The flood competence center, locally known as the Hochwasserkompetenz Zentrum and abbreviated as HKC, is a non-profit organization established in Cologne in 2007 with the aim to manage flood risks in a collaborative manner. This happened after extreme flooding events in 1993 and 1995 that caused the region considerable damage with serious losses. The organization was initiated by an employee from the flood emergency board of Cologne with a special interest in collaborative FDRM.

He started by talking to people and presenting his ideas to the institutions, universities, individuals, municipalities, 40 cities, associations and companies about the principal solidarity necessary on flood protection.

In an interview, a member of HKC reports that the enthusiasm and dedication of the initiator, as well as his stepping up into a leadership role, was a key factor for the successful establishment of the network:

„[…] and with his pure enthusiasm and his personal network, he managed to kick it off. So, that is the first and most important aspect of success”.

Now, HKC brings together various stakeholders in a unique network: citizen‘s initiatives, researchers, politics, transregional organizations, municipalities and planning offices.

The participants are clear about what benefits they can get out of participating in the network, e.g. getting an insight into market dynamics, exchange with experts, or receiving first-hand information from municipalities. Knowing the reasons for their participation increases the stakeholder’s commitment to the collaborative process.

The success of HKC is also due to continuous stakeholder engagements through meetings, conferences and workshops. Trust has been built up trust for a long time of about 10 years.

Collaboratively, HKC develops information networks as well as on preparation, development and implementation of projects, research schemes and above all practice-oriented handling of the subject of flooding. The results are available to all interested parties through an optimal information and communication platform that was created for everyone affected by floods as well as interested people and institutions.

Thereby flood risk awareness and increased flood protection could be achieved.

^{Source: www.hkc-online.de}

In the 1970s, the local office of the national ministry responsible for flood risk management (FRM) of Japan took the lead in fostering collaboration among a diverse range of organizations and created a river basin committee for the Tsurumigawa River basin.

This office was well-positioned to work closely with local leaders, communities, local government offices, and civil society groups on-site. It was essential for the office to be physically present on-site to successfully promote an integrated FRM approach.

Trust and local knowledge were important factors to enhance CG in Japan:

The office staff built mutual trust with local communities and government offices, and they upheld strong ethical standards and a sense of responsibility toward the public.

They leveraged local knowledge and understood the needs of local communities. Thus, they could effectively collaborate with other stakeholders based on trust.

Additionally, the office tapped into scientific and engineering expertise by engaging academic experts who had established long-term relationships with them through discussions on technical river basin issues.

The national ministry‘s practice of rotating staff between field offices and the headquarters in Tokyo contributed to strengthening their knowledge.

Staff members gained valuable FRM knowledge through their experiences nationwide while working at the headquarters, which they could apply when working in field offices (Ishiwatari 2019).