Research and development on the security and resilience of 5G/6G technologies and infrastructures
Main topic 4 includes two areas:
4a: Secure supply chains for campus networks
Through funded research and development work, the aim is to establish secure supply chains for the construction and operation of so-called campus networks. Secure supply chains in this area can strengthen the digital sovereignty of Germany and the EU. It is already foreseeable that numerous companies and organisations will establish or expand such private networks based on 5G technology. Technological developments such as Open-RAN offer new opportunities in radio access technology.
Research should be conducted into how a secure supply chain can be established with developed products and solutions - if necessary, together with other providers. As far as possible, technologies and companies from Germany and Europe should be used. Own products and solutions should play a central role, so that non-European dependencies can be reduced and alternatives to current supply chains can be created. IT security should be considered from the very beginning. The supply chains should be marketable and suitable for many companies and organisations.
Who is eligible to apply: The projects are to be carried out in a network with several partners, for example from the areas of manufacturing, system integration, application, operation and security expertise. The networks should represent the entire value chain and be led by one company.
4b: Security innovations to increase the resilience of 5G infrastructures
In this thematic focus, the development of products, solutions and services, but also of methods and processes that support the secure use of 5G/6G is in the foreground. Security innovations that increase the resilience of infrastructures are in demand. This includes, for example, the provision of minimum functions for network infrastructures in the event of incidents or the development of sensor technology to detect and mitigate incidents.
The introduction of 5G is giving rise to many new fields of application such as Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC) or Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communications (uRLLC). For these areas, too, the issue of security plays a major role. In addition, the use of multi-access edge computing has other protection goals than, for example, voice communication or mobile internet access. For example, the resilience of 5G-based infrastructures to disruptive attacks (so-called jamming) must be significantly increased in order to make 5G technology reliable for automated driving.
Universities and research and educational institutions in association with at least one company can apply for funding for the fourth priority area.
Contact person on technical issues
Matthias Weber
E-mail: kopa45@bsi.bund.de
