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H-BRS and Hochschule Niederrhein: working together for more cyber security

Thursday 10 April 2025

Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (H-BRS) and Hochschule Niederrhein work closely together to train cyber security specialists. Together they run the Cyber Campus NRW, a unique training centre in Germany. The Cyber Campus NRW Symposium, which was held for the first time in Sankt Augustin, showed once again that there is a great need for action in the field of digital security - and that innovative research has something to counter the risks.

From the Internet of Things and mobile networks to the organisation of information security in companies: The range of topics covered at the research conference at Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg made it clear that cyber security is a field of action with numerous and very different challenges. The conference was organised by the Department of Computer Science and the Cyber Campus NRW. Working groups from both universities presented current research findings in lectures and an exhibition and put them up for discussion. Around 80 guests from science, business and administration came together at the network meeting.

University President Marion Halfmann drew attention to the enormous demand for specialists in the field of cyber security. Photo: Miriam Kist

The Cyber Campus NRW is a merger of the Hochschule Niederrhein in Krefeld and Mönchengladbach and the Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg in Sankt Augustin. The two universities of applied sciences are pooling their skills in the future topic of cyber security to offer a comprehensive range of services in teaching, research, counselling and further education. Both universities offer dedicated cyber security degree programmes, each with its own focus. Around 1,000 students are currently enrolled on one of the Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes, including police officers from North Rhine-Westphalia who are studying digital forensics part-time alongside their active service.

The collaboration extends far beyond the two universities. Important partners include other scientific facilities and state and federal authorities and municipalities, which were therefore also represented at the research conference.

In her welcoming address, University President Marion Halfmann used impressive figures to illustrate the dimensions of the need for action. She referred to a study by the World Economic Forum, according to which the global cybersecurity labour gap could reach 85 million workers by 2030. Her conclusion: "We need to train what we can."

Professor Hannes Tschofenig presented current research findings on the "Internet of Things". Photo: Miriam Kist

The two universities have different focuses when it comes to qualifying students: The Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences offers the degree programmes "Cyber Security Management" and "Digital Forensics". Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg has been offering the specialisation "Information Security" in the bachelor's and Master's degree programme in Computer Science for many years, from which the independent bachelor's degree programme "Cyber Security & Privacy" was created in the winter semester 2021/22. The Master's degree programme of the same name was launched in the winter semester 2023/24.

"Our most important contribution to the Cyber Campus NRW are interlinked Bachelor's degree programmes to teach technical and methodological skills in the field of IT security as well as Master's degree programmes for students who later want to take on partial responsibility for the security of IT systems with advanced skills and the necessary future skills," says Professor Sascha Alda, Dean of the Department of Computer Science.

The high social relevance of the topic of cyber security for everyday life was highlighted by Professor Michael Rademacher in his lecture on "IT security of mobile networks in critical applications". He sees numerous benefits for the citizens of a city in increasing digitisation, such as improved traffic flow on roads and railways or the monitoring of heat, noise and air pollution. At the same time, says the computer scientist, "there are new opportunities for cyber attacks. It is therefore crucial to consider key security aspects such as availability and confidentiality from the outset."

The subsequent panel discussion focussed on specific needs and expectations from the field. Experts from both universities, including Ulrich Kelber and Arne Schönbohm, debated with experts from business and administration. Ulrich Kelber, the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information until July 2024, is an adjunct professor at Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg. The latter also applies to Arne Schönbohm, the former head of the Federal Office for Information Security