Hanken receives funding for research project on enhancing volunteer roles and support in emergency logistics preparedness

“The impacts of wars, pandemics, and climate change are so significant that even developed countries struggle to meet the essential needs of affected populations in a timely and effective manner,” says Postdoctoral Researcher Amin Maghsoudi at Hanken’s HUMLOG Institute.

Associate Professor Diego Vega, who is the principal investigator of the project, notes that there is a considerable gap in the preparedness of key first responders, including governmental agencies, the military, businesses, and humanitarian organizations. 

“These entities cannot operate effectively without the robust support of local, trained volunteers. Indeed, volunteers play an especially critical role in logistics, which is at the heart of all disaster relief efforts.”

The project, titled VOL-PREP, focuses on examining the logistics-related capabilities of volunteer community groups, particularly their role within national emergency preparedness frameworks in response to potential interstate conflicts in the Nordic region.

“Our goal is to develop a framework called Standardized operations & logistics volunteer excellence (SOLVE), which can be integrated into national emergency preparedness strategies,” explains Maghsoudi.

The VOL-PREP project, conducted in collaboration with Elvira Ruiz Kaneberg from Jönköping University and a HUMLOG’s research fellow, will engage case organizations such as the Red Cross chapters in Finland, Denmark, and Sweden. The project will run from 1 November 2024 to 31 December 2026.