25 June 2026

Research in humanitarian logistics: From papers and practice

A brand-new paper by Professor Erica Gralla (George Washington University) and KLU Professor Maria Besiou examines the impact of research in humanitarian logistics on practice, how it can have a stronger one – and why scientific insights often fall short of their potential influence.

A firefighter in protective gear moves through thick smoke during an emergency response.

Humanitarian organizations frequently operate under extreme time pressure. In crisis and disaster situations, they must decide which relief items are needed where, how scarce resources should be allocated, and how supply chains can continue to function when infrastructure is damaged or information is incomplete.

The gap between papers and practice

The paper has been accepted for publication in the European Journal of Operational Research. In it, Gralla and Besiou examine how research in humanitarian logistics can do more than produce knowledge: it can influence decisions, processes, and strategies in practice.

The study is based on a review of 640 scientific abstracts, an analysis of more than 130 practitioner conference contributions, a survey of the research community, and close to 20 interviews with experienced practitioners from the humanitarian sector.

The findings show that research can create impact in practice – for example by improving processes, changing discussions within organizations, or enabling new strategic approaches. At the same time, this influence remains limited. Many insights do not make it from academic publication into practical application, or only do so slowly. The authors also developed a framework for describing the depth and reach of practice impact achieved by a research project that can be used in other research areas as well.

Impact is more than publication

“Humanitarian research should not only create impact within academia, but help people make better decisions in crisis situations,” says Maria Besiou. “Research becomes particularly powerful when science and practice work together on solutions from the very beginning.”

The paper shows that impact does not begin only after publication. What matters is how closely researchers work with humanitarian organizations when developing research questions, models, and solutions. Research must be methodologically strong – but also understandable, relevant, and usable for those operating under real crisis conditions.

For Besiou, this is a central goal of her work at KLU: designing humanitarian supply chains so that aid reaches people faster, more reliably, and more effectively.