Tallinn presented its Entrepreneurship Awards for the 23rd time this year, recognising companies, organisations and projects whose work has a wider impact on the city. In 2026, civil protection was introduced for the first time as one of the seven award categories. The Crisis Research Centre’s KRAKO crisis network was selected by the evaluation committee as one of the nominees in the category. The nominees were recognised at a formal reception held at Tallinn Town Hall on 13 October. When presenting this year’s nominees, Tallinn Mayor Peeter Raudsepp highlighted the diversity and ambition of their work.

“This is recognition of an approach which sees crisis preparedness as something that cannot be built solely from the top down. At local level, there needs to be a capacity to bring together people, their knowledge and their willingness to act. The fact that KRAKO was nominated for the Tallinn Civil Protection Promoter award confirms to us that developing community crisis networks is an important part of strengthening civil protection in Tallinn,” said Hannes Nagel, Head of the Crisis Research Centre and KRAKO Project Lead.

Crisis preparedness does not mean coping alone

The Crisis Research Centre works from the principle that crisis preparedness goes beyond individual preparedness. Alongside household emergency supplies, knowledge and practical skills, people’s ability to cope during a prolonged or large-scale crisis also depends on cooperation between residents, communities, city districts and the authorities responsible for crisis management.

“Crisis preparedness does not mean that people are expected to cope with everything on their own. It is an ongoing process of building the capacity to prepare for and manage crises in a way that allows people’s daily lives, essential services and society as a whole to continue functioning to the greatest extent possible. This requires not only individual preparedness, but also effective relationships and the capacity to cooperate with those around us,” Nagel explained.

Through the KRAKO crisis network project, a foundation is being established in western Tallinn for the more systematic development of local crisis networks. The project brings together people who want to contribute to crisis preparedness in their local area, provides them with a shared foundation of knowledge about civil protection and action during crises, and creates contacts that city districts and the Tallinn Municipal Police Department can build on in developing further cooperation. The aim of local networks is to establish these contacts and the basis for cooperation before a crisis occurs. People who know their local area can help identify local needs, share information and support existing crisis management arrangements.