research for civil security 2012 – 2017 - bmbf.de · preface enhancing quality of life for every...

Research for Civil Security 2012 – 2017Framework programme of the Federal Government

Contents

Preface 2

Summary 3

1 Security as a foundation for living a free life 5

2 Research topics 9

2.1 Societal aspects of civil security 92.2 Urban security 142.3 Security of infrastructures and the economy 172.4 Protection and rescue of people 222.5 Protection against hazardous substances, epidemics and pandemics 242.6 Information on the BMBF‘s activities in the area of IT security research 27

3 Funding instruments and measures 29

3.1 Joint development of innovative solutions for concrete challenges 293.2 Supporting innovation transfer 323.3 Broadening the scientific foundations and supporting the further development of competences 393.4 Strengthening international cooperation 39

4 Connecting programmes 42

4.1 The Federal Government’s framework programmes 424.2 Departmental research and institutional funding 46

5 Glossary 50

Imprint 53

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PrefaceEnhancing quality of life for every individual is a key aim of the Federal Government’s new High Tech Strategy and civil security is crucial to achieving that aim. Constantly changing, the world we live in is increasingly interconnected and complex, which means we have to meet challenges such as natural disasters, organised crime and international terrorism. New approaches and technological innovations help to protect people and minimise damage.

Ensuring security for everyone, as far as possible, is high on the Federal Government’s agenda. That is why we fund research into practical solutions through the “Research for civil security 2012-2017” framework programme adopted by the Federal Cabinet in 2012. The framework programme implements the ideas set out in the “High Tech Strategy 2020 for Germany”. Security is part of five core elements that are outlined in the strategy and that guide the Federal Government in its activities to promote innovation. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the framework programme incorporates the various points of view represented by stakeholders in research, business and industry. Partners from the natural science, engineering and social science spheres work with end users such as fire brigades, police forces and airport operators to develop new ways of making our lives safer.

As well as technical solutions, the researchers also explore ethical aspects, data protection and organisation management, taking into account the different expectations citizens have with regard to the role of security in their lives. After all, civil security solutions can only provide effective protection if they are tailored to people’s needs – in everyday situations and in disasters.

This brochure gives readers an insight into the “Research for civil security 2012-2017” framework programme. I hope you will find it a fascinating and inspiring read.

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Prof. Dr. Johanna Wanka Federal Minister of Education and Research

Summary

Globalisation is opening up a wide range of opportuni-ties for the future for Germany as a modern industrial and knowledge society. However, there are also chal-lenges associated with globalisation in society, business and politics that we have to face up to. The internation-alisation of both trade and travel, the omnipresence of the Internet and the threats presented by extreme weather events and globally active terrorism have led to new vulnerabilities. We have to protect ourselves with regard to these vulnerabilities in our society that is open to the outside world and highly technologically advanced in equal measures.

Security is the foundation for living a free life and is an important factor in Germany’s economic prosperity. If we wish to continue to protect individual freedom, the physical integrity of all citizens, and vital state and economic infrastructures in an effective manner, we will have to search for new approaches and solutions. Building on the achievements of the first national “Re-search for Civil Security” programme, the aim here is to harness the strengths of civil security research for the development of innovative solutions and to contribute to the maintenance of an adequate balance between freedom and security.

The focus here is on solutions which guarantee the protection of the population and of critical infrastruc-tures against threats arising from terrorism, sabotage, organised crime, piracy or the consequences of natural disasters and major accidents, and which contribute to the protection of our liberal way of life.

With its “Research for Civil Security” framework programme, the Federal Government is investing in tomorrow’s security. The framework programme thus implements the goals of the “High-Tech Strategy 2020 for Germany”, which includes security as one of five de-mand fields that are guiding the Federal Government’s innovation policy activities.

The framework programme is targeting its research funding at addressing the global challenges of civil security:

Security of critical infrastructures: Germany’s security architecture is changing. In order to maintain and expand the high level of security in Ger-many in the future, we will be targeting research at the earliest possible detection of new vulnerabilities and at the ongoing improvement of the robustness of critical infrastructures through innovation.

Security of the economy: Companies from Germany are subject to risks to an increasing extent in a modern industrial society and in a global competitive environment. With research and innovation, we aim in particular to put medium-sized

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companies and operators of critical infrastructures in a position where they can better protect their core technological competences and their expertise against natural risks and organised economic crime.

Security in cyberspace: The security of critical information infrastructures and the guaranteeing of the permanent availability of cyberspace represent one of the biggest common challenges facing the state, business and society in the 21st century. Research is focused on solutions that continuously improve the protection of cyberspace against serious attacks while upholding the protection of personal data and privacy.

Security of the citizens: Security research is targeted at societal issues that af-fect citizens in their immediate living environments. With targeted research, we aim to contribute to pro-tecting the population and securing the population’s natural resources and also wish to stimulate a broad debate in society about civil security in Germany.

The “Research for Civil Security” framework pro-gramme is following a holistic and integrated research approach that considers the entire innovation chain from research right through to applications. We are guided here by the needs of end users, particularly of authorities and organisations with responsibility for security and also of the operators of critical infrastruc-tures. Working across the boundaries between vari-ous disciplines, all the important stakeholders from science, business and the state are working on concrete issues in the research focal areas and are cooperating on the development of innovative and competitive products and services. The emphasis here is always on the issue of how research and the use of new security solutions can help to increase civil security for people without having a negative impact on the protection of basic civil rights such as freedom and self-determi-nation. The aim of the framework programme is to harness the economic opportunities offered by civil security research and to establish Germany as a leading supplier of security technologies.

Supporting innovation transferInnovative security solutions can only be successfully implemented in practice if they prove themselves in society, in everyday use and also in the market. For this reason, we will link security research and innovation transfer measures in a systematic manner with the goal of expanding the leading international position of Ger-man suppliers of civil security products and technolo-gies in the long term.

Broadening the scientific foundations and supporting the development of competencesAs an internationally recognised location for science and innovation, Germany must face up to the chal-lenges of global competition in the area of research, education and training. We wish to strengthen cooper-ation in civil security research between disciplines and institutions and to support the further development of interdisciplinary academic training structures and programmes.

Dealing with risks and concrete hazard situations in the right manner is not necessarily a simple matter. In-stead, it demands comprehensive skills along with the ability to implement acquired knowledge both quickly and effectively in everyday situations, in working life or in voluntary activities. We aim to promote the im-provement of the technical and organisational skills of security and rescue workers as well as of company staff. Moreover, our goal is to support the development of individual security skills amongst the population.

Strengthening international cooperation Germany is aiming to take on an active role in the area of civil security research so that it can play its part in shaping the development of solution approaches for global challenges. We will expand the existing research alliances with strong international technology partners in order to make use of available knowledge and ex-pertise in our national programme. In addition, we are also aiming for targeted bilateral research cooperation projects with countries that will develop important growth markets for civil security.

RESEARCH FOR CIVIL SECURITY 2012 - 2017 – FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT4

1 Security as a foundation for living a free life

The security challenges faced by a modern industrial and knowledge society have changed fundamentally. New opportunities are opening up for Germany as a result of the ongoing globalisation of society, commerce and politics. As a society that is open to the world and as an export-oriented economy, we are benefiting to a major extent from the increasing internationalisation of trade, travel and knowledge. However, this also results in new vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities could affect the external and internal security of Germany just as they could impact on the individual freedom and physi-cal integrity of the country‘s citizens.

Security as an opportunity for the futureSecurity is an important factor for business and for the country as a location for business. We benefit from our high level of security in areas such as supply chains, en-ergy supply, and information and transport infrastruc-tures. Powerful high-tech solutions and innovative services will help to maintain this high level of security. At the same time, they also create an opportunity to make Germany a leading market for security solutions.

Research for civil securityWe must search for new approaches in order to protect our freedom and the rule of law. Security and freedom are not incompatible here, but there is a trade-off between these two factors. Too little security threatens our free way of life, while too much security can endanger our personal freedom and our right to self-determination with respect to information. Se-curity research, as we understand it, always takes this trade-off into consideration. This research will help to maintain an adequate balance between freedom and security.

With its “Research for Civil Security” framework pro-gramme, the Federal Government is investing in to-morrow’s security. In accordance with the “High-Tech Strategy 2020 for Germany”, we are taking a holistic, integrated research approach that considers the entire innovation chain from research right through to ap-plications. This requires linked-up thought and action where the various stakeholders from science, business and the state will cooperate across discipline bounda-ries to develop solutions for concrete threat scenarios.

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Security is an interdisciplinary issueTechnologies that have been developed as part of civil security research can also contribute to the develop-ment of solutions in other areas such as plant safety. The exchange of knowledge between various areas is to be supported here, with the aim of achieving high efficiency in research. Differentiation emerges, where research is being targeted at concrete applications.

Building on past achievementsWe initiated a national research programme on civil security for the first time in early 2007. Since then, civil security research has established itself in Germany as a research area in its own right with a well-networked community of participants and stakeholders. This strengthens the position of German stakeholders in the international competitive environment and opens up a wide range of opportunities for fostering cooperation within the framework of the European Union and for promoting the expansion of international research alli-ances with selected partners.

We aim to build upon achievements so far with the continuation of the research programme. The research focuses will be targeted at future challenges in civil security.

Targeting challengesAs part of the scope of civil security research, future risks for our society will be analysed in a systematic manner and innovative, competitive products and ser-vices will be developed. The focus here is on solutions which guarantee the protection of the population and of critical infrastructures against threats arising from terrorism, sabotage, organised crime, piracy or the con-sequences of natural disasters and major accidents.

Our research funding addresses the global challenges in civil security:

Security of critical infrastructures: Germany’s security architecture is changing. Since the rise of internationally networked terrorism in particu-lar, Germany has had to adapt to a changed security

6 RESEARCH FOR CIVIL SECURITY 2012 - 2017 – FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Research for Civil Security 2007-2011

As part of its “Research for Civil Security” programme, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has made around 279 million euros available between 2007 and February 2012 with the aim of improving the civil security of citizens. In addition, industry has contributed approximately 79 million euros of own resources.

The BMBF has provided funding for 122 joint projects in a total of 16 announcements based on subject area. Research is being carried out on solutions for complex security scenarios in 48 projects in the focal areas of “Protection of transport infrastructures”, “Rescue and protection of people”, “Protection against the failure of utility infrastructures” and “Securing supply chains”. The most important research goals in these areas include the optimisation of measures for emergency care of injured persons, research into effective security measures for public transport, the restoration of the power supply in cases of disaster, and research into security strategies for the protection of vital supply and goods chains. The technology-oriented civil security research projects have concentrated on the develop-ment of interdisciplinary technologies with a focus on applications. Innovative systems using existing technologies are being combined with new research approaches in 39 technology project groups in the focal areas of “Detection of hazardous substances”, “Inte-grated protection systems for emergency and security forces”, “Pattern recognition” and “Biometrics”. These new approaches include technology solutions for quick mobile detection of hazardous substances, improved training for emergency and security forces, and auto-matic detection of dangerous objects as part of luggage inspection.

In particular, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are leading the way in terms of technological progress in many areas. However, the risks of carry-ing out top-level research are often difficult for SMEs to bear. Within the framework of its security research

programme, the BMBF is supporting high-risk research projects with its “KMU-innovativ” funding initiative with the aim of strengthening the innovation capac-ity of small and medium sized enterprises in Germany (SMEs, or “KMU” in German). The percentage of SMEs in the security research programme is around 26 per-cent.

The first security research programme was also con-ceived not as a pure technology programme. Techno-logical and societal issues are being treated in an inte-grated manner in all of the funded projects. The fact that central interdisciplinary and fundamental issues are being addressed by the separate “Social dimensions of security research” line of funding is a significant fac-tor in the success of the programme. 15 interdiscipli-nary research projects are investigating topics such as civil security culture and architecture, security organi-sation and security technology.

The issues involved in civil security are not solely national challenges. In a total of 9 bilateral cooperation projects, German participants are working together with researchers from countries such as the USA, France and Israel with the aim of learning from each other and improving security for their populations with jointly developed solutions.

Further information is available at: http://english.sifo.de

Research for Civil Security Programme of the German Federal Government

7SECURITY AS A FOUNDATION FOR LIVING A FREE LIFE

environment. At the same time, the increasingly close links between various infrastructures now mean that even small disturbances in one area can lead to far-reaching failures in other infrastructures.

Our task is to continuously increase the security and robustness of critical infrastructures through research and innovation.

Security of the economy: Companies from Germany are subject to risks to an increasing extent in a modern industrial society based on the division of labour and in a global competitive environment. These risks apply not only to industrial plants and humans, but also affect all company pro-cesses – from the supply of raw materials and produc-tion, right through to sales and distribution.

The protection of knowledge as a production factor is becoming more important all the time. International links and interdependencies in business and informa-tion mean that attacks on data and industrial espio-nage are already causing significant economic losses today, particularly in medium-sized companies.

Security in cyberspace: The availability of cyberspace and the integrity, au-thenticity and confidentiality of the data it contains have become one of the crucial concerns of the 21st century. The state, critical infrastructures, business and the population in Germany are all dependent on the reliable functioning of information and communica-tion technology and of the Internet.

Faulty IT products and components, the failure of information infrastructures or serious attacks in cyberspace can have significant adverse consequences. Guaranteeing security in cyberspace is thus a central common challenge for the state, business and society.

Security of the citizens: Security research is targeted at societal issues that af-fect citizens in their immediate living environments. This includes improved protection against criminal attacks in public transport as well as preventative measures to strengthen the population‘s capacity to help itself in cases of disaster.

The emphasis here is always on the issue of how re-search and the use of new security solutions can help to increase civil security for people without having a negative impact on the protection of basic civil rights such as freedom and self-determination.

