PRESS RELEASE Joint Project between Poland and UkraineKyiv – Poznań, July 2, 2024 – As part of an international project that brings together scientists from Poland and Ukraine, a presentation of the key results of the first stage of the research was held. The project aims to develop a strategy to enhance the capacity of local communities to respond to crisis situations.

Dr. Oksana Erdeli, as the project leader, presented the tasks that were mandatory in the first phase of the project. She stressed the importance of comprehensive crisis management and the development of effective communication strategies between Poland and Ukraine. Co-leader of the project from the Ukrainian side, Doctor of Economics, Professor Serhii Voitko, noted that among the factors affecting the conduct of scientific research in Ukraine, the existence of the martial law regime, which significantly affects all processes in the country, including the crisis management system, stands out. The presentation includes the results of interviews that revealed gaps in the crisis management system. 

In the presentation “Research Objectives: Methodology for the Study of the Crisis Management System in Poland and Ukraine”, Doctor of Economics, Professor Yevhen Revtiuk presented in detail the methodology used in the study, including the main research questions, research stages, analysis of legislative acts, and described in detail the principles of the coding system (with a special focus on threats, crisis stages, crisis management phases, crisis management characteristics, system levels and decision-making). In addition, the main approaches to conducting interviews are outlined and interview topics are presented.  

In presentation Olena Korohodova, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor, discussed in detail the principles of building a policy paper, with a special emphasis on the initial stage of creating a policy paper, planning the preparation of a policy paper, formulating a policy paper and conclusions. In addition, the information base for researching information was described. Particular attention was paid to the proposed structure of the policy paper.  

Dr. Eng. Grzegorz Dalke outlined the plans for the second phase of the project, focusing on the quantitative research and stakeholder training. In his presentation, he emphasised the need to build a robust MACC model based on future research. 

Associate Professor of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute Natalya Chernenko discussed plans to assess residents’ readiness for action and specific behaviors in emergency situations, as well as their ability to communicate with local authorities during such events. She noted that the future MACC model should take into account important components of the communication process between residents and local authorities during emergencies, allow for the prediction and analysis of various development scenarios, and enable more accurate forecasts regarding actions in emergency situations. 

The report of Yaroslava Hlushchenko and Natalia Skorobogatova, Associate Professors of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, revealed the specifics of training for the project participants. The report noted that the information presented by the lecturers during the trainings will improve the quality of the research during the implementation of this project. The successful combination of theoretical material with practical recommendations and analysis of the regulatory framework was particularly emphasized.  

Project scholarship holder Hubert Wojciechowski discussed the collection and analysis of the regulatory database for crisis management using MAXQDA software. He also spoke about the project’s promotional activities, highlighting strategies for increasing visibility and engaging stakeholders. The second fellow, Marcin Berlik, presented an expert assessment of the current state of crisis management in Poland and Ukraine based on an analysis of interviews. His findings highlighted critical areas for improvement and provided insight into the effectiveness of existing crisis management strategies. 

Project scholarship holder Tetiana Ivanova presented the results of an analysis of Ukraine’s regulatory documents at the state and local levels, which was conducted with the help of the MAXQDA 2020 program. The results showed that state-level regulations provide a comprehensive approach to disaster management, while local-level regulations regulate the organization and functioning of the civil protection system. The main recommendations are: to improve the financing of civil protection measures; to increase the level of preparation of the population for actions in emergency situations; to improve regulatory documentation. 

Project scholarship holder Marcin Berlik presented an expert assessment of the current state of crisis management in Poland and Ukraine based on interview analysis. His findings highlighted critical areas for improvement and provided insights into the effectiveness of existing crisis management strategies. 

Ukrainian scholarship holder Natalia Tymoshenko noted that the team from the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute conducted 6 in-depth structured interviews with expert academics and practitioners representing different parts of Ukraine. The results of the interviews were transcribed, anonymized, and a database of interview results was compiled. The interview results will also be used for further project implementation and research.