News
Working together for greater resilience
New civil defence network established
25/09/2026
Natural disasters, cyber-attacks, threats to the energy supply and other disruptions to critical infrastructure pose complex challenges for civil protection and disaster management. To ensure they remain capable of acting even under difficult conditions, the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, the Munich Fire Brigade and VDE Bavaria have established the Civil Protection Network (ZSN).
It brings together people and organisations from the fields of academia, operational practice, critical infrastructure, politics and business to identify challenges at an early stage, pool expertise and jointly develop technical and organisational solutions.
Why the network is needed
For Prof. Dr. Sonja Munz, Vice-President for Research, civil security is once again taking centre stage: “The challenges facing our society require cooperation. As Hochschule München, we want to help ensure that our knowledge has an impact and is put into practice. The Civil Protection Network lays the foundations for this.”
Mona Fuchs, Deputy Mayor of the State Capital of Munich, emphasises the importance of the network in light of the changing security situation: “It is our duty as politicians to create the conditions that enable the many full-time and voluntary emergency services personnel to protect others. They deserve our deepest gratitude for sometimes risking their own health and lives. Their commitment extends to everyone, regardless of their background, income or social status. After all, in a crisis, we are all equal.”
Ensuring communication in a crisis
At the first meeting, it became clear that effective communication during a crisis is essential and must be further developed. Public authorities must be able to exchange information even if regular communication channels fail, in order to coordinate measures and remain capable of taking action. The question arose as to how information could be passed on even in the event of a network failure. A communication cube is to be developed for this purpose. This compact unit receives information and passes it on to the next unit. This creates a robust mesh communication network in which data is relayed via several interconnected units.
From a teaching project to practical application
One of the network’s objectives is to develop specific technical solutions for civil protection and disaster management. To this end, the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology wishes to design a teaching project. As part of this, students will develop the software and system integration for a drone capable of autonomously flying over and mapping a defined outdoor area. Using specialised sensors, it will detect hazardous substances in the air, record measurement values with pinpoint accuracy and locate areas that may be contaminated. Such a drone could be deployed on site more quickly and flexibly in the event of an incident, thereby providing a more precise picture of the situation.
The Civil Protection Network meets for joint working sessions every six months. The next session, scheduled for February 2027, is currently being planned. In the period between meetings, the ideas and projects initiated there are further developed and prepared for implementation. “We don’t want to think in terms of one event after another; we want to make a difference,” says Prof. Dr. Benjamin Kormann, Dean of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at Hochschule München and co-initiator of the network.
Further information:About the Civil Defence Network