Natural Hazards Research Australia

What Natural Hazards Research Australia does

Natural Hazards Research Australia is the Australian Government's designated national research centre for natural hazards resilience and disaster risk reduction, established in 2021 as the successor to the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC and headquartered in Melbourne under CEO Andrew Gissing. The organisation funds, coordinates, and translates research across more than 40 participant organisations spanning every Australian state fire service, emergency management agencies, federal and state government departments, universities, First Nations organisations, and AFAC members. Its core deliverables include commissioned research (notably the Black Summer programme comprising 23 projects across 28 institutions), knowledge outputs (Hazard Notes, Policy Notes, Practice Notes), and a growing library of CPD-accredited knowledge modules covering topics from extreme fire behaviour to transformative scenarios.

The technical stack rests on the ACCESS-Fire coupled fire-atmosphere model run on the National Computational Infrastructure supercomputer, integrated with Himawari-8 satellite data and Digital Earth Australia Waterbodies, and supported by the Australian Disaster Resilience Index. Knowledge modules are delivered through learning-management-system integration, and engagement is maintained via monthly webinars, an annual research forum (fifth iteration in 2026), and direct policy engagement. The business model is grant-funded: the dominant revenue line is the 10-year Australian Government CRC extension, supplemented by participant co-contributions; there is no commercial product sales motion and no external customer billing.

Name

Natural Hazards Research Australia

Legal name

Natural Hazards Research Australia

Website

https://naturalhazards.com.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Natural Hazards Research Australia is the Australian Government-funded national Cooperative Research Centre coordinating natural hazards resilience research across 40+ participant organisations, including all state fire services, and delivering funded research, knowledge modules, and policy advice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Hazards Research and Disaster Risk Reduction

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Hazard & Catastrophe Modeling (Flood, Wind, Wildfire, Heat, Sea-Level Rise) (EUABALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disaster Preparedness, Risk Reduction & Early Warning (DRR) (BPAGAAAB), Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Risk Management (BPADALAK)

Keywords

• Natural hazards research
• Disaster risk reduction
• Bushfire behaviour analysis
• Emergency management research
• Community resilience programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Australian Government CRC Funding: The organization receives funding from the Australian Government through the 10-year extension of funding into natural hazard research, including the Black Summer research program. This is a collaborative research center model where funding flows through to research projects conducted with partner organizations.
2. Research Partnership Contributions: Research projects are conducted in partnership with fire and emergency services agencies, state government departments, and universities, with partner organizations contributing resources, expertise, and in-kind support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Natural Hazards Research Australia is a federally funded research centre that coordinates and commissions collaborative research on natural hazards (bushfire, flood, storm, and other disasters) and translates findings into operational guidance, professional development modules, and policy advice for Australia's fire and emergency services sector. Its portfolio includes CPD-eligible online knowledge modules, publications (Hazard Notes, Policy Notes, Practice Notes, Reports), commissioned and collaborative research projects, educational programs (Disaster Challenge, EMCAP Network), First Nations engagement resources, an annual research forum, and monthly webinars. Outputs are distributed at no cost to AFAC member organisations, Centre Participants, and the broader emergency management community.

