What is the title of your research project?
PROTEKT – Project on Training, Establishment, Crisis Prevention & Transfer
Who is involved in the project?
Project leader: Prof. Dr Markus Bresinsky (OTH Regensburg); research assistants: Sonja Grünbauer, Matthias Sabatier, Jens Ellerkamp, Alexander Dornach (OTH Regensburg); other project partners: Allgäu Regional Planning Association, AllgäuNetz GmbH, Nuremberg Tech, Midwifery Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
What is your funded project?
Crises such as extreme weather events, power cuts or the failure of critical infrastructure pose growing challenges for regions and the people living there. In the PROTEKT project, OTH Regensburg, in collaboration with the Oberallgäu district, is investigating how crisis preparedness can be sustainably improved and how successful approaches can be transferred to other regions. The project utilises innovative table-top exercises to jointly analyse and address complex challenges, whilst also highlighting the untapped potential and capabilities of the stakeholders involved. The aim of the project is to strengthen regional networks and increase the long-term resilience of public authorities, local authorities, organisations and the population – understood as adaptability, the ability to learn from crises, and continuous development and structural improvement. Furthermore, the table-top method is to be scientifically monitored and further developed.
What excites you about the project?
PROTEKT combines scientific research with concrete practical challenges. What is particularly exciting is that different stakeholders – from public administration, civil protection, crisis preparedness, critical infrastructure (KRITIS), business, healthcare and civil society – can develop solutions together and test them immediately. This not only yields new insights but also leads to concrete improvements in regional crisis preparedness. At the same time, the project offers the opportunity to systematically examine and further develop innovative methods such as crisis games. In this way, research becomes effective precisely where it is needed.
How can findings from the project be applied in practice?
The results are directly incorporated into crisis preparedness in the Oberallgäu district. The formats and analyses give rise to concrete recommendations for action, concepts and measures to improve cooperation between authorities, businesses and other stakeholders. The methods and findings developed will be presented in such a way that they can also be adopted by other regions. In this way, the project supports the transfer of knowledge between academia and practice. In the long term, PROTEKT helps to prepare regions for future crises and disasters in the spirit of a learning system.
On our website, you will find an overview of the current funded projects at OTH Regensburg.
