Under the research service area, the GDPC partners with universities and contracts external experts to conduct research that extends the evidence base for Disaster Preparedness (DP).

The GDPC targets research activities designed to fill key gaps in global DP knowledge:

• Immersive technologies & digital games for school disaster preparedness: The research stresses the enormous potential of XR for SBDRR alongside cautioning that any use of XR must not recreate DRR education as it already is, but utilize the unique affordances of the technology to bring added value to what is already in practice with other learning modalities.
• In partnership with the University of Washington, the GDPC conducted research on Strategies for Designing RCRC Preparedness Messaging in Digital Applications. It identified ways to enhance the methodology of Human-Centred Design and learning into application development. The research concentrated on the interaction of end-users with both the First Aid and Multi-Hazard app, and further explored how technology developers working for the Red Cross integrate participatory, end-user focused approaches into their technology design thinking.
• Over the course of 2019-2020, the American Red Cross commissioned a meta-evaluation of 24 program or project evaluations, half of which were of American Red Cross community disaster preparedness programs, and half of the programs implemented by external actors to explore What makes a community disaster-ready?

When relevant, the GDPC will support Federation research needs, such as the adaptation of National Society Business Continuity Planning to the COVID-19 environment.

The GPDC supports research from the broader RC/RC network on Disaster Preparedness issues around climate change, heat waves, and urban engagement:

• The GDPC contributed to the Heatwave Guide for Cities,  a practical guide designed with, and for, people working in city government to understand, reduce the risk of, and respond to, heatwaves in their cities published by the IFRC and under the leadership of the IFRC Climate Center.
• The GDPC is also supporting the German Red Cross, which has recently embarked on a large-scale program to strengthen the capacity of National Societies in responding to humanitarian crises in urban contexts.
• In addition to that, the GDPC has been working with the Livelihoods Resource Center of the Spanish Red Cross to guide and assist National Societies to alleviate the immense impact of COVID-19 on household economic security and livelihoods of small and micro-businesses, particularly in urban areas.