Objectives of the framework programme• With security research, we will help to protect our

free way of life• We will consider data protection issues and pro-

mote the development of solutions with good data protection performance

• We aim to stimulate a broad debate in society about the shaping of civil security in Germany

• We will target civil security research at current and future challenges and promote the development of innovative solutions for the protection of the popu-lation and of critical infrastructures

• We will focus security research on the entire re-silience cycle (crisis prevention, precautions, crisis reaction, recovery and evaluation)

• We will be guided by the needs of end users, i.e. of authorities and organisations with responsibility for security and of the operators of critical infrastruc-tures, and we will include the entire innovation chain from research and industry right through to end users

• We aim to harness the economic opportunities and establish Germany as a leading supplier of security technologies

• We will coordinate security research and innovation transfer measures in a systematic manner

• We wish to support the acquisition of individual security skills in society as a whole and broaden the scientific basis

• We will expand international research cooperation projects and participate in structuring the develop-ment of solution approaches for global challenges


2 Research topics

2.1 Societal aspects of civil security

Civil security is a foundation for the individual and social life of all citizens. It has become a central value in contemporary society, particularly in the light of the vulnerabilities associated with modern life, and it is an important factor in Germany’s economic prosperity. Civil security is a public asset that is closely associ-ated with societal transformation processes and with a changed understanding of freedom where public space is regarded as an arena where individual freedom, free-dom of communication and social freedom apply. This has an impact on the subjective perception of security among the population as well as on the transforma-tion of institutional structures and regulations for the protection of security. Civil security is understood here as part of an expanded concept of security. In this regard, the protection of Germany‘s internal security is shaped to an increasing extent by global challenges and the transformation in precautionary measures that are assumed by the state.

How do we imagine a secure society in the future? How should security measures be structured so that they preserve the fundamental privacy rights of citizens and reduce threats? Are we prepared to tolerate some inse-curities? These questions represent a major challenge for security research. The risks themselves and modern security solutions are often complex, and can even be difficult to comprehend in certain cases. The objec-tive security situation and our subjective perception of security often do not match each other. It should also be taken into account here that even those security solutions that are accepted by a majority of the popula-tion might not be justifiable from ethical viewpoints – for example, if these solutions discriminate against minorities. A debate in society on these issues will help to structure security solutions in such a way that they take into account the needs, concerns and expectations of the citizens.

Civil security research can make a successful contribu-tion to shaping the transformation in society‘s security cultures and in institutional security architectures. What is being sought here are not just the best solu-tions from a scientific and technical viewpoint, but

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innovative security solutions that are compatible with the practice of individual organisations and with so-ciety. For this reason, all stakeholders will be involved in the research from the beginning and technical and societal issues will be linked. Only in this way is it pos-

sible to support the development of ethically responsi-ble security technologies in a proactive manner while taking into account legal, social and economic aspects.

In order to address these challenges, we are targeting research at the following focuses:

Risk management and quantifiability of securityThe risks for the state, business and society have be-come more diverse and more unpredictable. State and private security stakeholders are faced with a growing spectrum of tasks. The basis for effective protectionof the population and of critical infrastructures is the early identification and evaluation of societal and tech-nical risks along with the quantitative description of security, taking into account social and economic costs.

The research topics include:• Development of concepts and methods for risk

analysis, evaluation and prioritisation, including the evaluation of residual risks

• Investigation of risk awareness among the popula-tion

• Methodology for quantifying security and evaluat-ing technical and organisational security measures

Agenda process for continuation of the security research programme

Research for civil security is a task for society as a whole and is investigating the integration of diverse solution approaches and concepts from the fields of technology as well as social sciences.

As was done at the preliminary stage of the first programme phase, the Federal Ministry of Educa-tion and Research (BMBF) has initiated a compre-hensive interdisciplinary agenda process for the continuation of the security research programme together with national stakeholders in the area of civil security research.

The goal here was to enter into open dialogue with all societal stakeholder groups and to discuss future challenges in civil security against the background of long-term societal and global developments.

Experts from research and business as well as end users from the private sector and authori-ties have identified strategically important topics and research issues as part of the three agenda workshops on the action areas of “Companies and business”, “State precautionary security measures” and “Citizens and community”. Researchers from almost all disciplines and representatives from companies, authorities and non-governmental organisations also identified their research needs as input for this discussion.

In addition, numerous stakeholders such as re-search organisations, authorities, interest groups and trade associations took the opportunity to present future research requirements in their own subject papers.


Security perception and criminalityThe development of security perception and the way that fear, concerns and insecurities are dealt with are factors that affect citizens in their personal living envi-ronments and shape society and its value system. This applies to the transformation in security culture values as well as to changes in personal perceptionsof security that can be triggered by the use of modern security technology. Results available so far show that the subjective security perception of the population does not always correspond to the actual risks and threats – for example, those presented by various forms of criminality.

The research topics include:• Ongoing development of methods for controlling

and preventing criminality, and research on impacts• Investigations of the changes in and influencing

factors for security perception and risk perception• Role and influence of the security perception of

citizens as part of national crisis management concepts, taking into account a changing social structure

• Establishment of better fundamental knowledge in the areas of research into unreported crime and recidivism prediction

• Dynamic analysis of future threat developments and profiles of criminals, particularly in the area of organised crime and Internet crime

Barometer for security in Germany

Security means freedom from fear and a feeling of comfort, safety and trust, among other things. Security is thus a basic, elementary human need and a central guiding principle for society. The wide spectrum covered by the term “security” results in broad, complex issues regarding objective securities, perceptions, sensitivities, conditions and expecta-tions.

Various dimensions of the topic of security are being dealt with and a monitoring study on objec-tivised and subjective securities in Germany is being conducted as part of the “Security, perceptions, reports, conditions and expectations – Monitoring Security in Germany” (BaSiD) joint project, which is being coordinated by the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law in Freiburg. The security barometer to be created is focussed on perceptions, expectations and feelings with regard to security in the areas of criminality, terrorism, natural disasters and major accidents. Security is considered on the three levels of: the individual, structures and communication. The level of the individual is concerned with individual perceptions,

attitudes and behaviours; the level of structures is concerned with objectivised data and institutional rules for large areas such as the Federal Government, states and districts; the level of communication is concerned with societal security communications.

The study is based on the combination of basic data collection, method development and application-oriented evaluation in a social scientific joint project. The design, methodology and results of this study will serve as the basis and orientation reference for the implementation of subsequent studies. In the long term, the new research design with the innova-tive research methods that have been tried out will make it possible to record development profiles (e.g. by means of follow-up studies). The security barometer will serve as an instrument for future se-curity monitoring for determining long-term trends with the aim of providing an aid for criminal policy decision-making.

BaSiD is running from early summer in 2010 to early summer in 2013. Further information is available in German at: http://basid.sifo.de

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CommunicationThe way that risks are dealt with and quick and suc-cessful crisis management are dependent on the avail-ability of information and the efficiency of communi-cation processes. Suitable communication strategies include all relevant stakeholders such as crisis man-agement groups, security and emergency forces, event organisers and the public. Risk and crisis communica-tion that is tailored for stakeholders and target groups uses the potential of new media and be responsive to changing media behaviour. It will create an aware-ness among the population for perceiving risks and dangers at an early stage. It will also communicate possible methods for self-help and prevention. At the same time, the communication processes and cultures of authorities and organisations with responsibil-ity for security must be structured in such a way that cooperation between security and emergency forces, municipal officials and state and federal authorities is optimised.

The research topics include:• Strategies and concepts for efficient and interoper-

able communication structures within and between authorities and organisations with responsibility for security

• Investigations of the intended and non-intended consequences of communication contents

• The potential and role of new interactive media (e.g. Internet and social media) for risk and crisis com-munication with the population

Centre for Criminology

The Centre for Criminology (KrimZ) founded in 1981 as a joint body of the federal and state minis-tries of justice and was based in Wiesbaden. Since 1986, it has been dealing with important issues in common areas in justice, policing, criminal policy and interior security with its activities in research, documentation, information distribution and advice. Its scientific personnel are interdisciplinary in focus. Cooperations are conducted with other bodies – such as the Federal Criminal Police Office or university institutes – on an area-specific basis.

On a number of occasions, the Centre for Crimi-nology evaluated the application and effectiveness of legal regulations that are of particular impor-tance to the public interest. The investigation of persons held in preventive detention who are to be released after the end of the ten-year period is not yet complete. In cooperation with the Ruhr University of Bochum, the KrimZ is preparing an analysis of the possible impacts of Germany’s act of 30/7/2009 relating to prosecution for prepara-tion for serious acts of violence that endanger the state (GVVG). The evaluation of this act will also consider the issue of whether the legal regulations are appropriate for reducing the risks presented by international terrorism. Studies on the following topics have already been completed: the “criminal careers” of dangerous sexual offenders; smuggling and trafficking of humans; aspects of extremist, politically motivated criminality.

Parliaments and ministers also commission the KrimZ’s criminologists to act in various ways in a consultative capacity on a range of current issues in public security. Noteworthy here is the partici-pation in terms of both organisation and content in the Federal Government’s two security reports of 2001 and 2006. The Federal Government and the states each provide 50 percent of the funding for the KrimZ.

Further information is available at: www.krimz.de/en


http://www.krimz.de/en

Strengthening resilienceCivil security can only be guaranteed in the long term if the resilience of society is strengthened. For example, this would include improving the robustness and secu-rity of critical infrastructures and increasing the ability of the population to overcome crisis situations.

The research goal is to employ a systematic approach to increase Germany‘s resilience and thus also to improve the protection of every single citizen against security risks and threats.

The research topics include:• Development of concepts and analytical methods to

increase society‘s resilience• Analysis of needs and improved awareness, in-

formation and training concepts, also taking into account the potential of new media

• Concepts for providing training in skills in deal-ing with disasters and increasing the population‘s capacity for self-help

The security economyThe market for security products and services had a global volume of approximately 100 billion euros in 2008 and, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), is growing by five to seven percent each year. The European Econom-ic Area is responsible for around 30 percent of the total volume. With its innovations, civil security research will contribute to the further development of the mar-ket for security technologies and services, meaning that innovative German companies and research institu-tions will be able to benefit from this booming market.

Even though around 80 percent of critical infrastruc-tures are now in private sector ownership, the market is also characterised by demand from the public sector. Changed security requirements are increasing the need for the introduction of innovative security technolo-gies and services, even despite the increasingly limited resources of public budgets. This will have effects on future financing of security services and, ultimately, will also lead to increased expansion of security partnerships.

The research goal is to investigate the economic conse-quences and effects of security culture change processes and security measures in particular and to contribute to the development of new business models.

The research topics include:• Financial analyses of security scenarios and

technologies, particularly from overall economic viewpoints

• Investigations of the importance of international dependencies with regard to access to key technolo-gies and raw materials for the guaranteeing of civil security

• Investigations of the economic costs and benefits of security measures

• Investigations of the framework conditions for cross-institutional cooperation and business mod-els for security partnerships

• Analyses of the organisational and legal impacts of the transfer of official state tasks and of struc-tural changes in security architecture, including investigations of the transferability of international concepts

Social and technical changeSocial change processes with profound consequences and the increasing degree of interconnection of techni-cal systems and infrastructures are presenting a major challenge to civil security.

The research goal is to contribute to the shaping of the development and transformation of civil security solu-tions in a proactive manner while taking into account legal, social and economic aspects.

The research topics include:• Investigations of demographic and social change

and its effects on civil security – for example, with regard to the changes in society‘s security needs

13RESEARCH TOPICS

and in the organisation of security and training of security stakeholders

• Contributions to research into causes of political extremism, terrorism and radical tendencies in soci-ety, and the development of preventative measures and of potential national and social countermeas-ures

• Investigations of the effects of processes of in-creased technology use on members of authorities and organisations with responsibility for security and on the staff of private security service providers. The focus here is on changes in training require-ments and standards that are common to various organisations

• Investigations and analyses of legal and societal requirements and of the security-related framework conditions for the development of technologies that respect data protection, taking into account the “privacy by design” principle

• Investigations and concepts relating to the shaping of interfaces between humans and technology and to the effects of human-technology interactions in security technology systems

2.2 Urban security

People want to feel safe all the time in their immedi-ate living environments, on the way to work or when attending a major event. The terrorist attacks in Madrid (2004) and London (2005) and criminal attacks in underground and other suburban train services and stations in various major cities in Germany have focused the attention of politicians, the public and the media on the issue of urban security. Cities and other communities are facing the challenge of ensuring that citizens will continue to be protected in the future.

Civil security research will contribute to detecting risks at an early stage, reducing instances of lacks of security, and anchoring security as an integral preventative component of modern urban planning, without limiting the diversity and freedom of city life or curtailing people‘s right to self-determination with respect to information. The potentials of security technologies and services are to be researched here and, in addition, the social and economic impacts of these technologies and services are to be investigated.


Protection against criminalityCriminality and fear of criminality can significantly reduce the quality of life in cities and other municipal areas. New organisational and technical prevention

Cooperative security policy in the city

Since the early 1990s, cooperations between the police and municipal authorities and charita-ble organisations, educational institutions, civil society organisations and other participants have been

an important factor in crime prevention and the development of intervention strategies. However, not all of the partners involved are always satisfied with the scope and procedures of this coopera-tion. The aim of the “Cooperative Security Policy in the City” (Kooperative Sicherheitspolitik in der Stadt, KoSiPol) project is to obtain an insight into the composition of committees, the processes of opinion-forming and decision-making, and implementation strategies for local cooperation projects on civil security. On the basis of this analysis, the project is developing concepts for the improvement of local security partnerships.

Further information is available in German at: http://kosipol.sifo.de


methods can be researched and crime prevention measures can be developed and refined on the basis of regional analyses of risks and needs.

