21 disaster related experts and scholars were invited to this session as speakers from government, academia, NGO, the private sector, and research institute such as NASA. This Forum consisted of 3 sessions. The first session “Bridging the gap between science and practice” emphasized the importance of and need for the collaboration with the private sector in disaster risk reduction (DRR). Many case studies of the collaboration among the private sector, governments and academia exist for the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) at international level. It was agreed that such collaboration needs to be continued and further strengthened. In the second session “How can science and technology contribute to practical DRR?”, it was discussed that how the data possessed by various research institutes can be shared and used for DRR implementation effectively. In the US, the research results have been often reflected in risk assessment and such outcomes have been utilized in collaboration with the private sector as a part of DRR initiatives. It was underlined that it was critical to collect such case studies and shared among stakeholders. In the last session “Role of social science in DRR”, it was agreed that DRR efforts such as education, community DRR and collaboration with local governments and NGOs are crucial in addition to strengthening infrastructure.  Furthermore, it was highlighted that University itself needed to prepare for disasters to protect students, faculty and employees. Through all the sessions, the importance of and need for partnership was discussed. The participants in this session were willing to initiate collaborative projects among them towards DRR implementation on the ground.