Building Resilience Together

Berlin, August 11, 2026 – When a power outage left parts of southwestern Berlin without electricity for days in January 2026, the impact was felt not only by households but also by businesses across the affected area.  Production came to a standstill, and branches, facilities and stores had to remain closed. Uncertainty grew with each passing day, while businesses suffered financial losses. In retrospect, the outage was the most severe of its kind in Berlin’s postwar history – all the more reason for both individuals and businesses to take a closer look at emergency preparedness. Power outages are not the only real threats: Cyberattacks, extreme weather, sabotage, supply chain disruptions during pandemics or epidemics and disruptions to critical infrastructure all pose potential risks.  To help Berlin businesses better prepare for such scenarios and strengthen their resilience, the Berlin Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises, the Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK), the Berlin Chamber of Crafts (HWK), the Berlin-Brandenburg Business Associations (UVB)  and Berlin Partner, Berlin's economic development agency, have joined forces. The initiative brings together the services and resources offered by its partners and will provide Berlin-based businesses with more targeted information, consulting, support and training to make Berlin’s economy more crisis-ready and resilient in exceptional circumstances.  More broadly, crisis preparedness should ideally become a management-level responsibility and be incorporated into business continuity management – the process of identifying and maintaining business-critical operations.

Dr. Stefan Franzke, CEO of Berlin Partner for Business and Technology: “As an economic development agency, we are keenly aware of the rapid changes shaping our world and the growing uncertainty they bring.  With our comprehensive business services, clear focus on sustainability and transformation and strong European network, we are well positioned to work with our partners to provide Berlin businesses with effective support, even in challenging times.”

Measures recommended by the initiative include reducing dependencies, for example by establishing IT redundancies, as well as implementing dedicated emergency and crisis management systems.  The network partners contribute expertise, ideas and services that together are intended to form a comprehensive resilience framework for Berlin’s economy.

More specifically, Berlin Partner’s information and support portfolio includes a range of services, consulting in areas such as electromobility (eMO) and energy efficiency (KEK), relevant events and connections to key contacts.  Berlin Partner brings together six core service areas, providing businesses with information on topics including innovation, cooperation, sustainability, internationalization, financing, site selection and recruiting. Companies can also benefit from research and consulting services, introductions to relevant contacts and access to networks, funding organizations, research institutions and other key stakeholders.  Berlin Partner contributes to Berlin’s resilience framework through concrete support programs such as KEK – the Coordination Office for the Circular Economy, Energy Efficiency and Climate Protection in Companies – and eMO, the Berlin Agency for Electromobility. eMO  supports Berlin businesses in the transition to electric mobility and provides information on sustainable mobility solutions, charging infrastructure for commercial transport in Berlin and related topics.  KEK helps Berlin businesses use energy more efficiently, conserve resources, establish effective circular resource systems and implement climate action measures.  In addition to supporting companies in their own green transformation, Berlin Partner offers a resilience check and electromobility consulting in cooperation with the Berlin Energieagentur and on behalf of the Berlin Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises.

Like Berlin Partner, the initiative’s other partners contribute their expertise and experience in areas including individual business resilience, security partnerships, security-related laws, regulations and standards, emergency preparedness plans and checklists, solar projects, cybersecurity, risk identification through resilience checks, the circular economy and diversification. Berlin’s resilience framework thus provides businesses with a foundation for taking measures tailored to their individual needs and strengthening their operational resilience in times of crisis.  At the same time, it gives Berlin’s business community an opportunity to build and expand partnerships and support one another when challenges or threats arise.  After all, crises are best overcome together.