The research topics include:• Investigations of the causes of “zones of fear” in

residential or inner city districts• The influence of societal trends – such as demo-

graphic change – on future developments in crimi-nality in urban living environments

• The development of improved forms of cooperation between various security stakeholders, particularly in public-private security partnerships

“The resilient city”Towns, cities and metropolises are particularly vulner-able because of their high densities of vital supply infra structures and transport hubs. Even if the best possible precautions are taken, it will still not be possible to pro-tect citizens in urban areas against all conceivable and unforeseen crisis events.

The research goal here is to increase the resilience of urban living environments. Integrated urban planning and protection concepts make cities more resilient in disaster or crisis situations. Comprehensive risk and emergency management systems help to better estimate potential threats and their impacts. These systems network and coordinate all private-sector and national security stakeholders in an efficient manner

Foundation of the German Forum for Crime Prevention

The German Forum for Crime Prevention (DFK) was founded in Bonn in 2001 as a non-profit foundation under German civil law. The Federal Government, federal states, numerous companies, associations, trade unions, religious communities and local gov-ernment associations are represented on the board of the foundation.

Promoting crime prevention in all its aspects is the task of this foundation, which has the remit of serving society as a whole. These aspects include: knowledge transfer and the networking of numer-ous countrywide prevention stakeholders; support for and initiation of concrete prevention projects; research and development of systematic long-term prevention strategies.

As part of its violence prevention focus, the founda-tion has successfully established and developed the main action requirements for violence prevention as part of a cumulative process in cooperation with other relevant bodies such as the German Youth Institute.

The core message of the “Conditions for the success of prevention of interpersonal violence in childhood

and youth” expert report published by the founda-tion in 2008 is that long-term prevention for the young is best implemented by means of coordinated measures and programmes. Accordingly, the founda-tion is also working on coordinating and embed-ding prevention programmes that have proven to be effective. In this context, the DFK is supporting the evaluation of the implementation of effective prevention services in municipal and institutional practice as a sample project. The focus here is on suc-cessfully meeting the challenges of implementation processes – particularly the improvement of coop-eration between the participating stakeholders – and on the investigation of applicability to comparable issues.

The foundation communicates through its quar-terly “forum kriminalprävention” magazine and its website, which also includes a German-language portal under “Prävention im Überblick” (Overview of prevention) with important prevention stakeholders, including the state prevention committees.

Further information is available at: www.kriminalpraevention.de

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in crisis situations. In this way, it becomes possible to restore the ability of urban infrastructures to act and function as quickly as possible.

Security in public facilitiesUnhindered access to public facilities to such as munic-ipal offices and libraries is taken for granted as a part of modern urban living. Vandalism, violence at schools and restrictions to public life caused by anonymous bomb threats can have serious – even tragic – con-sequences. These consequences affect the security perception among citizens.

Against this background, holistic prevention ap-proaches and protection measures must be developed that promote the expansion of security expertise and facilitate improved risk and crisis communication. The goal is to deliver practically oriented research results in a form that can be used to improve intervention methods – for example, in situations with conflict or violence in schools.

Security in the residential environmentThe fear of criminality and a feeling that an area is not safe can significantly reduce the quality of life in urban environments – particularly for older people. A desire to avoid risk can even lead to people withdrawing and staying in their homes to an increased extent. At the same time, urban communities will face new social challenges in the future due to the increased life ex-pectancy of the population, the increase in the number of single-person households and the coexistence of various ethnic milieus.

With the aid of research, new cooperation strategies and protection concepts in crime prevention can be developed and civic security partnerships in urban environments can be supported.

Security in public transportPublic transport is one of the most important social and economic lifelines of urban areas. The dense rail and road networks and transport-related facilities such as bridges, tunnels, railway stations and bus and tram stops are neuralgic nodes. Vandalism, criminal attacks on passengers and staff, or terrorist attacks can affect the security and reliability of public transport to a seri-ous extent.

Networking transport companies, emergency services, event organisers and passengers

The increasing numbers attending major events are presenting new challenges for municipalities and for public transport. The aim of the “Net-working of Local Passenger Transport Companies, Relief Personnel, Organisers and Passengers” (VeRSiert) project is to provide the greatest pos-sible security for those attending major events, particularly when travelling to and from the event by bus, tram or train. VeRSiert, which is being headed by Nahverkehr Rheinland GmbH, is employing innovative technologies and organisa-tional concepts here.

The project is developing an information and cooperation portal that can be used to optimise cross-organisation networking in the planning and holding of major events and in the post-event phase. The project is also generating short-term predictions to quantify movements of people attending events based on new video analysis procedures and simulations. It is also developing applications for mobile end devices to provide information to those attending events so that they can avoid critical congestion points and reduce waiting times when travelling to the event.

Further information is available in German at: http://versiert.sifo.de


The research topics include:• Integrated prevention concepts and security

systems that apply to various modes of transport and ensure better protection for urban transport infrastructures by means of construction or other technical measures, for example

• Optimised training and qualification concepts that enable staff to detect crisis situations at an early stage and to react in an appropriate manner

• Improved communication concepts that increase the subjective sense of security of passengers and personnel

Security of supply to the populationThe high population density in urban areas and the strong degree of interconnection of supply infrastruc-tures present particular technical and organisational challenges to emergency and rescue workers. Research can help to increase the resilience of urban infrastruc-tures with the aid of preventative measures. Innovative risk and emergency management that involves various stakeholders can also improve the supply of drinking water, food and medicine to the population in crisis situations.

2.3 Security of infrastructures and the economy

As a modern, highly industrialised society, Germany is dependent on a range of functioning infrastruc-tures. These supply private households, companies and public administration with electricity, water, goods and services. These critical infrastructures form a dense grid and are dependent on one another to a high degree. Even minor disruptions can cause domino effects that can lead to temporary supply bottlenecks and significant losses for the economy. For example, an adequate supply of drinking water for the population could be endangered if the electricity supply is inter-rupted for a longer period.

State and private-sector infrastructure operators and companies are faced with the challenge of maintain-ing and further improving the high level of security in Germany in the future. In particular, this includes the protection of technological core competencies and business expertise of Germany as a location for busi-

ness and knowledge against organised economic crime and industrial espionage. Civil security research will contribute to the early identification of new vulner-abilities in both stand-alone and interconnected in-frastructures and the further development of existing crisis management and emergency supply concepts.


Security of critical infrastructuresThe protection of critical infrastructures is a challenge for society as a whole. Alongside energy supply, the infrastructures involved here include the supplyof drinking water and food, secure supply chains and health care, as well as transport, communication and administration infrastructures and critical industrial plants. Around 80 percent of critical infrastructures are operated by the private sector. With its “National Strat-egy for Critical Infrastructure Protection”, Germany will continue the successful approach taken so far of trust-based, constructive cooperation and will intensify and expand cooperation between relevant stakeholders from the state and business sectors.

Natural, technical and societal risks and the increas-ing degree of interconnection within and between individual infrastructures have resulted in an increased level of vulnerability.

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The research topics include:• Risk-based resilience strategies that aim to improve

the resilience and restoration capacity of individual critical infrastructures and of the overall system of interconnected infrastructures as part of an ap-proach that covers all risks

• Simulations and prediction models that are com-mon to a number of infrastructures and help to ensure the robustness of critical infrastructures in the long term and to facilitate the management of interdependencies

• Technical solutions and crisis management and emergency supply concepts that allow for the restoration of damaged infrastructures as quickly as possible and guarantee a temporary emergency supply of vital goods and services

• Technical solutions and measures which can be used in an integrated, mobile or stand-alone man-ner and which improve the protection of critical infrastructures against the consequences of natural disasters, terrorist attacks or risks from new tech-nology, including investigations of the impacts of electromagnetic pulses and geomagnetic storms

Security of tomorrow‘s infrastructuresNew technological developments will mean that in-frastructures will not only be more strongly intercon-nected in the future, but will also be organised ina more decentralised manner. Examples include the “Internet of Things”, the advent of smart-grid technol-ogy in energy supply, the continuing expansion of e-government, and the increased use of telemedical ap-plications in health care. However, the associated gains in terms of convenience, security and mobility are also accompanied by new vulnerabilities. For this reason, it is necessary to develop integrated design and resilience strategies at an early stage (“security by design”) that will take into account people‘s right to self-determina-tion with respect to information (“privacy by design”). Risk analyses and simulations help to detect potential security weaknesses and to develop suitable solutions.

Business continuity management in disaster situationsIn an era of global supply and value-added chains, the competitiveness of Germany as a leading industrial nation in the centre of Europe is closely linked with the continuous availability of critical infrastructures and international goods, transport and raw material

movements. Natural and environmental disasters, pandemic outbreaks and major accidents present significant risks for companies and for operators of

Simulation of cascade effects

Infrastructures such as the electricity, gas, heat and water supplies are of prime importance for the everyday life of every single citizen and for the processes in entire industrial sectors.

The goal of the “Simulation of Inter-Sector Cas-cade Effects in Failures of Supply Infrastructures” (SIMKAS-3D) project, which is being headed by the Center for Technology and Society at the Technische Universität Berlin, is to develop an integrated perspective on the security of supply infrastructures in disaster situations. The project also goes beyond consideration of the risks of individual systems and focuses on interactions and potential cascade effects.

SIMKAS-3D analyses existing dependencies and generates cross-system threat scenarios to help provide an overview of processes and procedures in emergencies. Thanks to the development of 3D software and the improved organisation of action procedures, SIMKAS-3D facilitates better cooperation in crisis management and in risk and crisis communication.

Further information is available in German at: http://simkas-3d.sifo.de


critical infrastructures. They can cause serious inter-ruptions in production and service processes and lead to significant losses.

Holistic continuity management is based on com-munication and cooperation that is common to a number of organisations. New training and awareness approaches provide companies and their staff with the ability to deal better with disaster situations. The goal is to protect production sites and staff and to restore critical company infrastructures and processes quickly and in a cost-effective manner.

Security of civilian air traffic and of air freightCivilian air traffic is a significant factor in the Ger-many‘s economic strength and social mobility. In 2010, over 190 million passengers and around 4.4 million tonnes of goods were transported to destinations all over the world from airports in Germany alone.

With the continuing increase in passenger and freight volumes and the expansion of the air traffic network, the challenges in the area of security in air traffic and air freight are also growing. Foiled attempted attacks on passenger and freight aircraft and disruptions to air traffic caused by natural disasters have demonstrated the vulnerability of international air traffic in a very direct manner. This presents airport operators, airlines, authorities and private security service providers with increasingly more sophisticated technical and organi-sational challenges with regard to security checks for passengers, staff, luggage and air freight containers. In addition, the security of air traffic control and security equipment and of the area surrounding airports has to be ensured.

The development of innovative security concepts will have to be intensified in order to ensure that civilian air traffic operates in a safe, smooth manner in the future while also being able to react in a proactive manner to new threat situations.

The research topics include:• Fully automatic, non-contact methods for screening

of persons and freight• Air-supported and ground-supported monitoring

and security for airports, air traffic security equip-ment, parked aircraft and communication equip-ment

• Crisis management systems that involve multiple stakeholders

• Improved training and awareness measures

Intelligent emergency power supply concepts

Power outages that last several days are rare in Germany, but the consequences would be serious if an unprepared population were faced with this type of power outage. The “Intelligent Emergency Power Supply Concepts Based on Renewable Energies” (Smart Emergency Supply System SES2) project is being coordinated by the Soest-based department of Energy Supply at the Fachhochschule Südwestfalen – University of Ap-plied Sciences. The aim of SES2 is to optimise the emergency power supply.

The innovative concept behind SES2 is to use energy from decentralised and renewable power sources – such as mini CHP (combined heat and power) plants, wind energy or photovoltaic systems – in the case of a power failure affecting a large area.

The intelligent SES2 emergency power interface developed here can activate these decentralised sources for emergency supply in a defined region if a power outage occurs. The project is also inves-tigating the extent to which citizens are willing to make their systems available for this purpose.

Further information is available in German at: http://ses2.sifo.de

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Maritime securitySecure routes at sea are of primary importance notjust for ferry traffic, but also for international goods trading. Most global goods traffic is transported by sea. According to the German Federal Statistical Office, around 276 million tonnes of goods were transshipped at German seaports in 2010. Ports and passenger and freight ships alike are increasingly subject to risks.

In particular, these risks include the growing problem of modern piracy and maritime terrorism, along-side other risks that could result from the potential consequences of regional environmental or natural disasters. These risks could lead to interruptions to the main routes in international sea freight traffic or the temporary closure of ports. In addition, the dangers associated with the misuse of containers for smuggling illegal weapons, explosives, drugs and other hazardous substances have increased in recent years.

Against this background, security solutions have to be developed that allow for seamless checking of the integrity of goods and containers along the entire transport chain. Holistic concepts will improve the protection of maritime infrastructures and logistics processes in the long term.

Protection against economic crime, product piracy and industrial espionageWith their capacity for innovation and their strong presence on international markets, German companies are dependent not only on a secure supply of raw ma-terials and energy, but also – to an increasing extent – on the protection of their expertise and the security of their production sites and staff at home and abroad. In particular, knowledge as a production factor is gaining in importance as a result of global interconnection.

Large corporations and medium-sized companies are increasingly having to protect themselves against company-internal as well as external risks that result from organised economic crime, product piracy, and economic and industrial espionage. For this reason, preventative protection measures need to be developed to strengthen security skills in companies.

Enhancing container security through non-contact inspection at the seaport terminal

The strong growth and interdependency of worldwide goods traffic and the associated risks are leading to a requirement for more efficient security solutions for supply chains.

For example, hazardous substances that are be-ing smuggled illegally in sea-freight containers present a threat to both the population and the economy.

