The University of Vaasa has launched a multidisciplinary research platform on Preparedness and Resilience (PREP) in 2025. Its purpose is to provide high-quality research to increase understanding of preparedness and resilience as complex phenomena and to provide decision-makers, businesses and citizens with researched information and evidence on strengthening preparedness and resilience in all sectors of society.
The University of Vaasa’s strong expertise in security and resilience research, information systems, critical infrastructure and energy systems gives us excellent opportunities to profile ourselves as a leading resilience research centre in Europe.
Why are preparedness and resilience important right now?
The world around us has become increasingly complex, uncertain, turbulent and difficult to predict. The division into normal and emergency conditions is no longer valid. In a multi- and perma-crisis environment, societies are constantly in a state of disruption. Resilience is no longer bouncing back in nature but bouncing forward. A crisis is always an opportunity for development, renewal and learning. A good crisis should not be wasted.
How do we operate? How can others access our activities?
Together we are stronger and more influential. Since the foundation of the platform, our concept has been to work together with other top universities and research institutes around the world, as well as in close cooperation with government authorities, companies and civil society actors. This way, we can produce not only top-level research but also test it in practice.
What are our strategic priorities?
The strategic priorities of the PREP platform are closely linked to the three main priorities of the University of Vaasa strategy and the themes under them. The University of Vaasa creates and shares knowledge to promote sustainable business, energy and society. Through innovative and high-quality research and education, we respond to the Sustainable Development Goals that are relevant to our students, partners, ecosystems and society – locally rooted, with global impact.
Sustainable business, energy and society are at the heart of the University of Vaasa’s strategy. High-quality research at our university focuses primarily on energy transition, business renewal and societal transformation and governance. In all these areas, strategic foresight, preparedness and resilience are extremely critical areas of operation. This is precisely what we aim to promote in the research conducted on the PREP platform in close cooperation with our partners.
Thematic priorities of the PREP research platform
The PREP research platform focuses on strengthening the resilience and preparedness of society through four key strategic focus areas. These areas form a whole that combines traditional holistic security thinking with economic resilience, civic engagement and technological development.
- Comprehensive security. Comprehensive security forms the basis of our research. It covers national, regional and local preparedness in a changing security environment. We focus on strategic foresight, systemic disruptions and securing the vital functions of society in all circumstances.
- Economic resilience. The economy is the backbone of society, whose resilience is tested in crises. We investigate ways to maintain economic stability and operational capacity in disruptions. We focus on risk management, ensuring business continuity, supply chain management and modern financial instruments and blockchain technologies as tools for protection.
- Civic resilience. The resilience of society stems from its members. The focus area focuses on the ability of people and communities to act and survive crises. We focus on civilian preparedness, collective agency, the fourth sector and participatory preparedness and voluntary national defence work.
- Preparedness through innovations and technologies. Technological developments offer new tools for preparedness but also bring new challenges. We explore how the latest innovations can be harnessed to promote security. We focus on algorithms, quantum computing, satellite positioning, smart materials and smart grids.
Interfaces and areas of collaboration
At the heart of our research are the intersections between focus areas, where expertise from different areas meets:
- Comprehensive security & economic resilience: We study security of supply, macroeconomic stability and critical infrastructure protection from the perspective of financial markets.
- Comprehensive security & civic resilience: We focus on identifying hybrid threats, comprehensive management and how citizens can actively participate in preparedness.
- Economic resilience & preparedness through technologies: We look at energy security, cybersecurity and supply chain innovations (such as AR, VR, robotics and artificial intelligence).
- Citizen resilience & preparedness through technology: We develop data security applications, navigation technologies and renewable energy solutions that support the self-sufficiency of individuals and communities.
- Economy & Citizens: We study the resilience of individuals’ own finances, consumer behavior, and risk management in everyday life.
