Following the catastrophic flood events in 2013 and 2014, Priority Area 5 – Environmental Risks within the EU Strategy for the Danube Region carried out a survey, which pointed out there is no harmonized specialized training on flood management in the Danube Region, this seriously affecting international co-operation in flood management and flood management planning. Also, there is no emphasis in the Civil engineering curricula on flood issues, while international professional networks and/ or international project initiatives subject are insufficient. There is also a lack of dissemination of specific knowledge and practical solutions in flood protection, which impedes the implementation of the Danube Basin Flood Risk Management Plan.

Therefore, developing an education/ training network specialized in flood management was considered essential in the region together with the need to harmonize flood risk management methodologies.

The story below presents you #InterFloodCourse – a project that was carried out precisely to address the problem of lacking harmonization in the education of flood management professionals on a basin-wide scale in the Danube River Basin and to foster academic mobility of engineers in training.

InterFloodCourse team started its activity by reviewing the Civil engineering curricula used in most of the universities in countries of the Danube Region Basin and concluded that flood management is only marginally discussed during the training. Therefore, the project team developed a harmonized, international postgraduate course on flood and flood risk management, which integrates the knowledge and expertise of Danube Region professionals, namely the operative flood management bodies that were involved in the development of the course content.

The result of this activity was a comprehensive flood management curriculum and e-learning materials for an international, basin-wide course on flood management that offers a professional development possibility for Civil engineers. As the importance of this course was recognized both by the civil society and the politicians, many institutions and politicians (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, the Danube Commission, General Directorate of Water Management of Hungary, ICPDR Flood Management Expert Group) supported and talked about it during public events.

As soon as this flood management course is registered at the Hungarian Ministry of Education, persons holding a Civil engineering diploma (BSc or MSc) may apply for attending this 2-semester course. They have to send their application to the Faculty of Water Sciences of the National University of Public Service. Considering the curricula, the ideal number of attendees is 20 persons, no geographical conditions regarding the country of origin.

The course takes place at both of the partner Universities: the Faculty of Water Sciences of the National University of Public Service in Hungary and Institute for Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering within Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of Belgrade, in Serbia. Contact lessons are held for 3 weeks per semester. The course ends with an exam and the attendees that pass it get a graduation diploma.

For future interested “students” will have the possibility to find detailed information and get knowledge on: historical floods at the Danube, flood frequency analysis, hydraulic modelling , water retention and localization, flood risk assessment, including GIS, river engineering/ training, sediment processes, flood defence planning and management, flood forecasting, field trip (study trip) – first semester, soil mechanics of flood control structures, policies and regulative (such as directives, planning plans etc.), flood and excess water control techniques and technologies, logistics of flood and excess water control, management of navigation during floods, incl. RIS (and pollution), management within urban infrastructure hydraulic systems during floods, climate change and facts on floods, environmental aspects management during floods, measurements (river Danube) – second semester.

By the help of InterFloodCourse, an international group of Civil engineers would work in practice, in order to spread the knowledge and the attitude towards achieving higher standards in practical daily planning and communication about flood management and implement these as well.

We are working to create a safer Danube and a safer planet!