AkoS: Certifying and Updating Complex Systems as a Whole
AkoS: Certifying and Updating Complex Systems as a Whole
The Cyberagentur has published a call for expressions of interest for the "Updating and Certifying Complex Systems" (German: „Aktualisierung und Zertifizierung komplexer Systeme“, short: AkoS) program.
The Agentur für Innovation in der Cybersicherheit GmbH (Cyberagentur) has published the call for expressions of interest for AkoS. The agency invites ideas from academia and industry that show to comprehensively update and certify complex systems more quickly and securely in the future.
The aim of the planned research program “Updating and Certifying Complex Systems” (AkoS) is to identify new approaches that will allow security-critical complex systems to be updated more quickly, tested more comprehensively, and certified more efficiently.
Complex systems consist of a series of subsystems (system of systems). Their security does not result solely from the security of their individual components, but also from the interaction between these components, their interfaces, and dependencies. Especially in safety-critical systems, such as frigates or power plants, these dependencies can have significant implications for cybersecurity.
The point of departure is a structural problem: Critical systems are subject to strict regulations and certification requirements. At the same time, certification and recertification processes are often time- and resource-intensive. In practice, this can lead to already certified systems not being updated, or only being updated with delays, in order to avoid new testing procedures. However, this is precisely what creates security risks, because outdated systems may contain known vulnerabilities.
AkoS is therefore addresses research questions that enable updates and certification to be carried out quickly, efficiently, and securely.
Through the call for expressions of interest, the Cyberagentur invites businesses, startups, universities, and research institutions to submit assessments, concept sketches, andresearch questions. The feedback helps to refine the planned research program and identify additional research needs.
Participation works via an online survey at: https://t1p.de/8ddnp
The call for expressions of interest was also published on the European Union’s procurement portal: https://ted.europa.eu/de/notice/-/detail/319908-2026
Responses may be submitted through June 19, 2026 (11:59 p.m., CEST). The AkoS group at the Cyberagentur will answer any questions regarding the process via email at: akos-ibv@cyberagentur.de.
Contact:
Agency for Innovation in Cybersecurity GmbH
Große Steinstraße 19
06108 Halle (Saale)
Michael Lindner
Press Officer
Phone: +49 151 44150 645
Email: presse@cyberagentur.de
Background: Cyberagentur
The Agentur für Innovation in der Cybersicherheit GmbH (Cyberagentur) was founded in 2020 by the German Federal Government as a wholly owned in-house entity of the German Federal Government under the joint leadership of the German Federal Ministry of Defence and the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, with the aim of adopting an application-strategy-oriented and interministerial perspective on internal and external security in the field of cybersecurity. Against this backdrop, the work of the Cyberagentur is primarily aimed at the institutionalized implementation of highly innovative projects that carry a high risk with regard to achieving their objectives but, at the same time, have the potential to cause significant disruption if successful.
The Cyberagentur is an integral part of the National Security Strategy of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Cyberagentur is led by Prof. Dr. Christian Hummert as Scientific Director and Bettina Bubnys as Commercial Director.
Wissenschaftlicher Ansprechpartner:
Dr. Nathalie Lang, Research Officer Cybersecurity of Complex Systems
Originalpublikation:
https://www.cyberagentur.de/en/press/akos-komplexe-systeme-im-ganzen-zertifizieren-und-aktualisieren/
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