On 2 October 2025, the PDPC organized the third edition of the Congress on Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness at the World Trade Center in Rotterdam. The day was filled with insightful talks, poster presentations and lively discussions focused on the theme of ‘Navigating crisis: data and decision-making in uncertain times’. Read the most important takeaways of the presentations below.

Session 1: Dealing with uncertainty and complexity in crisis response

The day started with a welcome by dr. Tom Emery, chair and director of societal preparedness research of the PDPC, and the opening lecture by prof.dr. Marion Koopmans, scientific director of the PDPC. In her lecture, Marion explained that the problems we face are highly complex: so-called ‘wicked problems’. Research on preparedness therefore requires new ways of working​, which includes complexity research​, combining and interpreting data​, learning (from) each other’s’ expertise​ and making sense of integrative assessments. While this task can feel daunting, Marion is optimistic. “Be intoxicated by what you can do in the future,” she concluded.

The first keynote lecture was by prof.dr. Tina Comes from TU Delft, about confronting complexity and surprise in disaster decisions. While more information and better technology can help us make more informed decisions, the realities of crisis response mean urgent action under high uncertainty. She highlighted three major challenges: what data to use and what measures to take in highly complex contexts; how to act quickly where urgency is needed, without losing sight of long-term implications of our responses; and how to integrate values into the forefront of decision-making, recognizing that data and technology cannot overcome all of the challenges for taking effective and just responses.

The PDPC Academy took to the stage and presented their innovative public health research for preparedness. Led by dr. Anja Scheijer, medical director of the PDPC, the Academy showcased their research projects through ten pitch presentations. Firstly, dr. Clarize de Korne, dr. Hekmat Alrouh, Julie Penders and Lois van Eck talked about the PRESENT project, which focuses on the effects of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers discussed the epidemiological effects, effects on learning inequalities, vulnerability and resilience of adolescents and the impact of school closures on post-school transitions and mental health. Subsequently, Tim Florschütz presented the challenges and innovations of contact tracing for future pandemics and dr. Tom Oreel discussed the importance of tailored interventions for underserved groups. Finally, dr. Femke Overbosch, dr. Charlotte Waltz, dr. Tomris Cesuroglu and Bart Blokland gave an overview of the research on Integrated science for policy, which explores new ways to bring together biomedical and societal perspectives to provide actionable, evidence-based advice for policymakers. They discussed simulation exercises to practice integrated advice, a comparative analysis of scientific advisory committees in other European countries, and the recently funded UNITY project that will continue the research on integrated science for policy.

Session 2: Signals and sense making

The second session was kicked off by prof.dr. Sander Herfst, Suzanne Mijnhardt, Kaïn Saygan, Arghyanir Giri and dr. Yunus Aksoy from PDPC Frontrunner 2, who presented their work on predicting, measuring and quantifying airborne virus transmission. In their project, virus transmission is quantified using air samplers, that can capture airborne viruses from the air. Existing samplers are tested in the laboratory and in real-world settings, such as hospitals and schools, and new air samplers are developed that are better equipped at keeping viruses alive. Finally, airflow in indoor settings is modelled to gain a better understanding of viral transmission. The combined findings from Frontrunner 2 will prepare us for future pandemics caused by airborne viruses.

Dr. Miranda de Graaf and Pouria Paridar presented their work on translating mobility data and virus genomic data into early warning, a key theme of the PDPC Frontrunner 5 project. Miranda explained that sampling and sequencing of wastewater across the globe can help to keep track of both human and non-human viruses. Because viruses can be detected in wastewater before they are reported, wastewater is a powerful tool for early warning. In addition, Pouria explained that modeling the spread of viruses along common transport routes can contribute to early warning. In his research, he is developing a Risk Simulator tool that can predict how likely viruses will travel via a specific transport route. Taken together, the research from Frontrunner 5 will give us a better grasp on the occurrence and spread of viruses on a global scale.

In the last presentation of session 2, Wessel Veenman from Rotterdams WeatherWise, together with dr. Reina Sikkema and dr. Pauline de Best from PDPC Frontrunner 1, talked about climate adaptation in Rotterdam. First, Wessel discussed the challenges and opportunities for the municipality of Rotterdam to become a climate proof city, with a focus on measures against extreme heat and solutions for water storage. Reina then discussed how water storage solutions can unintentionally contribute to the spread of mosquitos and mosquito-borne disease, and emphasized that we should take knowledge about spread of diseases into account when designing climate adaptation strategies. Finally, Pauline explained that these insights are put into practice by the ClimateHUB, an initiative that creates attention for mosquitos in every phase of current climate project designs carried out in Rotterdam.

During the morning- and lunch break, participants had the opportunity to share their research via poster presentations. All posters showcased innovative research on all aspects of preparedness, and it was great to see the high level of engagement and lively discussions between both the presenters and audience.

