06.10.2021Launch of the UZH Center for Crisis Competence

What's the next crisis? How should you prepare for it? And what does research tell us about what worked (and what didn't) in past crises? Such questions are addressed by the newly founded UZH Center for Crisis Competence (CCC). It aspires to a leading role in advancing, and sharing scientific insights for the management of crises of all kinds.

Crises exist in the small and in the large, on the individual level, the group level, the company level, on regional or country levels, and even on the international and global levels. Anticipated and real crises lead to fear, conflict, and enormous economic and personal costs.

Better knowledge about crises
Motivated by this observation, Prof. Alexander Wagner and Prof. Frank Rühli founded the CCC. As first such center, it seeks to become a central source of scientific insights on crises. Better knowledge about crises will allow individuals and decision-makers on all levels to more confidently mitigate risks from the next crisis and to more effectively deal with crises effectively when they do arise. The COVID-19 pandemic, but also crises such as the financial crisis, have highlighted the importance of the transfer of scientific knowledge to policy and practice.

The CCC will be active in four areas:

• It serves as an academic «think tank» with a comprehensive (partly also interdisciplinary) approach.
• The public will be actively involved through webinars, workshops, conferences, lecture/discussion series, etc.
• Insights on the topic of crises and crisis management will be passed on in the context of undergraduate and graduate teaching.
• the CCC can also serve as an interface with external parties such as companies, policy makers, as well as emergency response organizations and political bodies. 

The UZH Crisis Competence Center is actively looking for partnerships.

Further information is available at www.crisiscompetence.uzh.ch