The “Enhancing Container Security through Non-Contact Inspection at the Seaport Terminal” (ECSIT) project aims to develop efficient technol-ogies that will provide more security in the future without hindering trade with goods. Technical concepts for quickly checking containers are being developed, with Bremerhaven, Europe’s largest export port to the USA with the highest security standard, being used as a case study.

An important issue here is how innovative technologies can be optimally integrated into the process in the port terminal. The project aims to improve today’s screening processes with regard to duration, costs and quality of checking.

Further information is available in German at: http://ecsit.sifo.de


The research topics include:• Innovative crisis management across a number of

sites in order to detect concrete threats to critical company processes at an earlier stage and ensure the best possible protection for products, expertise and staff

• Innovative solutions for fast identification of coun-terfeit products and for tracing of production and distribution processes and paths

New security servicesSecurity services are an important element in modern state and commercial security precautionary meas-ures. More demanding security requirements and the increasing degree of privatisation of critical infrastruc-

tures have lead to a stronger division of tasks between the public sector and private enterprise against a background of increasingly limited resources. Within the framework of supervision and security partner-ships, private security service providers are currently already carrying out an increasingly wide spectrum of security and protection tasks alongside infrastructure operators, the police and municipal authorities. This is leading to an increased demand for qualified person-nel, modern security technologies and flexible coop-eration and business models.

Research will contribute to progress in the develop-ment of user-oriented service models and standards. The introduction of new technology platforms will

Security services for water suppliers

The operators of critical infrastructures have to manage a wide range of differing security and protection tasks. Fulfilling more stringent security standards is becoming increasingly difficult for small operator companies, in particular.

An illustrative example of this is provided by the situation in drinking water supply, which depends on a joint network of several thousand companies in Germany that are active at a regional or municipal level. As this is one of the most important infrastruc-tures in our society, it must be protected against natural hazards and human and technical failure, and also against possible criminal and terrorist interference. In order to be optimally prepared for critical emergency situations, every supply infra-structure operator needs to have concrete action plans, strategies and capacities so that they can react quickly and efficiently in emergencies. However, small and medium-sized suppliers often do not have sufficient resources for this.

The BMBF has been supporting the two-year “Service and Models for the Joint Organisation of Protection Systems” (DiregKomp) research project since November 2010 within the framework of its “KMU-innovativ: Research for Civil Security” pro-

gramme (KMU stands for SME which means small and medium sized enterprises).

As part of this project, the Chair of Business Infor-mation Systems and Electronic Government at the University of Potsdam and the Berlin-based com-pany PRETHERM GmbH plan to develop a modular service concept together with associated regional partners from the water supply sector and from the state administration in Brandenburg. It is intended that the operator companies will then be able to analyse and optimise existing protective systems using this concept.

The planned services include modular protection concept analysis, customised training programmes, and guidance for coordination processes for joint approaches and security standards, for example. The advantages of the approach taken by this project include operator- and application-oriented design of services modules and the low cost burden due to the avoidance of cost-intensive individual solutions.

Further information is available in German at: http://diregkomp.sifo.de

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lead to new security services. New training and aware-ness concepts will increase the quality, efficiency and acceptance of security services.

2.4 Protection and rescue of people

Protecting citizens against dangers and providing for their security is one of the core tasks of state activ-ity. This applies in particular with regard to risks and major disasters caused by natural disasters – such as flooding or storms – or by technical or human failure. Current research results show that the consequences

of climate change could lead to an increase in weather-related natural disasters in Germany too. Civil security research will help to guarantee the protection of the population and its natural resources at a high level with the involvement of all governmental and societal stakeholders. In order to address these challenges, we will focus research on the resilience cycle and target the following focuses:

Crisis and emergency response managementGermany has well-functioning civilian protectionwith a capacity to provide help that is unique worldwide. This is largely due to the over 1.8 million highly qualified protection and rescue workers at federal,

Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance

The Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) was set up in May 2004 as an impor-tant contribution by the Federal Government to the New Strategy for the Protection of the Population in Germany.

In its capacity as a leading federal authority in the area of responsibility of the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI), the BBK acts together with the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) to carry out precautionary civil security measures and disaster response tasks.

The BBK supports the BMI in the areas identified here and, with the agreement of the BMI, also sup-ports the leading federal authorities in the relevant specialist areas. In particular, the BBK is responsible for:• Preparation of a nationwide risk analysis• Development of standards and framework con-

cepts for civilian protection• Warning and information for the population:

Expansion of a modular warning system with the core element of satellite-supported warning in-formation, including all present and future alarm and warning media

• Providing information to the population regard-ing potential protection and aid

• Promoting training for the population• Education and training for decision-makers

and managers in the area of precautionary civil security measures

• Supporting local authorities with self-protection issues

• Technical-scientific research• Evaluation and collection of publications• Testing of devices and processes and participa-

tion in the standardisation and approval of these devices and processes

• Additional equipment and training for units active in disaster response in the areas of re-sponsibility of fire protection, CBRN protection, medical services and care

• Protection of public health• Protection of cultural property according to the• Hague Convention• Office of the Commission on Civil Protection of

the Federal Ministry of the Interior

In addition, the powers held by the Federal Govern-ment under Article 85, Para. 4 of the German Basic Law in the area of civilian protection are assigned to the BBK.

Further information is available at: www.bbk.bund.de/EN


http://www.bbk.bund.de/EN

state and municipal levels and to the high standard of technical equipment of the fire brigade, police, res-cue services and disaster response units. At the same time, employed and voluntary emergency response workers and helpers are faced with the task of dealing with ever more complex major disasters – including international humanitarian aid missions – with increas-ing frequency.

For example, disasters that are initially confined in terms of area and are caused by extreme weather events, environmental disasters or major accidents can quickly spread to other regions or even become cross-border disasters. To ensure that the population will be pro-tected and that the emergency response capability of all security and emergency forces will be maintained at a high level in the future too, suitable crisis management must be developed that is based on comprehensive risk analyses.

Preventative concepts for resilience, early warning and training must be combined with the systematic expan-sion of technical and organisational response capacities.

The research topics include:• Intelligent decision-support systems that also use

simulation and modelling either in advance of or else during major disasters to estimate dangers and risks

• Coordination systems that facilitate the cross-institutional or cross-border coordination of rescue activities or necessary evacuation measures – for example, by using networked presentations of the situation and ad-hoc communication systems

• Integrated planning instruments and improved in-formation and training concepts which support the preparation and holding of major events with the involvement of all security stakeholders and which facilitate comprehensive emergency response and conflict management in crisis situations

Modern emergency response, communication and rescue systems have to be optimised and targeted based on the results of risk analyses with regard to robustness, performance capacity, interoperability and practical implementation.

The research topics include:• The optimisation of reaction capacities to deal with

a mass casualty incident in a quick and coordinated manner, particularly in the case of major disasters

• The development of autonomous rescue and aid systems and of intelligent human-machine inter-faces that facilitate search and rescue for persons buried under rubble, for example

• Technical and organisational equipment for rescue and emergency response services – for example, in order to deal better with the consequences of extreme weather events or to provide outpatient treatment in disaster situations for persons in need of care

• Modern educational and training methods and technologies for networked training courses and practical exercises in crisis management for a num-ber of organisations

Research on an evacuation assistance system for crisis situations at major events

The numbers of people attending major events – such as World Cup football matches shown outdoors on big screens or concerts in large indoor arenas – are growing all the time. This is leading to a requirement for innovative concepts for the management of major events. The BMBF funded research on an electronic assistant system between 2008 and 2011 in the form of the “Study for an Evacuation Assistant for Use in Emergencies Dur-ing Large-Scale Public Events” (Hermes) project, which was headed by the Jülich Supercomputing Centre at the Forschungszentrum Jülich.

This digital evacuation assistant delivers a predic-tion regarding movements of people and, in par-ticular, the locations where dangerous congestion could occur in the coming minutes. In this way, event organisers, the police, fire brigade and rescue services can obtain early warning of critical devel-opments, particularly with regard to the blocking of escape routes.

Further information is available in German at: http://hermes.sifo.de

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Strategies for adapting to social changeDisaster protection services have to be prepared for the long-term changes in response patterns and framework conditions that will result from profound

social change processes. For example, the suspension of community or alternative service that became law in May 2011 will have direct effects on the recruitment situation for voluntary helpers. Demographic change also represents a major challenge here. For example, the section of the population that is in a working age of between 20 and 65 will be reduced by around one third by 2060 relative to the current situation.

In order to deal with the expected shortage of qualified staff and helpers, new training concepts and partici-pation models will have to be developed. These are a prerequisite for securing voluntary civil participation in the long term.

Citizens as victims and helpersState and private security stakeholders and aid organi-sations will only be able to master the future challenges of national and international disaster protection if they link and combine their goals, processes, structures, capabilities and equipment to an increased extent.

However, this is only possible if citizens are not just perceived and provided with information as victims, but are also directly involved as helpers. For this reason, communication strategies and self-protection concepts need to be developed and expanded which improve crisis communication for major disasters and also increase the population‘s capacity for self-help. For example, new media could help to communicate the necessary precautionary and response skills to citizens. They could also be used to make information and early warning for crisis events more interactive.

2.5 Protection against hazardous substances, epidemics and pandemics

Protecting people and infrastructures against chemi-cal, biological, radiological and nuclear hazards and explosives (CBRNE hazards) as well as epidemics and pandemics is a central component of modern civilian protection. CBRNE hazardous substances – which in-clude industrial chemicals, infectious pathogens, toxins and radioactive substances – can be released without advance warning and can quickly lead to disaster situa-tions of catastrophic extent.

System-integrated sensory protective cloth-ing for the fire brigade and disaster response

First-aid workers such as fire fighters are subject to significant demands and dangers – combustion fumes and high temperatures, for example – in disaster situations and major disasters. Frequent-ly, these workers cannot perceive initial indica-tions of danger from their own bodies completely or in good time due to the highly stressful situa-tion and their heavy protective equipment.

The aim of the “Integrated Sensory Protective Clothing System for Fire Brigades and Disaster Management” (SensProCloth) project, which was coordinated by the Institute of Textile Technol-ogy and Process Engineering Denkendorf, was to develop system-integrated protective clothing for use in service. This clothing will record continu-ous information about vital parameters, state parameters, activities, surrounding conditions and the location of rescue workers via sensors and will transmit this information to the head of the response team.

Further information is available in German at: http://sensprocloth.sifo.de


The effects of swine flu and avian flu, which were also felt in Germany, demonstrated that infectious patho-gens can quickly trigger global pandemic situations in our era of high mobility. CBRNE events, larger epi-demics, and pandemics that are declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) represent dynamic risk situations with great potential for escalation where time is critical.

Civil security research will help to detect CBRNE hazards and pandemic threats at an early stage and to further optimise the quick, targeted reaction of the relevant authorities and emergency response services. For this reason, our research focuses on the following areas:

Protection against CBRNE hazard situationsCBRNE hazard situations present major specialist and technical challenges for the relevant authorities and for workers on the ground from the fire brigade, rescue services and disaster protection units. Technological progress and global interconnection have not only significantly expanded the possibilities for manufac-turing, spreading and misusing CRBNE hazardous substances, but have also increased the vulnerability of interconnected systems. The risks arising from illegal smuggling, the use of CBRNE hazardous substances for terrorist purposes, and the industrial manufacturing, storing, transport and use of these substances are thus also growing.

Existing risk evaluation, protection and emergency concepts will have to be further developed in order to respond in an adequate manner to new potential risks and the impacts of CBRNE crisis scenarios, which often affect large areas, in the future.

The research topics include:• More powerful detection systems and improved

sampling and preparation processes which – when used either in a mobile manner or at a safe distance – can detect a wide range of CBRNE hazardous substances, as well as technologies for measuring dosages

• Improved concepts for medical care for mass casu-alty incidents for CBRNE incidents. These include topics such as triaging, diagnostics, decontamina-tion and treatment (preclinical and clinical)

• Awareness and self-protection strategies that strengthen the population‘s capacity for self-help in a targeted manner, and improved initial and ongoing training concepts for emergency response workers and managers that are adapted for the lat-est technical and organisational developments

Protection against pandemics and new infectious diseasesDespite all the progress that has been made in medical care and despite our knowledge of the microbiology of pathogens and carriers, pandemics and plagues still present a threat to citizens‘ health and the food supply today. Global goods trade, passenger transport and changed climatic conditions are providing favourable conditions for the spread and transmission of infec-tious diseases and new types of pathogens.

The SARS epidemic in 2003 and the swine flu and avi-an flu pandemics have shown that extreme demands, especially for public health care infrastructures and facilities, can be expected when there are large-scale outbreaks of diseases. In modern industrial societies in particular, there is a risk that it will not be possible to maintain vital infrastructure services if there are high rates of illness and that the functioning of the economy may be endangered.

The tasks here are to further develop the scientific foundations for the protection of public health, including cross-regional pandemic planning, and to include existing expert networks such as the National

25RESEARCH TOPICS

Research Platform for Zoonoses. Improved risk and emergency strategies and evidence-based evaluation procedures are necessary in order to further improve crisis management in combating and containing out-breaks. Adapted preventative measures and integrated monitoring and defence concepts will facilitate the

early identification of new pathogens and poten-tial carriers based on the latest results from health research.

Security of animal and human food supply chains

In the “Securing Feed and Food Supply Chains in the Event of Bioterrorism and Agroterrorism Incidents” (SiLeBAT) project, solution approaches are being developed to ensure the availability of food in these situations. The main aim is to restore the affected food supply chain to a functioning state. Solution approaches are being developed for prevention, early detection and damage-limitation.

The project is investigating bio-terrorism and agro-terrorism risk scenarios that present a threat to public health either directly through contamination of food or indirectly through the infection of farm animals. For example, infection of farm animals could result from the deliberate contamination of agricultural products in the production of animal feed.

