By Veronika Poier

REVALORISE+ training participant, Veronika Poier shares her experience of the programme and insights on her research in Post Disaster Reconstruction.

I benefitted greatly from the REVALORISE+ Program as it helped me streamline my project on post disaster reconstruction. My initial goal was to take my research to the level of valorisation, where I can make an impact with my findings. Throughout the process, the team of REVALORISE+ really helped me fine-tune my approach, so I could reach a new stage of application.

So far, my research has been inspired by my practical experience in the field of large-scale post-disaster heritage reconstruction on an international level, particularly in Syria and Iraq. Through my current research I want to add the vital component of community-based knowledge transmission to current post-conflict strategies. Therefore, the questions I pursue evolve around the people and communities participating in this process of reconstruction: Who reconstructs, preserves and rehabilitates built heritage in times of concurrent warfare?  What are the solutions that evolve from a creative process under pressure? What can we learn from these findings for future post-war reconstruction?

Through REVALORISE+ I could break down the main goals of my study to approach stakeholders, such as governments, INGOs and NGOs to expand the impact of my results. The face-to-face sessions with the team at the University of Vienna were particularly helpful, as we analysed potential strengths and weaknesses. In special meetings, I could test-drive my strategies and see how they resonated. The feedback I received after presenting my project to my peers and mentors is still invaluable, as it gave me a great view on what I need to edit, rethink and sharpen. A few months out of the programme, I can say that the community I gained are a great resource and to this day, I am still in contact with my colleagues and discuss projects and plans with them.

I feel like my skillset in the area of marketing my project has greatly improved after participating in the REVALORISE+ process. Particularly the definition of a market, stakeholders and a target audience helped me focus. As a consequence, I could push my project where I envisioned it to be after the training, elevating it from research to applied knowledge in the field of heritage reconstruction.

Download Veronika’s Research Asset here: Research Assets – Revalorise