Young Minds Focus on Digital Resilience in Pilsen

In February 2026, DRI helped co-organise two events in Pilsen which mobilised young people to improve digital resilience and crisis preparedness as part of the SPARROW project.

STARTUPUJ Educational Activity

During the winter term, within the STARTUPUJ programme, an entrepreneurship-focused educational initiative implemented by SIT Port at secondary schools in Pilsen, students were introduced to the concept of a digital blackout. Martina Surynkova (SIT MP) and Magda Berkovska (DRI) presented scenarios and their impacts on urban resilience, emergency preparedness, and societal response. Students could then voluntarily select this topic for their project work.

A total of 53 student teams participated in the programme, of which 7 teams (26 students) worked directly on SPARROW-related topics. Students explored areas such as the preparedness of public institutions and communities for large-scale digital disruptions, support for vulnerable population groups, and practical response mechanisms during blackout conditions. DRI provided thematic guidance and mentoring throughout.

Students presenting ideas at STARTUPUJ semi-finals

At the end of the term, the student teams presented their projects to an expert panel, which evaluated feasibility, innovation, and societal impact. One team, although not reaching the finals, expressed interest in further developing their project and established the startup “Lights Out”, an educational escape game designed to prepare citizens and students for crisis situations in an engaging way. The project is being developed in cooperation with SIT Port, with plans for practical implementation.

STARTUPUJ finalists

Knowledge and Information Management Course (ZIM)

During the winter term of the Knowledge and Information Management course at the Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of West Bohemia, led by doc. Ing. Přemysl Brada, Ph.D., and Ing. Jan Valdman, Ph.D., a group of students focused on public preparedness for blackouts and crisis situations. Students collected and analyzed information from public and expert sources and developed a web application that allows citizens to assess their own level of preparedness and identify areas for improvement.

The self-assessment ZIM app

Both STARTUPUJ and ZIM demonstrate how DRI supports education and youth engagement in the fields of digital resilience and crisis preparedness, while also contributing to the dissemination of SPARROW knowledge among future innovators and the wider public.