An attack on the “Cattle supply chain” is being examined as a sample scenario. The “Cattle supply chain” starts with the import of animal feed com-ponents and continues with the production of feed, breeding of animals, slaughter and processing, and goes right through to the sale of finished meat and dairy products in retail shops. In the case of a bio-terrorism or agro-terrorism attack on this supply chain, all areas of the supply chain would have to be included in the hazard analysis and action alterna-tives.

Those involved in crisis management can only act in an effective and coordinated manner if they quickly obtain valid, comprehensive specialist information. For this reason, the structuring of specialist infor-mation is a significant component of the solution approach taken by SiLeBAT.

Accordingly, issues such as the survival capacity of micro-organisms, the effectiveness of detection methods, sample preparation and decontamination processes, handling regulations and the develop-ment of handling recommendations are focuses of the research activities. In addition, computer-based processes for analysing goods movements and for evaluating risks and crisis management options are being developed – e.g. cost-benefit analyses. Another aim is to make all data and concepts developed as part of the project accessible to stakeholders when necessary using a specially developed, secure infor-mation platform. In parallel, a practical exercise and training concept for practical exercises for a number of states is being developed and implemented for demonstration purposes.

To ensure that the research results will be applicable in practice and that the needs of relevant stake-holders will be taken into account, representatives from industry associations, companies and state and federal authorities are being closely involved in the project. SiLeBAT is being coordinated under the guidance of the Federal Institute for Risk Assess-ment (BfR), will run until the end of 2014, and has a budget of 6.9 million euros. The following bod-ies from the area of responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) are also involved: the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), the Friedrich Loeffler Insti-tute (FLI), the Max Rubner Institute (MRI) and the Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute (vTI).

Further information is available in German at: http://silebat.sifo.de


2.6 Information on the BMBF‘s activities in the area of IT security research

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are the digital lifelines of our society. Significant areas of social and economic life now depend on the reliable functioning of ICT technologies and on confidence in the security of ICT systems. However, the number, intensity and level of attacks on users and vital infra-structures in cyberspace have been increasing steadily for years now. These attacks affect the right to self-de-termination of individuals with respect to information and also result in major economic losses.

In order to address these challenges, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has included IT security research as a focal area in its ICT 2020 research programme (“Key Technologies and Interdisciplinary Measures” framework programme). Two of these activities will be described here for infor-mation purposes.

In 2008, the Federal Ministry of Education and Re-search and the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) introduced a joint working programme on IT security research which will initially run until 2013 and is tar-geting research at the following focuses:

Security in insecure environmentsThe development of the ICT world is characterised by increasing interconnectivity, high mobility, an ex-ponentially increasing number of connected devices and an increasing degree of overlap between the real world and the cyber world. Analyses of overall system security often fail because of the enormous complexity involved. Instead, ICT systems must be either designed or subsequently reinforced in such a way that they can operate in a trustworthy state even in insecure envi-ronments.

The research topics include:• Protection of mobile communication links against

attacks through the network infrastructure• Procedures for detecting and providing defence

against malware on mobile end devices• Further development of analysis procedures, virtu-

alised environments and so-called honeynets with

regard to the requirements of mobile environments• Methods of providing operator-independent secure

communication for the entire network in mobile networks

Protection of Internet infrastructuresThe overwhelming success story of the Internet could not have been predicted beforehand. Accordingly, security aspects have only been given secondary at-tention over the course of the Internet‘s development, while primary attention has been focussed on network availability based on the assumption of cooperation between well-meaning network participants. Since the Internet and comparably large networks cannot be protected in principle against attacks in a comprehen-sive manner, the task here is to facilitate the detection of anomalies and the earliest possible containment of network attacks.

The research topics include:• Technologies and processes for attack prevention

and early warning that allow for an active response to newly emerging risks and for the containment of the impacts of these risks

• Measures for the distribution of detection, defence and self-healing mechanisms to reduce the point weaknesses that exist currently and to ensure that IT infrastructures can also be used during and after major attack scenarios

Built-in securityIT security instruments are still mainly used in a reactive manner. Updates are distributed only after weaknesses have been identified, firewalls control data traffic, and virus scanners attempt to detect malicious codes using methods that are updated regularly. How-ever, IT security can only be guaranteed in the long term if security requirements are already assigned an important role in the development stage. Systems must also be made capable of detecting forbidden modifica-tions – such as those that result from an infection – and of reacting to these.

The research topics include:• Innovative Trusted Computing methods that help

to identify and guarantee a trustworthy and secure system state on various hardware platforms – from office computers to RFID transponders – during operation

27RESEARCH TOPICS

• Security aspects for so-called field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA): They offer high performance combined with high flexibility. In the high-security sector in particular, there is the associated necessity of storing security functions in separate locations in a secure, permanent and verifiable manner and of implementing functions that are based on physical effects in a secure manner

New challenges in the protection of IT systems and identification of weaknessesFor example, technical advances in quantum informa-tion science could lead to new attack scenarios in the future for procedures that are still regarded as trust-worthy and secure today. The aim is that the develop-ment of new methods that can also anticipate potential technological developments will deliver a long-term level of security.

Research is also focussing on attacks carried out indirectly, i.e. so-called side channel attacks. These are attacks on encryption technologies that are regarded as secure – for example, through measurements of power consumption or electromagnetic radiation. The aim here is that an adapted system design will lead to the creation of components that are inherently immune to this type of attack.

The research topics include:• Side channel attacks that, up to now, had mainly

been investigated in terms of their effectiveness against isolated security components are now to be studied with regard to their applicability for so-called FPGA solutions and embedded systems and, where necessary, defence mechanisms against these attacks are to be developed

• Forensic and analytical tools – particularly for analysis during actual operation and with the abil-ity to analyse code dynamically – are to be devel-oped and improved

• Innovative cryptographic processes that are resistant to potential developments in quantum information science are to be researched and im-plemented in prototype form

Another focal point in IT security as part of the ICT 2020 research programme (“Key Technologies and Interdisciplinary Measures” framework programme) is support for competence centres in IT security research. Three centres were selected in early 2011 to ensure that Germany can address the major cyber security challenges that will arise in the future. These centres combine the work of universities and non-university research institutions that excel in terms of region, subject area and organisation and are active in the area of IT security research in Germany. Alongside issues such as the security of software, IT systems, smart grids and cloud computing, the focus will also be on socially relevant aspects of the Internet such as protection of personal data and privacy of citizens and the establish-ment of a culture of trust on the Internet.

www.bmbf.de/en

Additional information on the BMBF’s IT security research is available in the online portal


http://www.bmbf.de/en

3 Funding instruments and measures

3.1 Joint development of innovative solutions for concrete challenges

Scenario-based security researchAn important focus of the framework programme is support for scenario-based issues. In this way, we can ensure that research is targeted at the problem-solving needs of users. Taking global and societal challenges in civil security as a starting point, the scenarios are based on concrete risk and threat analyses and take into account security economy aspects as well as the social dimension of civil security.

Scenarios offer a platform that is common to many stakeholders and disciplines where science, industry, private-sector end users and authorities can cooperate along the entire innovation chain. The development of integrated security solutions that can be implemented in practice requires that all relevant disciplines from engineering and the natural and social sciences be

involved and that their work be targeted at common application goals. For this reason, it is our explicit aim to encourage interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work on projects – mainly by ensuring that research in the social sciences is supported and enjoys equal status with other areas. After all, the focus here is not on de-veloping what is technically feasible, but rather on the introduction of innovations that are acceptable from ethical, legal and economic viewpoints.

The scenario-based approach will avoid isolated indi-vidual solutions. It will facilitate application-oriented system innovations that will result in the successful development of practical security products and ser-vices that are targeted at the needs of end users and are compatible with our liberal society.

Cross-sectional-oriented security researchAlongside scenario-based research, another focus will be on supporting work on issues that are oriented towards an cross-sectional approach.

29

This will concentrate on research approaches that cov-er a number of disciplines, build upon basic knowledge in the natural sciences and engineering, and develop innovative technologies from existing and new basic technologies. Application-orientation and suitability for practical use will be guaranteed by considering the entire innovation chain and giving appropriate atten-tion to societal issues.

Joint research approaches on the social dimension of civil security research will also be applied. In this way, issues regarding the acceptance of specific technology developments and data protection can be investigated alongside fundamental questions regarding security culture and architecture. Here too, practical applicabil-ity is ensured by including end users.

Programme implementationThe “Research for Civil Security” framework pro-gramme is planned to run until 2017 and follows on from the first programme phase, which was initiated in 2007. As a learning programme, it forms a framework for a flexible funding policy with long-term focus that will be continually developed on the basis of experi-ence with programme implementation and changing challenges.

The framework programme will mainly be implement-ed by means of public announcements that will invite applicants to submit project proposals for certain sub-ject areas. The announcements will specify the relevant focal area in more detail and will define the support mechanisms in a binding manner.

Funding will primarily be targeted at joint projects, which will ideally be led by end users or industry and will include all necessary research disciplines. De-pending on the goals of the relevant support measure, individual projects and studies may also be funded. The best project proposals will be selected as part of a competitive procedure. The duration of funded joint projects will generally be three years.

Building on the achievements of the first programme phase, we would like to further expand the participa-tion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in security research. Research cooperation in joint pro-jects will bring SMEs into direct contact with leading research institutions. In addition, they will also benefit

from access to key users and markets through their cooperation with globally active companies.

It is planned to analyse the implementation of civil se-curity research by means of an ex-post evaluation. The programme will also be evaluated in an accompanying manner by a scientific programme committee. This committee will include experts from all relevant scien-tific disciplines, industry, private-sector infrastructure operators, and public authorities and organisations with security functions. This independent programme committee will advise the BMBF on the strategic and subject-related focus of civil security research. The committee will support knowledge transfer to practi-cal applications and the connection of German and European activities in the area of civil security research.

Cooperation between federal government depart-ments is an integral part of the framework programme. In particular, the main stakeholders in civil security research include the Ministry of the Interior and the ministries with responsibility for economy, transport and health. Intradepartmental agreement is achieved in the Security Research steering group, to which all relevant federal ministries that are involved in the framework programme can send representatives.


Scenario-based security research on a sample joint project

The aim of the security research programme is to carry out research on innovative system solutions that will fulfil the requirements of end users. These end users include the police, fire brigade, rescue workers and op-erators of critical infrastructures. The scenarios in the security research programme are based on concrete risk and threat analyses.

This scenario-based approach provides the foundation for the “Energy and Fuel Supply for Petrol Stations and Emergency Power Generators During Power Out-ages” (TankNotStrom) project: The consequences of a medium-term power outage over a large region have barely been investigated so far for urban areas such as Berlin or for non-city states such as Brandenburg. Al-though the fire brigade, hospitals and data centres and many critical infrastructures may be protected against power failures by their emergency power generators, fuel reserves are only sufficient for a maximum of 24 hours in most cases if fuel supplies cannot be replaced. Fresh fuel supplies for authorities and organisations with security responsibilities and for critical infrastruc-tures is a critical factor in the maintenance of public security and order.

If a power outage occurs in a large region, the lack of emergency power supply will mean that petrol stations open to the public– with a small number of excep-tions – will no longer be able to supply fuel. Against this background, the TankNotStrom joint project is carry-ing out research into the consequences of a long-term power failure for the Berlin-Brandenburg region, is developing support measures for security authorities based on analyses of consequences – including the psychological demands on various population groups – and is developing innovative technical solutions to ensure that the fuel supply for emergency generators is maintained in crisis situations. One aim here is to design a management and logistics system that is ca-pable of facilitating a fuel supply for emergency power

generators and for rescue and security vehicles if power failures occur. This system will use its own communi-cation system, with emergency power supply, to send data on the current filling levels of emergency genera-tors to a control centre, which will in turn use the same communication system to organise fuel deliveries.

A crisis handbook for the security authorities is also being prepared for the Berlin-Brandenburg region. Socio-psychological analyses of possible developments in the behaviour of various population groups can be taken into account in the future in decisions taken by crisis management groups either in public bodies or commerce. At the end of the project, a function-ing demonstration system for a technical solution for monitoring fuel levels of emergency generators for critical infrastructures even without grid power and a logistics system for refilling fuel tanks will be available and will be tested.

The greatest possible degree of practical orientation and applicability for the developed security solutions will be achieved by focussing on a scenario with a me-dium-term power failure in a region and by systemati-cally including authorities and private-sector operators of infrastructures.

Further information is available in German at: http://tanknotstrom.sifo.de

31FUNDING INSTRUMENTS AND MEASURES

3.2 Supporting innovation transfer

The market for civil security products and services is characterised by particular framework conditions. In-novative security solutions must correspond with the

requirements and needs of public and private-sector end users and must also maintain the balance between security and liberty. After all, only those innovations that prove themselves in society and in the market-place will ultimately deliver greater security.

Announcements in the “Research for Civil Security 2012-2017” framework programme – planning status as of November 2015

Security Economics and Security Architecture

Cooperation in civil Security Research between Germany and France

Securing Food and Food Supply Chains

Security in Air Traffic

Urban Security

Maritime Security

Civil Security – Protection against Economic Crime

Civil Security – Protection and Rescue in complex Disaster Situations

Civil Security – Protection against Explosion Risks and Chemical Accidents

Civil Security – Fit for Europe (Future call)

Civil Security – Protection against Organized Crime (in cooperation with Austria)

Civil Security – Fit for Europe (Call now)

Civil Security – Protection of Critical Infrastructures (in cooperation with France)

Civil Security – Protection against Biological Hazard Situations and Pandemics

Civil Security – Increase of Resilience in Crisis and Disaster Situations

Civil Security – New Economic Aspects

Civil Security – Innovative Rescue and Security Systems

Civil Security – Aspects and Measures of coping with Terrorism (in cooperation with Austria)

KMU-innovativ

201420132012 2015 2016 2017

Further information on current BMBF announcements is available in German at: www.sifo.deKMU stands for SME, which means small and medium sized enterprises


Research always involves a high risk in terms of suc-cess. Not all research approaches which initially appear promising will prove to be feasible over the course of a given project. We will support successful research projects with suitable measures with regard to the transfer of project results into marketable products and services.