Session 3: Realities of crisis response

After the lunch break, dr. Jacopo Margutti from the Red Cross 510 gave a keynote lecture about early warning and early action in humanitarian response. In particular, he explained the importance of early warnings to enable anticipatory action that can reduce the impacts of a forecasted hazard before it occurs. Dr. Margutti explained four possible early warnings for epidemics, including surveillance data, forecasts of extreme-weather events, weather+surveillance data and outbreak forecasts. His main message was that by focusing on timely, actionable and robust early warnings, it is possible to translate surveillance data and forecasts into real impact during crisis response.

PDPC Frontrunner 3 researchers dr. Yared Abebe and Karin van Vuuren-Wisse, together with Tina Comes (as a substitute for dr. Robert Borst) gave an interactive Mentimeter quiz about community-driven patient logistics in disasters, with a focus on the flooding in the South of Limburg in July 2021. Key take-aways included that several health care facilities in this area are vulnerable to flooding as they are located next to the river, that the storage location of critical equipment should be reconsidered and that that creativity can play an important role in crisis response. The winner of the quiz was Lies de Coster, nurse infection control and crisis preparedness.

Continuing on the topic of crisis response, prof.dr. Ali Mostafavi from the Texas A&M University called in from the US to give a keynote lecture about AI for situational awareness in crisis, in which he looked back on the catastrophic Texas flash floods in July 2025. Professor Mostafavi gave recommendations on how to prevent and better respond to such disasters in the future, and how decisions can be supported by multi-modal AI systems that process data on four levels: community reality (people, places); data (flood sensors, satellite images); model data (damage assessment, evacuation monitoring) and insight data (spatiotemporal patterns, visualizations). The insights from this session were integrated in a panel with Ali Mostafavi, Jacopo Margutti and Karin van Vuuren-Wisse, led by dr. Maria Pregnolato from TU Delft.

Session 4: Working together: solidarity and preparedness

The final session started with prof.dr.ir. Nynke Hofstra from Wageningen University & Research, who emphasized the role of process-based, interdisciplinary modelling in understanding pathogen transmission through water systems. Unsafe water and sanitation remain leading global health risks and potential triggers for future pandemics. Scenario-based modelling can identify contamination hotspots, guide measurement strategies, and assess the impacts of socioeconomic development and climate change on microbial water quality. Professor Hofstra highlighted the importance of integrating human and livestock data and fostering transdisciplinary collaborations across scientific fields.

PingPing Song, Lotte Schrijver and Maha Moustafa Habib Abdelraouf from PDPC Frontrunner 4 examined how crisis preparedness policies often overlook lived experiences and socio-spatial inequalities. PingPing showed that national averages obscure regional disparities in connectivity and vulnerability, suggesting the need for regionally tailored interventions. Maha demonstrated, through Rotterdam heatwave data, that vulnerability varies with neighbourhood typologies: lower-income, rental-heavy areas face greater heat risks despite lower access to air conditioning. Lotte argued that resistance to effective policies is not merely misinformation but reflects deeper societal values and priorities. Together, they highlighted the human face of crises and called for integrating behavioural and experiential knowledge to reveal and correct blind spots in preparedness policy design.

The final lecture of the day was given by prof.dr. Caesar Atuire from the University of Oxford and dr. Georgie Mills of the PDPC, who discussed ethical resilience and ethics in crisis decision-making. Georgie introduced the concept of ethical resilience: maintaining ethical standards under crisis pressure. Examples such as school closures and restrictions on protests during the pandemic illustrated how crises can expose or deepen ethical weaknesses of ‘normal’ circumstances that are actually unethical. Professor Atuire discussed the need to distinguish between empirical evidence and normative judgment in science and policy. He urged attention to structural and epistemic justice, recognizing local, experiential knowledge and addressing historical injustices. Trust, he argued, requires scientists and policymakers to demonstrate competence, reliability, and accountability, and to include affected communities in decision-making processes. The insights from this inspiring lecture gave a new perspective to pandemic and disaster preparedness.

The last item on the agenda was to announce the winners of the poster presentations. The official Jury, consisting of dr. Tomris Cesuroglu (PDPC), dr. Bert de Graaff (Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam), prof.dr. Sander Herfst (Erasmus MC) and dr. Stephan de Roode (TU Delft), and handed out the jury award to dr. Jet Sanders (RIVM) and co-authors with their poster ‘What do citizens perceive preparedness to be? Preliminary results from four European countries’. Moreover, congress attendees could vote for their favourite posters. The public poster prize was awarded to dr. Rosaline van den Berg (GGD Zuid-Holland Zuid) and co-authors with their poster ‘Can we use wastewater surveillance to enhance infectious disease surveillance in Dutch child daycare centres?’.

All in all, the third edition of the PDPC congress was a great success. With insightful lectures about cutting-edge research that highlighted both technical and human aspects of navigating crisis, participants walked away with a greater understanding of pandemic and disaster preparedness. We are looking forward to the next edition of the congress!

Watch the congress aftermovie here!