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A close relationship between civil protection organizations and scientific community is widely recognized today at international and European level as being of paramount importance for the effectiveness of research products in their application for disaster risk management. In this perspective, European research projects on risks are more and more focused on application oriented outcomes, requiring the involvement of civil protection organizations, and creating a well-structured knowledge network within a European civil protection framework. For about forty years, the Italian civil protection has been relying upon the contribution of the scientific community to find the best solutions based on the most advanced and consolidated knowledge, for activities that concern the management of the entire disaster risk cycle. The interactions between civil protection and scientific community in Italy are mainly based on the so-called Competence Centers, i.e. the scientific operational partners of the Civil Protection Department (DPC), and on the Major Risks Commission, i.e. the technical-scientific advisory body of DPC. They both work with an interdisciplinary, multisectoral and, when necessary, multi-hazard risk approach. This paper aims to describe how Competence Centers presently operate, in a way that has evolved over the years. The focus will be on scientific activities and products related to the earthquake and structural engineering science, emphasizing the way of operating and collaborating of Competence Centers, consistently with the principles of the Italian Civil Protection Code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]