FAQ on the Cyberagentur
The Cyberagentur team has set out with the mission of contributing to Germany’s future cyber security. The major aim is to harness key technologies and groundbreaking innovations that will help to enable and improve internal and external security.
First of all, we are asking ourselves many questions: What capabilities need to be expanded and developed in order to recognize threats from and in cyberspace, prevent them and respond appropriately? What trends and developments are there and what challenges will this pose for securing cyberspace in the future? What will Germany and Europe need to be able to do in ten to 15 years’ time in order to keep cyberspace secure for individuals, the economy, government agencies and society? What tools, knowledge and skills do criminologists, IT security experts, Bundeswehr soldiers and intelligence service employees need to counter new and old threats in global cyberspace?
The Cyberagentur focuses on the specific issues of those who work for internal and external security on a daily basis: The key technologies and ground-breaking innovations are primarily intended to be helpful for the work of authorities and organizations with security tasks, the German Armed Forces and intelligence services.
The Cyberagentur is headed by Prof. Dr. Christian Hummert and Bettina Bubnys.
Cyberspace is generally defined as the infrastructure that connects digital communication channels and information flows worldwide. The Internet plays a central role in this. In this global flow of data, the traditional boundaries between the outside and the inside become blurred.
Given the immense importance of cyberspace in everyone’s daily lives, cybersecurity is not only of central importance but also has many facets. It centers both on cybercrime—where the internet is used as a tool for committing crimes or where crimes are committed virtually—and on the protection of critical (communications) infrastructure on land, in the deep sea, and in space.
The key technologies themselves are also crucial. Only those who can thoroughly examine existing and future hardware and software for potential backdoors and vulnerabilities can use them with confidence. Only those who keep pace with developments
- in machine learning,
- with robotics,
- Brain-computer interfaces,
- Quantum technology or
- Encryption method
If you keep up with the latest developments and understand and comprehend the underlying mechanisms, you can use them with confidence.
Given the already significant and ever-growing role that cyberspace plays in the daily lives of every individual, as well as in business, government, and society, the range of topics we cover is also broad.
In general, there is a particular focus on the following topics:
- trustworthy and resilient information technology,
- Human-technology interaction and
- Artificial intelligence.
Specifically, we are currently also dealing with issues relating to
- Quantum technology,
- Space and maritime security,
- Bionics and brain-computer interfaces,
- predictive analytics and autonomous systems and
- Cryptography.
No, although the Cyberagentur team has a clear focus on research and innovation, it does not conduct research itself.
Once we have identified key technologies and areas with high innovation potential for cybersecurity—in consultation with experts from government agencies and institutions—we develop programs and projects. On this basis, we commission teams composed of researchers from academia and industry to seek solutions—and support the research process throughout its entire duration. Our primary focus is on high-risk projects that, if successful, will have a significant impact. The findings are made available to the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Cyberagentur’s team also relies on the expertise of IT professionals—but that’s not all.
A new era must be ushered in in the field of research and development: knowledge, skills, and information are now much more decentralized and widely dispersed. We want to bring together various research areas and academic disciplines.
That is why we are looking for colleagues with diverse perspectives—for example, those with experience in the fields of security, engineering, and information technology; future and scenario analysis; philosophy, law, the social sciences, and economics; and peace and conflict studies.
We are convinced that a key to successful innovation lies in an interdisciplinary approach. We want to bring together various research areas and academic disciplines—creating a network of expertise for data network security.
The establishment of an “Agentur für Innovation in der Cybersicherheit” (Cyberagentur) was enshrined in the coalition agreement by the CDU, CSU, and SPD coalition partners in March 2018—and approved by the Federal Cabinet in the summer of that same year.
The federal government must not stand idly by while the use of sensitive information technology with high security implications in Germany is controlled by third countries, said Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) in the summer of 2018 regarding the idea of a cyber agency. “With the establishment of the Cyberagentur, Germany should take the lead—or at least a top position—in cybersecurity by international standards.” The then-Federal Minister of Defense, Ursula von der Leyen (CDU), added that the state must fulfill a protective role in the digital world—and take responsibility for doing so.
Under this mandate, the Cyberagentur was established by the Federal Government in the summer of 2020 as a limited liability company (GmbH) under private-sector law and has been under development ever since. The Federal Republic of Germany is the sole shareholder. It is represented jointly by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building, and Homeland and the Federal Ministry of Defense.
The Cyberagentur does not award any grants, but invites tenders for specific research contracts. In doing so, it uses various public procurement instruments. The Cyberagentur has 80 million euros at its disposal each year, the majority of which is to flow into research projects.
The Cyberagentur is part of the federal government’s “Regional Strategy,” which aims to ensure equal living conditions throughout Germany. During the 2017–2021 legislative period, the federal government decided to implement a package of measures to usher in“a new phase of policy aimed at equalizing opportunities across regions.”A central component of this strategy is the aim of creating new jobs through the establishment of new federal agencies and research institutions, as well as spin-offs from existing ones. The federal government’s annual report on the status of German unity, published in the summer of 2021, listed more than two dozen such establishments, including the Cyberagentur (see table, page 27).
Even before the agency was established, the federal government had agreed with the states of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt that the Cyberagentur would be headquartered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in the long term.
The Federal Ministry of Defense, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Homeland Affairs, and the State Chancelleries of Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony have reached an agreement on the permanent location of the Agentur für Innovation in der Cybersicherheit GmbH (Cyberagentur). They have committed to establishing the Cyberagentur’s permanent headquarters in Halle (Saale). In November 2022, the Cyberagentur moved into its new offices on Große Steinstraße.
FAQ on careers
You apply exclusively via our website and will also receive a confirmation of receipt directly. Depending on the number of applicants and the application period, we will get back to you no later than 1-2 weeks after the end of the application period. As a rule, our selection process is a two-stage process, starting with an initial virtual interview via Teams. If everything suits both sides, we will invite you to a personal interview at the Cyberagentur. The interviews are usually attended by the respective heads of department and/or unit, a member of the HR department and a member of the works council.
Please send an e-mail to bewerbung@cyberagentur.de
Structured onboarding starts in the first few days, initially with organizational and then technical topics. The first six weeks are spent in person, also to gradually get to know all colleagues personally.
Interested in working at the Cyberagentur
?
Take a look at our current vacancies.