Dialogue between stakeholders The basic prerequisite for successful innovation trans-fer is continuous dialogue between the stakeholdersin civil security research. Dialogue between stakehold-ers is an integral project component for joint projects. In these projects, research, industry and end users work together to develop practical solutions and, in

The “SecurityResearchMap” interactive research map

The BMBF is promoting the networking of all stake-holders in civil security research in Germany in a variety of ways. Over 470 institutions that are active in security research are already being showcased along with their profiles on the “SecurityResearchMap” interactive research map. They can be searched based on various categories such as focal subject and geo-graphical location or by searching for text strings.

The sections “University courses” and “Training/ Further education” provide a guide to vocational train-ing and higher education opportunities in the field of civil security.

Further information is available in German at: www.sifo-securityresearchmap.de


the course of their dialogue, also establish important framework conditions that ensure that research re-sults will be successfully transferred into practice. Im-portant impetus is also provided by dialogue between various projects in the innovation platforms. With their motto of “Thinking Ahead from Research [Von der Forschung aus vorausdenken]”, these platforms offer all stakeholders a forum where they can discuss opportunities for successful innovation transfer across project boundaries.

With the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy’s “Civil Security As a Market of the Future [Zu-kunftsmarkt zivile Sicherheit]” industrial policy plan, we are also supporting the establishment of interdisci-plinary networks and regional clusters.

In order to place networking and communication between projects and stakeholders in civil security research on a permanent footing, we plan to establish a national conference on civil security research with the BMBF‘s “Civil Security” innovation forum. In this forum, current results from the research focuses can be presented in close cooperation with the participating federal ministries.

In addition, exchange can be promoted between politicians, science, business and society with regard to future challenges and fundamental issues in civil security. The transfer of knowledge and research re-sults into practice requires a combined, comprehensive presentation of information and research activities. For this purpose, the www.sifo.de web portal will open up new opportunities for communication and interaction for stakeholders in civil security research.

Opportunities arising from standardisationThe transfer of research results into practice can be supported by the early initialisation of standardisation processes. Standardisation and the establishment of norms can help to consolidate and expand the lead-ing international position of German suppliers in the long term, while at the same time creating incentives for the purchasing of innovative products. As well as delivering cost reductions, the introduction of uni-form standards and norms across Europe also ensures that components and systems will be compatible and interoperable.

For this reason, we will be acting on the basis of the German Federal Government‘s standardisation policy to further strengthen the role of standardisation and the establishment of norms in the development pro-cess in the growth area of civil security.

The “Coordination Office for Civil Security” set up at the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) in November 2010 will identify the national requirement for norms and standardisation, will help to achieve progress in the national opinion-forming process, and will support timely and coordinated campaigning for national interests at European and international levels in the area of norms.

The Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology‘s “TNS Transfer of R&D Results by Means of Norms and Standardisation [TNS Transfer von FuE-Ergebnissen durch Normung und Standardisierung]” project is tak-ing advantage of the opportunities presented by stand-ardisation for accelerated technology transfer. This programme, which is open-ended in terms of technol-ogy and is directed at universities, research institutions and innovative companies, targets its support at the interface between research and standardisation.

Validation of research results and certificationTransparent and independent validation of resultscan provide information to the end user regarding the quality, interoperability and performance of security solutions. This information then ensures that users can compare products and also provides them with invest ment security (or else with quantifiable investment risks) for innovative products.

Norms and standards and uniform certification and conformity testing procedures for security products, systems and services can provide a basis for the defini-tion of requirements by describing these requirements in a technology-neutral manner based on consensus. The use of harmonised European norms also helps to reduce market fragmentation. This would significantly improve the competitive conditions for European companies in all EU member states and would also open up market opportunities in non-member states. The global security market can also be shaped by using European requirements in international standards. Uniform standards and certification procedures – with an EU security label, for example – would also reduce


bureaucracy and thus save time and money as multiple certifications would no longer be necessary.

New impetus from procurement and demonstration phasesEven though 80 percent of critical infrastructuresare now in private-sector ownership, the state is still responsible for significant demand in the area of civil security. Comprehensive testing of research results in demonstration phases under real application condi-tions and innovation-oriented commissioning of research services can provide important impetus for the transfer of research results into marketable and procurable products and services.

Innovation-oriented procurement can create a pio-neering market that will make it easier for state and

private-sector end users to enjoy access to innovative products and services.

Customised funding instrumentsYoung, dynamic companies with a strong focus on international markets that carry out research in the high-tech area have a particular need for specific sup-port for their research projects.

For this reason the “KMU-innovativ” support initiative, a measure as part of the High-Tech Strategy, is aimed at providing easier access to the BMBF‘s technology support programmes for research-intensive small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs, or “KMU” in Ger-man). “KMU-innovativ: Research for Civil Security” is also active in this regard.

Central Innovation Programme for SMEs

With its “Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM)”, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) is supporting market-oriented technological research and development projects by medium-sized companies, including the trades and freelance professionals in Germany.

The ZIM programme participates in partial fund-ing of research and development projects for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This funding programme, which is open in terms of technologies and sectors, will support the innovation potential of SMEs in a long-term manner and contribute to their growth and competitiveness.

As part of the ZIM programme, research and devel-opment projects are being supported that are carried out by one (ZIM-SOLO) or jointly by a number of medium-sized enterprises or in cooperation with research institutes (ZIM-KOOP). In addition, grants are provided for the applicable fraction of costs for network management (ZIM-NEMO) that result from the conceptual development and implementation of an innovative network of a number of SMEs, research institutes and other regional bodies.

A “best-practice“ example of this SME-specific fund-ing is the ZIM-NEMO project entitled “Security in Underground Transport Facilities”. As part of this project, a network with a total of thirteen partners from industry and research is investigating how the security of tunnels and underground transport facilities can be further improved and adapted for people’s security needs. The network partners are researching topics such as how the interaction between humans and technology in tunnels can be better estimated using a 3D real-time location and behaviour simulator or how the use of mobile sensors can increase the security of underground transport facilities.

The ZIM network offers researchers and suppliers of security technologies and services an opportu-nity to cooperate and benefit from synergy effects, to bundle their ideas within an equal-participation framework and to develop technologies into new market-ready products or innovative systems.

Further information is available in German at: www.zim-bmwi.de


Alongside the Security Research framework pro-gramme, there are also technology-open Federal Government R&D programmes that are making a sig-nificant contribution to supporting security research, particularly for small and medium-sized companies. Examples here include the Federal Ministry of Eco-nomics and Technology‘s ZIM and IGF programmes for medium-sized companies and for joint industrial research, respectively. The Federal “Research and In-novation” Funding Advisory Service (www.foerderinfo. bund.de) is the central advisory body for providing information about relevant support programmes from federal ministries, federal states and the European Commission. In order to accelerate the transfer of research results to the market, it is necessary to inform project partners – particularly small and medium-sized companies – in the end phase of research projects about the opportunities for ongoing support. We will

German Police University

The German Police University (DHPol), which is based in Münster, is a joint institution of the Federal Government and the states and is administered by the interior ministries and interior secretaries. Those who complete the accredited master’s course in “Public administration – Police management” are qualified for senior-level positions in the state and federal police.

The university also offers a comprehensive range of training courses, particularly for senior-level police officers and staff. The DHPol is a member of the European Police College (CEPOL) network, the Association of European Police Colleges (AEPC) and the Central European Police College (MEPA). The university also holds regular seminars and events in this international framework, with the overall aim of promoting the exchange of experience.

At the DHPol, central importance is attached to research in the area of police work and, in particular, the development of police science. The 14 depart-ments at the university also take on leading roles or are partners in national and European research

projects. Also part of the DHPol is the Institute for Technology of the German Police University (PTI), which conducts research and development projects for Federal Government and the states in the area of technology.

In 2009, the Standing Conference of Ministers and Senators of the Interior of the Länder (IMK) ap-pointed the DHPol, together with the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), as the central coordination office for issues of security research. These bodies represent the interests of security authorities and, as desired by the IMK, are to be developed as “one-stop-agencies”. In this capacity, the DHPol established the research requirements of the police forces in Germany in 2011 for the second national security research programme. It will also serve as a point of contact for security authorities, science and business and offer information, advice and coordination with regard to ideas, proposals and projects in security research.

Further information is available in German at: www.dhpol.de


The interdisciplinary approach of the security research programme: Interview with Prof. Jürgen Krieger and Prof. Paul Pauli from the SKRIBT project

Protective measures for road bridges and tunnels are being developed as part of the “Protection of Critical Bridges and Tunnels as Part of Roads” (SKRIBT) joint project within the scenario-oriented “Protection of transport infrastructures” focal area. The project is be-ing coordinated by the director, Professor Dr.-Ing. Jür-gen Krieger, who is head of the bridge and engineering construction section at the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt).

As part of this project, Professor Dr. Paul Pauli from the Department of Psychology I at the University of Würz-burg is heading the “Human Behaviour” subproject. The core task here is to employ simulations to establish how users, rescue workers and operator personnel behave on bridges and in tunnels in crisis situations. In this discussion, the SKRIBT project coordinator Profes-

sor Krieger and Professor Pauli describe their experi-ence with interdisciplinary cooperation.

Prof. Dr. Paul Pauli: It all begins with the observation of a human phenomenon in road traffic: A car enters a tunnel. Traffic comes to a halt, and all that can be seen is thick smoke. One of the drivers stops, gets out of his or her car, and tries to escape by running back towards the entrance to the tunnel. The entrance is one kilo-metre away, however. The emergency exit would only have been 300 metres away. Why do people in stressful situations often not behave in a rational manner in road traffic? This leads to many follow-on questions. These questions are considered by us psychologists and by the engineers who develop emergency guidance sys-tems for tunnels. In an interdisciplinary project such as SKRIBT, it is my personal experience that it is crucial to


be making increased use of the Federal Government‘s existing intradepartmental advisory instruments here. For example, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) offers various instruments such as innovation vouchers (Go-Inno) as part of its technol-ogy campaign. These are focussed on technology-open support for innovative small and medium-sized enter-prises for the realisation of innovations.

The BMWi runs its “EXIST – University-Based Business Start-Ups” support programme to support technology-oriented and knowledge-based start-up companies – including those in the area of security technology

– particularly in the arena of universities and non-university research institutions in Germany. As an ad-ditional support measure, the start-up teams can also take advantage of coaching services. With its high-tech start-up fund, the BMWi also offers newly founded technology companies initial risk capital and provides them with the necessary commercial expertise.

focus on clearly delimited questions when dealing with broad topics – for example, how emergency exits have to be designed in terms of colour and other technical factors so that people will take notice of them even in stressful situations.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Krieger: Clearly delimited ques-tions – this is what we, as engineering scientists, expect with regard to tunnel safety. The security research programme is concerned with concentrating on con-crete scenarios. In order to develop holistic security solutions, we need to consider various perspectives: the viewpoint of researchers is just as important here as that of infrastructure operators, authorities, organi-sations and end users. Engineers traditionally con-centrate on the further development of technologies. However, when a crisis situation occurs in a tunnel, the reactions of people under stress are just as important. For this reason, the evacuation models in SKRIBT are based on behavioural simulations from the field of psychology – this is the innovation. Right from the be-ginning, we have worked on formulating the problem in cooperation with Prof. Pauli: How can the techno-logical surroundings be designed in such a way that people will behave in a rational manner even in a crisis situation? – this is one of the central questions.

Prof. Dr. Paul Pauli: Based on the cooperation carried out in the SKRIBT project, we have developed mod-els for human behaviour in tunnels, tested these in virtual spaces in simulations and – in cooperation with the Federal Highway Research Institute BASt and the

SKRIBT partners – investigated the range of reactions of humans to crisis situations in real environments for the first time. This last, common step was critical in the development of the models. After all, technologies that are usually invisible – such as sensors that warn of smoke formation and special lighting for emergency exits – come into play when an unforeseen event oc-curs in a tunnel. People react to these technologies differently than they would in normal situations.

Of course, natural scientists and social scientists have different methods and viewpoints when evaluating ex-periments. Reaching agreement is a process that begins with agreeing on common terminology and a common problem definition. We were helped here by the fact that we have regular, well-prepared project meetings in the SKRIBT project that are attended by all relevant stakeholders. This requires a certain amount of effort, as people must have both the time and the commit-ment, and they must be open to the methods and issues of other disciplines. It is worth the effort, however.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Krieger: Cooperation between technical scientists and social scientists in a project such as SKRIBT is a win-win situation for both sides. There is almost no other research area where the be-haviour of individuals is such a central factor as in the case of civil security research.

Further information is available in German at: http://skribt.sifo.de


3.3 Broadening the scientific foundations and supporting the further development of competences

Germany is an internationally recognised location for science and innovation where excellent research and teaching are carried out and highly qualified specialists and technicians are trained. Innovation policy that ad-dresses the challenges of global competition must as-sign a high priority to the long-term need for qualified personnel in science and technology and must support education and training with suitable instruments.

Funding and training for young scientists is of par-ticular importance in civil security research, a field where natural scientists, engineers and specialists from the humanities from a wide range of disciplines work together to develop innovative solutions. The number of research institutions active in this area is rising steadily. Academic training is frequently focused on the relevant specialist discipline. Sufficient net-working between specialist departments and a suffi-cient degree of practical orientation are often lacking. However, interdisciplinary and cross-institutional cooperation is an important prerequisite for a leading position in security research and in competition for the best scientists.