Product overview

Natural Hazards Research Australia operates as Australia's research centre for natural hazards resilience and disaster risk reduction. The organisation functions as a collaborative research hub rather than a software product company. Its offerings include knowledge modules (online learning resources including Extreme fire behaviour knowledge modules and Transformative scenarios in a climate-challenged world), publications (Hazard Notes, Policy Notes, Practice Notes, Reports, Journal Articles), research projects, educational programs (Disaster Challenge, EMCAP Network), First Nations engagement resources and guidelines, tools for impact, and the annual Natural Hazards Research Forum event. The portfolio also includes the CRC research archive.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Extreme Fire Behaviour Knowledge Modules Online learning modules for Fire Behaviour Analysts and Meteorologists covering extreme fire behaviour risk evaluation, fire-generated vortices, and low-level jets; eligible as CPD through AFAC's Emergency Management Professionalisation Scheme.
• Transformative Scenarios in a Climate-Challenged World Knowledge Modules Online strategic planning modules with four plausible future scenarios to help emergency management leaders stress-test existing strategies against climate-challenged futures; includes downloadable PDF workbook and reference materials.
• Research Projects Core, commissioned, and postgraduate research projects across themes including bushfire behaviour, community resilience, cultural land management, predictive services, and disaster recovery; conducted with fire services, universities, and government partners.
• Natural Hazards Research Forum Annual research forum convening natural hazards researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to share research progress and findings across fire, emergency management, and disaster resilience.
• Disaster Challenge Educational program engaging students and young people in disaster resilience challenges and learning activities.
• EMCAP Network Early- and Mid-Career Academic and Practitioners Network supporting professional development and collaboration among researchers and practitioners in emergency management.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28 research institutions collaborated on the Black Summer research program, producing 23 projects with findings applied to fire management practices across Australia
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Bureau of MeteorologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch leader in fire-atmosphere modelling, providing meteorological expertise and supercomputing resources for the ACCESS-Fire model simulations used to investigate extreme fire behaviour during the Black Summer bushfires.
• AFACcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe national peak body for fire, aviation, and emergency services. AFAC members automatically access Transformative Scenarios modules and collaborate on research projects. AFAC's Predictive Services Group and Warnings Group participate in steering committees.
• Australian GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary funder through 10-year extension of CRC funding for natural hazard research. Funded the Black Summer research program investigating the 2019-20 bushfire season.
• Australian Red CrosssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on community-led recovery research, bringing expertise in disaster relief and community support to research projects examining recovery after the Black Summer bushfires.
• Geoscience AustraliasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on satellite imagery and spatial data projects, including using Digital Earth Australia Waterbodies to support aerial firefighting operations.
• Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partner in the Black Summer research program, combining expertise in bushfire and natural hazards research with funding from the Australian Government.
• Deakin UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor research partner, with Associate Professor Timothy Neale leading multiple research projects including cultural land management governance, predictive services, and community hazard communication.
• University of WollongongcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner led by Dr Josh Whittaker on community experiences of the 2019/20 NSW bushfires, and Dr Hamish Clarke on fire risk modelling and prescribed burning analysis.
• University of MelbournecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner contributing to community-led recovery research with Professor Lisa Gibbs and Dr Kate Brady, and fire risk modelling with Dr Alex Filkov.
• Australian National UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in soil and fuel moisture research led by Associate Professor Marta Yebra, examining vegetation dryness and fire activity during the 2019-20 fire season.
• RMIT UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in aerial firefighting research using earth observation data from satellites to understand the effects of fire suppression activities.
• NSW Rural Fire ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor agency participant and commissioner of community attitudes research. NSW RFS commissioned the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC to study people's experiences of the 2019/20 bushfires.
• Country Fire Authority (Victoria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch participant in fire behaviour modelling, prescribed burning effectiveness, and emergency management studies.
• Emergency Recovery VictoriasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on community-led recovery research, contributing to understanding how governments can better support communities after disasters.
• Emergency Management VictoriasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in research on emergency management and community resilience in Victoria.
• Jagun Alliance Aboriginal CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Nations partner led by Oliver Costello (Bundjalung man), focusing on cultural land management, Indigenous fire stewardship, and integrating Traditional Knowledge into fire management research.
• Indigenous Leadership InitiativesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation for Dr Amy Cardinal Christianson, working with Indigenous Nations across Canada on fire stewardship practices like cultural burning.
• Firesticks Alliance Indigenous CorporationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Nations organisation co-founded by Oliver Costello, focused on empowering Aboriginal perspectives on fire, threatened species, and cultural land management.
• Collaborative Consulting CosecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Transformative Scenarios planning process project, collaborating with Queensland Fire Department, AFAC, and Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience.
• Fire Protection Association AustraliasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association participant contributing expertise in fire protection and prevention.
• Gender and Disaster AustraliasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation participant focused on gender dimensions of disaster resilience and emergency management.
• Healthy Land and WatersecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation participant focused on environmental and land management in Queensland.
• Green Cross AustraliasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation participant contributing to disaster resilience and climate adaptation.
• Northern Rivers Fire and Biodiversity ConsortiumsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation focused on fire and biodiversity in northern NSW, with Oliver Costello serving as Vice President.
• Australian Research Data CommonssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal participant providing data infrastructure and research data commons capabilities for natural hazards research.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Geoscience Australia: Federal agency partner providing satellite imagery, Digital Earth Australia, and geospatial analysis for natural hazards — overlapping with NHRA's fire spread and aerial firefighting research.
• CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation): Australia's national science agency with extensive bushfire, climate, and atmospheric research programmes; competes for federal research dollars and overlapping scientific talent.
• US Forest Service Research and Development: Operates the world's largest wildland fire research programme through its five fire research stations, covering fire behaviour, weather, and risk modelling comparable to ACCESS-Fire.
• Bureau of Meteorology: Australia's official weather, climate, and hydrological forecasting agency; core partner on ACCESS-Fire modelling and meteorological aspects of NHRA's research.

Others

• AFAC (Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council): Peak body for Australasian fire, aviation, and emergency services and the distribution channel for NHRA's knowledge modules; an ecosystem participant rather than a direct research competitor.

Regional players

• BRANZ (Building Research Association of New Zealand): New Zealand's applied research organisation for the built environment and resilience; comparable in role and funding model (industry/government co-funded research centre) though focused on buildings rather than bushfire.
• European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) / EU Joint Research Centre: Provides European-wide forest fire danger forecasting and damage assessment; comparable in mandate to NHRA's fire behaviour and predictive services work but operating outside Australia.

Emerging players

• Natural Resources Canada / Canadian Forest Service: Leads Canadian wildland fire science and co-management with Indigenous communities through programs like the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, providing a clear international analogue to NHRA's fire and cultural burning research.

Direct peers

• Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre: NHRA's predecessor organisation and ongoing collaborative partner; performs nearly identical natural hazards research coordination across Australian universities and agencies.
• Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR): Australia's knowledge hub for disaster resilience, co-located in the emergency management ecosystem and producing practitioner guidance, handbooks, and standards that overlap directly with NHRA's publications and knowledge module portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hazards-research

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Natural Hazards Research Australia