Decisions in environmental management often involve high stakes and a range of complex, often unknown effects. Improving decision making can increase the cost-effectiveness of investment and its acceptance. CEMDS is an innovative, research driven organization that is dedicated to develop and apply new knowledge and tools for achieving better solutions in environmental management.
CEMDS was established under Austrian Law in 2004 as a centre of competence, bundling expertises from academic institutions as well as business enterprises. The management board meets regularly in Vienna to adjust all activities undertaken under the name of CEMDS by the board members itself and the associate partners. Members, partners and all who are interested in, can request for the statutes and further information or apply for membership at office@cemds.org.
The activities of CEMDS are generally non profit. They focus on selected areas of competence, which are:
- Financing, Organization and Management
- Institutions, Strategies and Policies
- Environmental Planning and Technologies
Its services range from coordination of fundamental research with its cooperation partners, aiming at joining expertise, to research based applied decision support and consulting based and implementation activities to test and apply research results in practice.
Thereby, CEMDS is focusing on the following sectors:
- Water resources and river basin management
- Water supply, wastewater and sanitation management
- Solid waste management
It also had worked in the transportation sector.