We will actively accompany the development of civil security research as a research discipline within the Federal Government‘s existing support measures for research, excellence and young scientists. We will support fundamental measures for the broadening of scientific foundations – for example, in the areas of civil security law or the development of a system-atic approach. A further task will be to support the development of interdisciplinary academic training structures and programmes in civil security research.

In this way, we aim to contribute to an increase in the quality of research and teaching in civil secu-rity research and teaching in civil security research in Germany and to set standards for European civil security research. Particular attention is to be focussed here on support for young scientists and the establish-ment and expansion of scientific excellence networks.

Special support instruments for young scientists are to be fostered – e.g. as part of summer schools, gradu-ate schools and young research groups. In order to intensify cooperation between science and practical applications, we are supporting the national and inter-national exchange of scientists between universities, research institutions and companies.

Dealing with risks and concrete hazard situations in the right manner demands comprehensive skills and the ability to apply acquired knowledge quickly and effectively. This applies to the technical and organisa-tional skills of security and rescue workers and com-pany staff as well as to the security skills of individual citizens. These skills should be developed at an early stage. They must then be expanded through further learning and training in working life, in voluntary activities or in everyday situations, in accordance with technical and societal requirements. Training con-cepts that are adapted to the relevant target group and improved networking of existing educational institu-tions and training centres will help to improve the risk awareness and capacity to react of the staff of public bodies and of companies.

3.4 Strengthening international cooperation

The future challenges in civil security do not stop at national borders, but are frequently of a global nature. In order to guarantee the protection of the popula-tion and of critical infrastructures in the long term, the expansion of European research cooperation, the joint shaping of European security architecture and the initiation and continuation of international research alliances are important goals of the “Research for Civil Security” framework programme.

With its 7th Framework Research Programme, the European Union already has initiated its own security research programme that established important foun-dations for EU cooperation. Civil security research will also be firmly anchored in the next EU Framework Pro-gramme for Research and Innovation (“Horizon 2020”) as an important focal area. We will make a particular effort to ensure that the research subjects addressed by the European security research programme will be


targeted at achieving clear European added value. Only in this way can a clear assignment of tasks and con-nection with national activities be achieved, while at the same time ensuring the successful participation of German stakeholders in European security research.

We will intensify the successful partnership with France and are also open for cooperation with other European states that have independent national research programmes in the area of civil security. This cooperation is to operate on the basis of coordinated announcements that are open to each of the countries involved. Research groups, companies and end users from the countries involved will thus have an oppor-

tunity to cooperate in the development of innovative solutions for cross-border issues in civil security – for example, disaster response or crisis management. This type of bilateral research cooperation will not only pursue the goal of improving the security of Germany and of the relevant partner country, but will also contribute to the joint shaping of European security architecture. We will transfer the bilateral research and solution approaches developed as part of European cooperation projects into the European research arena and, in this way, support the subject focus of the Euro-pean security research programme.

German stakeholders in the European security research programme

Civil security research is being addressed as an independent subject area in its own right for the first time by the 7th Research Framework Programme of the European Union (EU). Since the initiation of the European Security Research Programme in 2007, Ger-man stakeholders have been working together with international partners in joint research groups with the aim of improving civil security at a European level.

Around 240 projects were selected for funding as part of the European Security Research Programme between 2007 and the start of 2012. Almost 300 project partners from Germany are contributing their expertise in around 160 of these projects. German participants are thus among the leading groups when various European countries are being compared. The European “Security of Road Transport Networks” (Se-RoN) project demonstrates how ideas from Germany can be successful in improving security in Europe. The project is based on results and experience from the BMBF’s SKRIBT project, which has been run-ning since the start of 2008 and which identified and investigated the threats to bridges and tunnels that result from natural disasters and human failure. Since tunnels and bridges are of significant importance for the European road network, the SKRIBT participants – PTV AG and the Federal Highway Research Institute

(BASt) – have initiated the European SeRoN project. The aim of this project is to use sample analyses – such as those investigated as sample cases in the SKRIBT project at national level – to conduct research into strategies that can be used by infrastructure operators all over Europe to carry out a risk analysis for critical transport routes and to check planned protective measures with regard to security perfor-mance and costs.

The SeRoN project is just one example of a range of projects where German participants are contribut-ing to European civil security architecture with their innovative ideas and, at the same time, are promoting the development and harmonisation of European solutions and markets.

The National Contact Point for Security Research at VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH provides informa-tion and advises research institutions, universities, other third-level colleges and companies for free on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with regard to potential EU research funding in the area of security research.

Further information is available in German at: www.nks-sicherheit.de


Germany is aiming to take on an active role in the area of civil security research so that it can play its part in shaping the development of solution approaches for global challenges. Research alliances with strong inter-national technology partners and growth markets are necessary here in order to make use of the knowledge and expertise available internationally in our national programme. For this reason, we intend to expand the existing bilateral cooperation projects with the USA and Israel. In addition, we are also aiming for targeted bilateral research cooperation projects with countries that will develop important growth markets for civil security.

In order to promote links between research and in-novation at an international level for the optimal implementation of research results, we are support-ing cross-border initiatives that provide impetus for

European or international standardisation and norm-creation processes, for example.

With its new “Research for Civil Security” framework programme, the Federal Government is directly imple-menting the goals of the “High-Tech Strategy 2020 for Germany”. Security is one of five demand fields here – alongside climate/energy, health/nutrition, mobility and communication – where the Federal Government is targeting its innovation policy activities.

Bilateral cooperations in the national security research programme

Threats such as natural disasters, terrorism or organ-ised crime do not stop at national borders. For this reason, research cooperation aims to use common strengths to shape research and innovation and to ensure that security solutions are also developed to meet the requirements of international markets. Thus, there are also bilateral cooperations with Is-rael, France and the USA as part of the “Research for Civil Security” programme so far.

A cooperation with Israel was initiated in 2008, which was the German-Israeli Year of Science and Technology. Cooperation with France was launched at the start of 2009.

The basis for this cooperation with was provided by a government treaty signed in early 2009. By the end of 2011, a total of eleven joint bilateral projects with total funding for German partners of 14 million euros had been initiated within the framework of these three cooperations. Further projects are also being prepared.

An example of these joint bilateral projects is I-LOV. In this project, German and Israeli scientists worked together with companies and end users to develop new search processes for rescuing people buried un-der rubble. The aim was that these processes should make it easier to locate and quickly rescue survivors covered under the rubble of collapsed buildings after disasters such as earthquakes or gas explosions.

These systems have already been tested in various real situations – for example, the collapse of the City Archive in Cologne and after the earthquake in Haiti – and have been evaluated in a number of practical drills in Germany and Israel with repre-sentatives of Germany’s Federal Agency for Techni-cal Relief (THW) and the Israeli National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA). In this way, an idea that first emerged in one country was successfully developed for international use as part of a bilateral cooperation.

Further information is available in German at: http://kooperationen.sifo.de


4 Connecting programmes

4.1 The Federal Government’s framework programmes

“Key Technologies and Interdisciplinary Measures” framework programmeThe aim of the framework programme is to secureand expand Germany‘s leading international position

in key technologies by bundling strategic approaches and concrete activities for the development of highly innovative technologies and services. In combina-tion with accompanying interdisciplinary measures, support for key technologies and services will help to create a basis for the development of new products, innovative services and processes that will strengthen the economy and, at the same time, help to address

42

societal challenges. With its support for important key technologies, the framework programme thus also shapes the direction of the subsequent development of innovative civil security solutions. The “Key Tech-nologies and Interdisciplinary Measures” framework programme is currently in preparation.

The BMBF’s “Research for Sustainable Develop-ment” framework programmeSince 2010, the BMBF has been supporting research in the areas of climate, energy and natural resources with its “Research for Sustainable Development” framework programme as part of the High-Tech Strategy. Thegoal is to achieve national climate protection goals, to develop concepts for adaptation to climate change and to contribute to the national sustainability strategy. With the development of precaution systems and early warning systems in particular, the framework programme is putting in place important technical and scientific foundations for the development of innovative solutions for the protection of the popula-tion against natural or climate-related extreme events

as part of the “Research for Civil Security” framework programme.

National Research Strategy BioEconomy 2030The “National Research Strategy BioEconomy” is a component of the High-Tech Strategy and will provide important input for this strategy in action areas such as energy/climate and health/nutrition. The research strategy initiated in 2010 is establishing foundations for the development of a knowledge-based and internationally competitive bioeconomy in five priority action areas; these areas are: worldwide food security, sustainable agricultural production, healthy and safe food, industrial use of renewable raw materials and fuels based on biomass. Support is to be provided for the development of integrated, biologi-cally based innovations that take into account eco-logical, economic and societal issues in equal measure with the aim of developing sustainable solutions.

Security issues also have to be faced in the area of food, as demonstrated by the so-called “dioxin scandal”. The “Research for Civil Security” programme supple-ments and supports the goals of the “National Research Strategy BioEconomy 2030”, particularly in the field of action “Producing healthy and safe foods”.

The Federal “Health Research Framework Pro-gramme”The Federal Government is refocusing health research with its “Health Research Framework Programme”, which came into effect in 2010. The aim here is that closer networking of skills, disciplines and institutions will ensure that research results will be translated more quickly from fundamental and clinical research into medical care, thus also benefiting patients more quick-ly. Medical care that is based on the latest research findings will ultimately improve people’s quality of life. Alongside the focussing of research on major diseases, particularly in the “German Health Research Centres”, this programme also targets individualised medicine, prevention and nutrition research, health economics, care provision research and health research.

The research activities in the “Health Research Frame-work Programme” will also provide fundamental knowledge on security-relevant topics such as in-fectiology, zoonoses and vectors; the activities of the “Research for Civil Security” framework programme

43CONNECTING PROGRAMMES

can then build upon this knowledge, particularly with regard to protection against pandemics and new infec-tious diseases.

The Federal 6th energy research programmeThe Federal Government has defined the guidelines and focuses for its energy research policy and the as-sociated funding mechanisms in its energy research programme for the coming years. The 6th energy research programme, “Research for an Environmen-tally Sound, Reliable and Affordable Energy Supply”, was approved in July 2011. The new programme

represents an important step in the implementation of the energy concept of 28 September 2010, with which the Federal Government intends to move along a path into the era of renewable energy sources and ensure a secure, economically viable and environmentally friendly energy supply.

The energy research programme deals with issues such as those affecting the adaptation of power grids for the increased expansion of renewable energies and the increasing decentralisation of the electricity supply. This will require the use of new technolo-

Robert Koch Institute

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is one of the most important bodies in Germany in the area of health protection. In its capacity as a leading institution for the Federal Government in medical science, the RKI plays a central role in health care in Germany in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and the analysis of long-term health trends among the population. The RKI has an important monitoring role and acts in the manner of an early warning sys-tem with regard to the detection of health hazards and risks.

Science is the foundation of the work of the Robert Koch Institute. The RKI’s research is primarily fo-cused on measures, such as in the case of the further development of diagnostics for pathogens. The work of the RKI is also focused on fundamental knowl-edge here.

The development of methods and the structuring of scientific standards are also of great importance in this regard. The RKI also includes a range of impor-tant scientific commissions, such as the German Standing Vaccination Committee, the Blood Work-ing Group, the Central Ethics Committee for Stem Cell Research, the Genetic Diagnostics Committee and the Committee for Hospital Hygiene and Infec-tion Prevention.

Since the start of this millennium, the risk of bio-terrorist attacks has become an important issue in infection protection. The Centre for Biological Security (ZBS) is the main specialist body for these issues at the Robert Koch Institute. These issues in-clude the development of concepts for the detection and evaluation of attacks with biological agents and diagnostics for these pathogens, and they are dealt with in close cooperation with other units within the Robert Koch Institute.

The structure of the ZBS includes the Federal Information Centre for Biological Security (IBBS) and five other departments for Highly Pathogenic Viruses, Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Mi-crobial Toxins, Rapid Microscopic Diagnostics and the high-security laboratory that is currently being constructed (S4).

The ZBS cooperates on a continuous basis with the relevant federal and state bodies. At the same time, the ZBS is active internationally – particularly within the EU – in close coordination with the Fed-eral Ministry of Health and Social Security.

The RKI has 990 employees, including around 390 scientists.

Further information is available at: www.rki.de/EN


gies in order to be able to guarantee efficient, reliable and safe power transmission and distribution in the future.

The Federal transport research programmeAn action framework for the funding of research and development in three strategic areas was developed in 2008 by five Federal Government departments under the guidance of the BMWi as part of the Federal 3rd transport research programme “Mobility and Trans-port Technologies” – these three areas are: “Intelligent Logistics”, “Mobility of People in the 21st Century” and “Intelligent Infrastructure”.

New approaches for improving safety in road traf-fic are part of the programme’s scope, alongside new technical solutions for goods handling, automation of transport processes and intelligent transport man-agement. As an accompanying measure, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) developed a strategic concept and concrete measures for the future structure of goods transport with its “Freight Transport and Logistics Action Plan” in 2010.

The Federal strategy to internationalise science and researchIn 2008, the Federal Government approved its “Strengthening Germany’s Role in the Global Knowl-edge Society” strategy to internationalise science and research. This strategy structures the internationalisa-tion of science and research in a cross-departmental manner. The goal is to harness the increasing interna-tional knowledge potential for Germany as a location for science and innovation and to strengthen Germa-ny’s role in the global knowledge society by means of cooperation projects.

With its framework programme for internationalisa-tion, the BMBF is developing an application-related orientation framework for all international BMBF activities in the areas of research and education on the basis of this global strategy.

Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing

Maintaining and improving civil security de-pends to a significant extent on the technological capabilities and quality of the security technology products used. The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) plays an important role in ensuring that technology is used in a safe and environmentally friendly manner in Ger-many.

