IUKL Geo Disaster Research Center (I-GEO) was officially endorsed on December 23, 2013 by the Board of Governors, IUKL. The main objective of this centre is to become the main reference centre in geo disaster research not only in Malaysia but to the world at large. From a small step to a giant leap, this centre has evolved from just a few staff members to the current 16, and from an internal grant of USD 2500 to a regional grant amounting to more than USD 75, 000.

I-GEO has developed its niche expertise in landslides, erosion, flood, sedimentation, environmental disasters and many other areas related to earth science. Our nation has endured difficult times from extreme climate to odd climate phenomenon. These changes have had tremendous impact on the earth’s surface and created various hazards such as landslides, floods, tsunami, earthquake, erosion, haze etc. The main focus of this centre is to make predictions regarding those hazards and propose the real time monitoring approach which can benefit the government and policy makers.

Besides research, the I-GEO has organized many series of professional talks and seminars. To date, 6 seminar series and 2 professional talks have been organized from 2013 till 2015. The topics vary; from hazard prediction to assessment and mitigation. These series of seminars and talks have attracted more than 500 participants from all over the county including Sabah and Sarawak. More of such seminars, talks and hands-on courses will be conducted this year onwards to offer expertise and share knowledge on hazard issues.

Current, I-GEO has built linkages with various national and international agencies. These include the Humid Tropic Centre (HTC), Department of irrigation and Drainage (DID), Malaysia, under the auspicious of UNESCO Jakarta and the International Research Training Centre on Erosion and Sedimentation (IRTCES), Beijing, China. These linkages provide avenues for researchers to apply for grants, promote their research and engage in collaboration with the relevant agencies both in national and international arena.

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