Institution name: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria

Acronym: BOKU

Partner coordinator: Univ. Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Alfred STRAUSS (email: alfred.strauss@boku.ac.at)

Website: www.boku.ac.at/en

About 

BOKU is one of Europe’s leading life science universities, renowned for its holistic approach to research and teaching. It is distinguished as a top institution for sustainability, integrating scientific, technical, and socio-economic disciplines to address complex global challenges.

As an innovation hub in the green economy, BOKU fosters collaboration between researchers, students, and stakeholders from business to politics, all working toward the sustainable development of society. The university is committed to integrating sustainability across all societal processes. 

BOKU’s research and teaching focus on the conservation and sustainable development of habitats, the economic system, and living standards. It also prioritises the responsible management of natural resources, the environment, the protection of food security and public health.

The university has achieved notable progress in sustainability, research, and innovation. Highlights include the development of "CarboFeed" technology, a range of citizen science projects, and concrete steps toward climate neutrality. BOKU aims to reduce emissions by two-thirds by 2030 and by 90% by 2040, as outlined in its 2023 Sustainability Report.

In 2022, BOKU celebrated its 150th anniversary, evolving into one of Europe's most advanced life sciences universities.

Role in project 

The Department of Civil Engineering and Natural Hazards through the Institutes of Mountain Risk Engineering (Prof. Johannes Hübl), the Institute of Structural Engineering (Prof. Alfred Strauss) and the Institute of Soil Bioengineering and Landscape Construction (Prof. Rosemarie Stangl) are leading the research and implementation of classical and NbS protecting settlements and critical infrastructure against natural hazards and climate change. 

BOKU will lead WP4 (Deploy and demonstrate the regional nature-based solutions), set up the Lattenbach Valley demonstrator in an active torrent region, implement NbS, and monitor KPIs. BOKU will also contribute to a catalogue of NbS (WP1), provide experience towards a digital decision-support platform (WP2), and assist in preparing the project’s technical guidelines (WP6). 

The extensive experience of the BOKU team in developing multi-disciplinary, cross-sector evaluation methods will be utilised in collaboration with the other project partners to assess the results of different NbS in the demonstrators.

The team

Alfred Strauss, Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing.Dr.

Current Position: Head of the Institute of Structural Engineering (IKI)
Relevant work experience: Experience in risk assessment and coordination of interdisciplinary infrastructure projects, with a focus on natural hazards and resilience of infrastructures.
Responsibilities in the project: Coordination with the Austrian demonstration site leads (Lattenbach and Gschliefgraben) and development of the Stage 1 Risk Assessment tool, ensuring integration of site-specific data and harmonised evaluation methodology.

Rosemarie Stangl, Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing.Dr.

Current Position: Deputy of Department of Landscape, Water and Infrastructure, Head of Institute of Soil Bioengineering and Landscape Construction (IBLB)Educational Educational Background: Full Professor of Soil and Water Bioengineering and Landscape Construction since 2016. Research comprises nature-based solutions and green-blue infrastructure based on plant-based and vegetation technologies in planning, implementation and evaluation with a focus on erosion protection, slope stabilisation, and vertical greenery for bioshading.

Johannes Hübl, Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn.

Current Position: Senate - Substitute member with permanent right of attendance, Professor - Institute for Mountain Risk Engineering
Relevant work experience: More than 30 years of working experience in Mountain Risk Engineering, both in practice and science, with a focus on integrated watershed management strategies.
Responsibilities in the project: Development of Natural Hazards catalogue, NbS families and description of types Preparation of demonstration site (Lattenbach).