CYD Campus conferences

The Cyber-Defence Campus conference took place on 28 September 2021 in collaboration with the CRITIS 2021 (international Conference on Critical information Infrastructures Security). At the conference, experts from academia and industry held talks on key topics in the area of critical infrastructure protection. The conference brought together stakeholders from government, industry and academia to exchange insights on current and future challenges and drivers in cyberspace.

Cyber Startup Challenge

In order to discover the startup technology landscape and to submit innovative and concrete solutions for the protection of critical infrastructures to the DDPS, the Cyber Startup Challenge of the CYD Campus was held for the first time in 2020.

With this year’s slogan«Boost your Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC)», innovative technological solutions in the field of cyber threat intelligence with a focus on critical infrastructure protection are sought. The technology of the winning company should have a significant impact on the daily work of cyber defence in Switzerland and will be integrated in the existing infrastructure of the DDPS. 

As a result of the changing ecosystem and the increasing threat of cyber attacks in all spheres of life, the Swiss government has declared cyber security a central and national security concern.

The Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport DDPS thus adopted the first action plan for DDPS cyber defence (APCD) in 2016. In view of the rapid development of the cyber threat situation over the last five years, the new Strategy Cyber DDPS has been developed for the period 2021-2024, and is based on the action plan. Both the action plan and the new Strategy Cyber DDPS are coordinated with the overarching National Strategy for the Protection of Switzerland against Cyber Risks (NCS). As the focus of the Strategy Cyber DDPS, the Head of the DDPS, Federal Councillor Viola Amherd, defines the areas of activity and the corresponding distribution of tasks. The CYD Campus has the following three key tasks:

• Early identification of trends in the cyber area: This includes comprehensive technology and market monitoring, international scouting of startups and maintaining a cooperation network.
• Research and innovation of cyber technologies: Through the cooperation with universities and industry, emerging cyber risks are identified and innovative solutions developed to effectively counter threats in cyberspace. In addition, the CYD Campus aims to ensure and enhance the security and resilience of existing cyber systems.
• Training cyber specialists: At the CYD Campus, talents are educated at master, PhD and postdoc level, and academic interns are trained for future challenges. In addition, CYD Campus subject matter experts define and supervise numerous student projects.