In its capacity as a leading federal authority for science and technology within the area of re-sponsibility of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), the BAM carries out functions such as:• Further development of safety in engineering

and the chemicals industry• Implementation and evaluation of physical

and chemical tests on substances and equip-ment

• Cooperation on the development of legal regulations, such as the specification of safety standards and limit values

• Advising the Federal Government, business and national and international organisations in the areas of materials science and chemistry

As the federal institute for materials science and chemical technology, the BAM upholds safety levels in engineering and the chemicals indus-try by carrying out research and development, testing, analysis and approvals and by providing advice and information. An important goal here is to promote the development of the German economy.

Further information is available at: www.bam.de/en


http://www.bam.de/en

4.2 Departmental research and institutional funding

Non-university scientific research is making a signifi-cant contribution to broadening scientific foundations in civil security research. Research organisations such as the Helmholtz Association, the Fraunhofer-Gesell-schaft, the Leibniz Association and Max Planck Society, and the Federal Government’s departmental research bodies with their particular profiles and focuses are playing an important role here. Institutional funding and departmental research are to be closely coordi-nated with the framework programme. The primary goal is to optimise the assignment of tasks, the setting of focuses and networking in civil security research.

Departmental researchThe Federal Government can call upon a broad base in departmental research in civil security research.

In particular, the following departmental bodies that are relevant to civil security research and are within the BMI’s scope of activity can be identified: the Fed-eral Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), the Bundeskriminalamt, and the Federal Police with its research and testing centre in Lübeck. Among the goals of these bodies is the establishment of scientific findings for the carrying out of official and special-ist tasks in the areas of civilian protection, basic IT protection and cyber security, protection of critical infrastructures, crime-fighting (e.g. terrorism, organ-ised criminality and violent crime), border protection and airspace security.

The BMWi’s scope of responsibilities includes the Fed-eral Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), which, in its capacity as a leading federal scientific-technical authority, offers research expertise in techni-cal safety and security in areas such as safe handling of hazardous substances and goods and new analysis and testing methods.

The PTB (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt), Germany’s national metrology institute, carries out fundamental research and development in the area of metrology as the basis for all its activities in areas

such as safety technology, services and measurement technology for the regulated sector, industry and tech-nology transfer. Ensuring the traceability of measure-ments – e.g. for checks or in the collection of evidence in accident cases – means that measurement results stand up as evidence in court.

Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt), a depart-mental research body within the BMVI, carries out its own research work on topics such as improving the maintenance of roads, bridges and engineering struc-tures and improving transport safety.

The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) is responsible for the following research bodies with relevance to civil security: the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI) with research focuses in the areas of precautionary vaccines and the safety of biomedical pharmaceuticals; the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is the central federal reference body for public health and carries out application- and action-oriented research on detection, prevention and countermeasures for diseases and on the collection and treatment of health data, for example.

The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) also has responsibility for a range of authorities and research bodies that are active in civil security research.


In particular, these include the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), which carries out research work on topics such as preventative measures and the diagnosis and combating of animal diseases and zoonoses, and the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), which conducts research into food safety, protection of con-sumer health and risk assessment within the context of biological safety. Other relevant bodies here are

the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), the Max Rubner-Institut (MRI) – Federal Research Institute of Nutrition and Food, and the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) – Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants.

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture

Food must fulfil the highest safety requirements. Challenges in this regard are presented by the spread of pathogens by food, differing safety requirements along the entire food chain, and the introduction of new foods, utensils and other consumer items. Improving the protection of consumer health – this is one of the goals of civil security research.

The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and the authorities and research institutes under its control are also active in research on the issue of civil security. Research in food safety and production safety focuses mainly on protecting the health of consumers. The BMEL’s activities also con-centrate on preserving the health of livestock, which is an important prerequisite for food safety.

These functions are carried out by the following departmental research bodies in particular: • Max Rubner-Institut, Federal Research Institute

of Nutrition and Food (MRI) www.mri.bund.de/en

• Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI) – Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants www.jki.bund.de/en

• Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health (FLI) www.fli.bund.de/en

• Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) www.bfr.bund.de/en

• Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) www.bvl.bund.de/EN

The starting point for the MRI’s research is healthy nutrition, protection of consumer health in the nu-trition sector and the improvement of food quality.

Food quality is of fundamental importance for the preventative protection of consumers. In this regard, the MRI and BfR make important contributions in the area of security research with their research and evaluation of risks in the fields of food and nutri-tion. The BfR also investigates and evaluates residual matter and contaminants of various origins in ani-mal feed, cosmetics and other consumer items.

With its research into the biology of plant diseases and pests and its diagnostics work on damage to cul-tivated plants, the JKI contributes to food safety and to security of supply. The FLI carries out research for civil security particularly in the form of its work on protection against diseases and plagues in animals and on diseases that can be transmitted to humans.

This research is targeted at better and quicker diag-nostics, the development of prevention measures and the development of foundations for modern treatment strategies.

In addition, the BVL carries out various scenario-based research projects on civil security in coopera-tion with other institutions. The focus here is on developing and validating new crisis management concepts and tools.

Further information is available at: www.bmel.de/en


http://www.bmel.de/en

The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), which falls under the scope of activi-ties of the BMBF, is the competence centre for research and ongoing development in vocational training in Germany. The BIBB identifies future tasks in vocational training, promotes innovations in national and interna-tional vocational training and develops new, practically oriented solution recommendations for vocational training in areas such as security-related careers.

Institutional fundingIn the area of institutional non-university support, there are increasing efforts by the four major research organisations in particular – the Fraunhofer-Gesell-schaft (FhG), Helmholtz Association (HGF), Leibniz Association (WGL) and Max Planck Society (MPG) – to treat civil security as a research focus in its own right.

Within the framework of research cooperation pro-jects, numerous research bodies and interdisciplinary working groups, a broad range of both fundamental and application-oriented approaches are being pur-sued that will make an important contribution to the further development of civil security research.

For example, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is coordi-nating its research activities in the area of civil and defence-related security research mainly within the Fraunhofer Group for Defense and Security (VVS), which was founded in 2002. By combining its expertise in engineering and the natural sciences, this group with its current total of ten member institutes is putting important prerequisites in place for achieving progress in the future development of system- and technology-oriented innovations for civil security.

German Aerospace Centre

As part of the security research conducted by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), research and de-velopment activities that are relevant to defence and security are planned and managed in agreement with partners from the state, science and industry.

Over 20 institutes and bodies within the DLR are working on the interdisciplinary subject of security. These institutes and bodies are contributing to the development, testing and evaluation of technologies, systems and concepts for security-relevant applica-tions. The DLR possesses expertise in important system areas such as sensor technology, robotics, communication and earth observation.

With its satellites, data-reception infrastructures, nu-merous research aircraft and its specialised simula-tion environment, the DLR can make significant con-tributions to the protection of critical infrastructures, to crisis and disaster management and to protection against terrorism and organised crime. DLR is well-networked at national, European and global levels. With its research activities in civil security, the DLR is supporting Germany’s position in the European and international competitive environments.

Important examples of work in the area of security include: work on airport security; investigations of the influence of space weather on communication and energy infrastructures; developments in the area of partially and fully autonomous aircraft for use in disaster situations.

The DLR’s expertise in the area of security research is also demonstrated by its research activities in moni-toring movements of people at major events and the ongoing developments in transport management for crisis situations. With its Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI), the DLR is already able to quickly provide satellite-based information and data that can be used to support effective crisis and disas-ter management in crisis areas.

This service, which can be accessed around the clock every day of the year, was established in close coor-dination with the DLR’s scientific institutes on the basis of many years of research activities.

Further information is available in German at: www.dlr.de/Sicherheit


The expertise possessed by the Helmholtz Association, the largest science organisation in Germany, in the area of civil security is also being bundled in internal focuses for research and by establishing research bodies that involve a number of centres. For example, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) is planning and managing its research and development activities with relevance to defence and security in its Security focal area in coordination with partners from the state, business and industry.

Another example here is the “Center for Disaster Man-agement and Risk Reduction Technology” (CEDIM), an interdisciplinary research body of the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in the area of disaster management. Scientists from over 15 institutes are currently working here on topics such as improved understanding and early detection of natural and human-made risks and better management of the consequences of disasters.


5 GlossaryAd-hoc communication systems: Mobile, wireless communication systems that can connect with each other to form self-organising and self-configuring networks.

Authorities and organisations with responsibility for security: Term for state and non-state stakeholders that carry out tasks related to defence against internal risks – e.g. police, customs, non-profit organisations or private aid organisations and companies that are as-sociated with civilian protection.

Basic IT protection: A catalogue of standard security measures established at national level for risk mini-misation for the operation of information technology systems.

Critical infrastructures: Important organisations and facilities for a state, the failure or restriction of which would lead to long-term supply bottlenecks, significant negative impacts for public security or other dramatic consequences.

Cryptographic process: IT security process where data, information or communication is encrypted using mathematical procedures or transformations.

Cyber security: Cyber security is the target situation of an IT security state where the risks to cyberspace have been reduced to an acceptable level.

Cyberspace: Cyberspace is the virtual space of all IT systems that are networked on a data level on a global scale.

Data attack: Synonymous with the term “cyber attack”, refers to an attack carried out in cyberspace against one or more IT systems that aims to breach IT security and access or falsify data of another person or institution illegally or to sabotage or destroy IT infrastructures.

E-government: The term e-government (or “electronic government”) refers to the use of electronic informa-tion and communication technology in the implemen-tation of processes between state institutions and also with citizens and civil society.

Epidemic: An epidemic is a mass occurrence of disease within a population that is limited in terms of period and location.

Expanded concept of security: Refers to an under-standing of security which goes beyond the conven-tional definition of military security and which, in the context of globalisation, also includes civil aspects of security such as cultural, social, ecological and eco-nomic issues.

Field-programmable gate array (FPGA): Term for an integrated circuit (IC) in digital technology that can be programmed, updated or else fully reconfigured through its hardware at any time after the manufactur-ing process.

Geomagnetic storms: Disturbance to the earth‘s mag-netosphere caused by shockwave fronts from strong eruptions on the sun that modify the earth‘s magnetic field.

Honeynet: A (computer) network that deliberately includes security weaknesses with the aim of trapping potential hackers.

Interdependencies: General term for mutual depend-encies – e.g. the mutual dependency between critical infrastructures – where the failure of one component can lead to subsequent failures of other components.

Internet of Things: Innovative technology that will allow everyday objects, products, machines or spaces to be linked using the Internet and to exchange informa-tion and interact with their surroundings.

Mass casualty incident (MCI): A mass casualty incident is an emergency with a large number of injured or sick persons and other affected persons that cannot be dealt with by the available rescue service resources that are ready to respond.

Metrology: Metrology is the science of measurements and measurement systems and is also used in a broader sense for the “science and technology of measure-ment”, which is concerned with the recording, process-ing, presentation and transfer of information from various processes.


Pandemic: A pandemic is – in contrast with an epi-demic – the mass occurrence of a disease in a number of countries or continents.

Population protection: Umbrella term for all non-police tasks and measures by municipalities and states in the area of disaster protection and by the Federal Government in the area of civil protection.

Privacy by design: The concept of “privacy by design” (or integrated data protection) aims to integrate the protection of privacy and data into the specifications and architecture of information and communication systems and technologies right from an early stage.

Resilience: Term which originated in the field of cybernetics and which describes a system‘s tolerance or capacity for resistance with respect to disruptive external influences.

RFID transponder: The abbreviation “RFID” stands for “Radio Frequency Identification”. The word “tran-sponder” is a combination of the terms “transmitter” and “responder” (other common terms are: RFID stickers, RFID tags or RFID labels). With the aid of RFID transponders, stored data can be read or saved without direct contact and without visual contact using radio waves.

SARS: Abbreviation for “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome”. An infectious disease that leads to serious breathing difficulties and high fever, coughing and a sore throat, and – in severe cases – can even be life-threatening.

Security by design: “Security by design” refers to an integrated design approach that includes security requirements as a basis for planning at an early stage in the development of products, IT applications or busi-ness models, for example.

Security culture: The totality of opinions, values and practices of individuals and organisations that decide what is to be regarded as a threat and which counter-measures are to be used against these threats.

Self-determination with respect to information: Refers to the basic right of every person to decide how their own personal data will be disclosed and used.

Side channel attacks: Side channel attacks are a particular form of hacker attack that attempt to make deductions about secret information by measuring physical quantities (e.g. radiation, supply current) of a device.

Smart Grid: The term “smart grid” refers to the interconnection and controlling of intelligent gen-erators, storage equipment, loads and grid operation equipment in energy transmission and distribution grids with the aid of information and communication technology.

Social media: Digital media that can be used to com-municate interactively with others. The means of communication used here include text, images, audio and/ or video.

Telemedical applications: Applications that use tele-communication for diagnosis and therapy for diseases.

Toxins: Toxins (from the Greek word “toxíne”, poison-ous substance) refer to toxic substances produced by micro-organisms, plants or animals that damage or-ganisms by disrupting their physiological metabolism.

Triaging: A term commonly used in disaster health-care (derived from the French verb “trier” = to sort) for the process of deciding on the further treatment and treatment priority of injured persons when human and material resources are limited.

Trusted computing: This term describes new ap-proaches for improving computer security by using trustworthy hardware and software components.

Unreported crime: Term from the field of criminal-istics that refers to the difference between officially registered crimes and the crimes actually committed.

51GLOSSARY

Vectors: The term “vector” (from the Latin “vector”, i.e. a carrier, puller or transporter) refers broadly to a car-rier (e.g. an insect) of pathogens that cause infectious diseases in the fields of biology and medicine.

Zoonoses: Zoonoses (from the Greek words “zoon”, liv-ing organism, and “nosos”, sickness) are infectious dis-eases that can be transmitted from animals to humans and from humans to animals.


Imprint

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