CUC joins CRISP AI project for early detection of reputational crises

The Catholic University of Croatia is participating in the CRISP AI project, which is developing a service for the early detection of events that could threaten an organization’s reputation. In cooperation with Determ and Bornfight, the University is researching how artificial intelligence can help public relations professionals identify potential problems in a timely manner and assess how to respond.

The planned service will combine monitoring of traditional and digital media in order to identify signals that may indicate an emerging crisis, such as a sudden increase in the number of posts or a shift in the tone of public discussion. The service will provide users with early warnings and a clearer overview of the situation, giving them more time to prepare an appropriate response.

Scientific contribution of the University

The Catholic University of Croatia is developing the scientific framework for identifying and understanding reputational crises. The research team is defining different types of crisis situations, examining indicators of their escalation, and developing criteria for assessing the warnings generated by the service. An important aspect of this work is understanding the circumstances surrounding each event and distinguishing ordinary public discussion from situations that require particular attention.

The usefulness of the proposed solutions will be evaluated through focus groups and expert workshops involving professionals and prospective users. In this way, research findings will be combined with the experience of professionals who deal with crisis communication in their everyday work. The service is being developed as a tool to support their professional judgement.

The University’s project team will be led by Assistant Professor Luka Šikić, PhD, from the University Department of Communication Studies. The project involves an interdisciplinary team from the Catholic University of Croatia consisting of communication scholars, sociologists, and psychologists, with the participation of the Office for Strategic Planning, Development and Projects and the Office for Financial Operations and Accounting.

Project and funding information

The full title of the project is CRISP AI – Development of an Innovative Service for Predictive and Early Management of Reputational Crises (PK.1.1.12.0133). The project coordinator is Determ Ltd., while Bornfight Ltd. and the Catholic University of Croatia are project partners.

The project runs from October 1, 2025, to October 1, 2028. The grant agreement was signed on August 31, 2026. The total project value is EUR 3,651,045.45, with total eligible costs amounting to EUR 2,012,828.81. The project is funded under the Competitiveness and Cohesion Programme 2021–2027.