As the coordinating institution for MIRACA, IVM oversees the research consortium, ensuring the project remains cohesive, innovative, and impactful.

“Together with our partners, we aim to empower the implementation of climate adaptation measures for critical infrastructure across Europe” says the IVM team.

Their leadership guarantees that MIRACA is not just rooted in robust science, but also in collaboration and shared learning across disciplines and borders.

Expertise in risk modeling and economic impact analysis

IVM’s contribution to MIRACA draws on its deep expertise in large-scale risk modeling and economic impact assessment. The team brings extensive experience from past initiatives, such as:

• Europe-wide infrastructure risk assessments
• The development of vulnerability curves to guide resilience planning
• Research on the cascading economic effects of infrastructure failures

These tools and insights are essential for understanding how shocks to infrastructure ripple through economies—especially in a world of interdependent systems.

📄 Related research: Nature Communications – Critical infrastructure failure and economic risk.
📊 Database: Vulnerability Curves for Climate Impacts on Infrastructure.

Bridging scales for adaptation planning

One of MIRACA’s key innovations is a multi-scale framework for climate risk assessment as they are linking asset-level vulnerabilities, network dynamics, and system-wide risks across Europe. IVM leads the development of this framework, which:

• Integrates fine-grained regional insights with pan-European analysis
• Embeds cost-benefit analysis to support decision-making
• Prioritizes adaptation strategies that are technically sound and economically viable

“This is the first time a model integrates asset-level vulnerabilities with systemic risk analysis at both regional and European scales,” the team notes.

From assessing risks to building resilience

For IVM, MIRACA is a chance to turn knowledge into action. By harmonizing data, methods, and perspectives, IVM is helping lay the groundwork for climate-ready infrastructure systems across the continent.

The project’s outputs include open-access datasets, stakeholder-driven insights, and decision-support tools which will enable infrastructure managers and public authorities to better anticipate, assess, and address climate risks.

About the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)

As a globally recognized hub for environmental research and education, the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) at VU Amsterdam supports sustainable development through scientific excellence and interdisciplinary collaboration. From climate policy and systems modeling to environmental governance, IVM provides knowledge and tools that empower informed decision-making at the science-policy interface.

🔗 Learn more on the IVM website
🔗 Follow IVM on LinkedIn

MIRACA: Advancing climate-resilient infrastructure

Led by a consortium of top researchers, engineers, and climate specialists, the Multi-hazard Infrastructure Risk Assessment for Climate Adaptation (MIRACA) project strengthens Europe’s critical infrastructure against climate change. MIRACA equips public authorities with innovative decision-support tools—featuring technical guidance, a resilience-testing workbench, and an interactive viewer—to assess risks, explore adaptation strategies, and close data gaps. Through open-access models and practical insights from five diverse European use cases, MIRACA empowers communities to implement cost-effective, resilient infrastructure solutions.