Akkon University for Human Sciences/
Institute for Research in International Assistance (IRIA)
The Akkon University of Applied Sciences in Berlin is special: private, state-recognized,
the first and only University in the sponsorship of an aid organization, the Johanniter Unfall-Hilfe e. V., with its (In-)Institute “IRIA” application-oriented researching and advising in humanitarian aid and development cooperation worldwide.
With needs-based study programs in Nursing & Medicine, Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid as well as Pedagogy & Social Work, we contribute to the further development of the humanities and qualify our students in innovative forms of teaching and learning in scientific and personal competencies. We are engaged in projects of social national & international cooperation and cooperate in research, teaching & science with institutions, NGOs and companies all over the world.
Due to the increasing intensity and frequency of crises, disasters and conflict situations worldwide, e. g. earthquakes, epidemics or chronic disasters such as tuberculosis or drought, the university founded the “Institute for Research in International Assistance” (IRIA) in 2018. It develops answers and solutions to the pressing issues of international emergency & disaster relief and global health through groundbreaking interdisciplinary research projects.
The current focus is on these health research issues:
- Restructuring Global Health to achieve the sustainable development goals
- Civil-military cooperation in humanitarian and development assistance
- Global health security/ diplomacy
- Health systems in transition, especially in Eastern Europe, the Middle East,
Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa - One Health/ Planetary Health
- Combating (re-)emerging infectious diseases
- Training & education of local stakeholders and decision makers
Akkon University and IRIA operate on a non-profit basis. Projects are financed by external funds, e. g. by the German Federal Ministry of Health, the German Federal Foreign Office, the German Research Foundation (DFG), the GIZ and of course industrial partners.