Centre will be one of the first of its kind to branch out into new fields of research in humanitarian logistics
INSEAD, the leading international business school, today announced it has partnered with Kühne Logistics University (THE KLU), one of the top universities dedicated to the study of logistics based in Hamburg, Germany, to open a Research Centre on Humanitarian Logistics. INSEAD and THE KLU established the Centre to drive innovation and research in new fields of humanitarian logistics. The Centre’s main activities will take place on THE KLU’s campus in Hamburg with a satellite research group at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.
‘Humanitarian logistics is a growing area of importance due to the decrease in the amount of funds available and the increase in the number of disasters occurring regularly around the world,’ said Luk Van Wassenhove, Professor of Operations Management at INSEAD and Co-Director of the Centre. ‘The humanitarian world has undervalued the importance of logistics, and training is desperately needed for relief workers. We look forward to working with THE KLU to develop research that will directly benefit humanitarian organisations in their disaster relief efforts.’
Research associates on both campuses will launch their activities by focusing on three key areas: immediate disaster response, global healthcare supply chains and fleet management. The Centre will also analyse which knowledge can be transferred between business logistics and humanitarian relief.
‘It’s an honour to be partnering with INSEAD on this strategic initiative,’ said Dr. Wolfgang Peiner, President of the Kühne Logistics University. ‘With the generous support of Klaus-Michael Kuehne and his foundation, we are bringing the management, logistics and humanitarian worlds together in order to deliver top-notch research that will ultimately help people in times of disaster. Our research will offer insights into uncharted areas of humanitarian logistics to offer real solutions for relief organisations and move knowledge of the field to a higher level.’
In addition to the research agenda, the INSEAD-KLU Humanitarian Research Centre will also offer events that bring together some of the largest relief organisations and well-known experts in the field of logistics. In January 2012, the Centre will host a workshop for thought leaders from academia, the industry and representatives from NGOs like the Red Cross, World Food Program or Oxfam. On March 22-23, 2012 the Centre will serve as the main host for the Humanitarian Logistics Conference which will draw more than 200 leaders to Hamburg to articulate the opportunities and challenges in humanitarian response.
‘Our research will also have important implications for the business world,’ added Van Wassenhove. ‘The business world is so volatile right now that companies have to operate flexibly in complex dynamic situations which often poses significant challenges. Studies in innovation and flexibility regarding emergency logistics can be uniquely transferred to the business world.’
About Kühne Logistics University
The Kühne Logistics University – Wissenschaftliche Hochschule für Logistik und Unternehmensführung (THE KLU) – is an independent, state-accredited private university located in the dockland area of Hamburg. Sponsored by the nonprofit Kühne-Stiftung (Foundation), THE KLU currently offers Masters in Global Logistics and Management. The programs are characterized by an international student body, a high class faculty, an intimate learning environment and an outstanding corporate network. With a consistently growing faculty, THE KLU covers all relevant areas of teaching and research in the fields of logistics, supply chain and business management. In the near future, undergraduate, MBA and EMBA as well as Ph.D. programs will be offered. THE KLU’s International Summer Schools provide excellent further education opportunities for professionals. In combining international teaching and research competence in logistics and business management, THE KLU is one of a kind.
More information about the Kühne Logistics University can be found at www.the-klu.org.
About the New Economic School
The New Economic School is private graduate school in economics in Moscow founded in 1992. The mission of the New Economic School is to benefit Russia's private and public sectors through excellence in economics education and research. The core of NES is its resident faculty of 25 young economists with PhDs in economics and finance from the world leading universities, including Harvard, MIT, LBS, Michigan, and Wisconsin-Madison. NES offers two-year masters programmes in economics and finance. In 2011, it also launched a small undergraduate programme. It is also active in policy advice and executive education.
NES is ranked the best economics institution in the former communist countries in the research ranking by RePEc (Research Papers in Economics).
SSRN (Social Science Research Network) ranks NES is in the top 100 best economics departments in the world and a top 3 in non-OECD countries. NES's think tank CEFIR (Centre of Economic and Financial Research) is ranked a top 20 economic think tank in the world by RePEc. (www.nes.ru)
