The year 2025 continues to be guided by an unwavering ambition: to transform humanitarian and social action through scientific guidance. As you read through the pages of this report, discover how the Foundation mobilised in the face of the upheavals of early 2025 and the global climate of restrictions to maintain a tangible impact amongst practitioners and decision-makers:
- by supporting more than 20 research projects, closely tailored to the needs of vulnerable populations,
- by continuing to roll out its APRIS workshops (post-research and social innovation workshops),
- and by creating more opportunities for dialogue, whether at the Red Cross Campus or at international events, to foster debate on current developments in the sector and highlight the contributions of research.
Our President’s Forewords
For the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, 2025 was a year of unprecedented challenges. As crises multiplied and grew more complex, respect for international humanitarian law and trust in social science research waned — even as humanitarian needs soared and funding dwindled.
In response to these structural challenges, the Foundation re-evaluated its approach, organising roundtables on the future of aid and the role of research. These discussions created a vital space for dialogue between operational actors and the research community. Knowledge dissemination remained a cornerstone of the Foundation’s work, particularly in the public sphere, where disinformation often distorts debate. Scientific expertise has never been more critical. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) underscored this urgency in its latest World Disasters Report, warning that dehumanising rhetoric and disinformation are putting both humanitarian workers and the communities they serve at risk. In this context, subjecting facts to scientific scrutiny is no longer optional — it is a prerequisite for effective action, reinforcing the Foundation’s core purpose.
As the Foundation looks ahead to future challenges, it is placing research innovation at the heart of its strategy, building on the French Red Cross’s longstanding tradition of social innovation. To ensure its work remains grounded in practical realities, the Foundation took a significant step in 2025 by launching the Post-Research and Social Innovation Workshops (APRIS). This initiative leverages collective intelligence, bringing together all stakeholders involved in research — once the researcher’s work is complete — to drive social innovation and translate findings into actionable change. In the same spirit of bridging research and practice, the Foundation has continued its Bénévo’Lab programme. This research initiative empowers volunteers and staff by providing tailored research solutions to address the real-world challenges they encounter during Red Cross missions.
This year, the Foundation awarded ten fellowships to projects providing practical solutions to the challenges facing humanitarian actors. It also presented three research awards to inspiring researchers working on diverse, contemporary issues: risk perception in the context of disasters and climate change; the experiences of female drug users; and scientific and medical ethics. Through fellowships, awards and a partnership with the Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne School of Political Science for its Annual Meetings, the Foundation once again demonstrated its commitment to building lasting synergies between academia and humanitarian actors. In line with the principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, it continued its active involvement in the RC3 Consortium, a network of the Movement’s research bodies, and hosted a roundtable during its international meeting.
Grounded in both field realities and global dialogue, the French Red Cross places research and scientific knowledge at the core of its mission. In July 2025, the newly elected Board of Administrators made impact measurement, innovation and research a priority, firmly believing that informed action is essential to sustainably shape the solidarities of the future.
Dr Caroline Cross
President
