Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems
Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems

REAKT

Resilient real-time platform for coordinating cross-sectoral capacities and communication in the event of trauma and crises

© Philipp Plum / Fraunhofer FOKUS

REAKT is developing a digital, interoperable platform that provides real-time, cross-sectoral visibility of critical medical resources, patient flows and supply chains in crisis situations. The aim is to create a solution that not only works from a technical perspective, but can also be developed in collaboration with hospitals, public authorities and industry, and integrated into existing care structures – developed as a proof of concept within the Berlin Trauma Network and, in the long term, scalable across the nationwide trauma networks of the German Society for Trauma Surgery (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Unfallchirurgie e. V.).

Background

The coordinated care of casualties in crisis situations – ranging from an acute mass casualty incident (MCI) to protracted crisis situations – requires the real-time recording and cross-sectoral management of medical resources – from bed and operating theatre capacities, through blood products, to sterilisation capacities and staffing levels. However, existing systems in the healthcare sector operate largely in isolation; they are not interoperable and are not designed to meet the specific requirements of crisis scenarios. There is a lack of approaches that bring together heterogeneous data sources within a federated system and function resiliently even under crisis conditions – such as when communication infrastructure is disrupted.

Objective

REAKT is developing a digital, interoperable platform that provides real-time, cross-sector visibility of critical medical resources, patient flows and supply chains in crisis situations. The aim is to create a solution that not only works from a technical perspective but can also be developed in collaboration with hospitals, public authorities and industry, and integrated into existing care structures – developed as a proof of concept within the Berlin Trauma Network and, in the long term, scalable across the nationwide trauma networks of the German Society for Trauma Surgery (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Unfallchirurgie e. V.)

Approach and contribution by Fraunhofer FOKUS

Fraunhofer FOKUS is responsible for the methodological and technical core of the project:

  • Design of a federated, interoperable ecosystem that brings together heterogeneous data sources from the healthcare and civil protection sectors in a crisis-resilient manner
  • Modelling and simulation of resilient 5G communication networks as a digital twin to investigate failure scenarios and alternative communication paths – such as satellite connections
  • Development of an integrated simulation environment that maps patient flows, resource availability and infrastructure within a consistent overall model
  • Immersive visualisation of selected simulation scenarios in the newly designed SIRIOS Lab as a venue for research, demonstration and knowledge transfer to hospitals, public authorities, industry and policymakers

Innovations and Prospects

To date, there has been no approach within the German healthcare system that systematically brings together heterogeneous data sources from hospitals, civil protection and medical engineering logistics within a federated, crisis-resilient ecosystem. REAKT is breaking new ground here by considering interoperability, data sovereignty and resilience as an integrated whole from the outset. The precise design of the platform forms part of the research work and will be developed in collaboration with the partners as the project progresses.

Following the proof of concept within the Berlin Trauma Network, it is conceivable that the approach could be extended to other DGU trauma network hospitals, as well as to other crisis scenarios such as pandemics, infectious disease outbreaks or the care of patients with severe burns.

Funding: German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), grant guideline “Cross-sectoral measures for resilient care”

Consortium coordination: Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Partners: Fraunhofer FOKUS, Fraunhofer ISST, Robert Koch Institute, AUC – Academy of Trauma Surgery, Capgemini Germany

Associated partners: including the Berlin Senate Department for Science, Health and Care, the hospitals of the Berlin Trauma Platform, the Bundeswehr Hospital in Berlin, Miele Professional, Aesculap AG/B. Braun, and the German Society for Trauma Surgery e. V.

Duration: 08/2026 – 07/2029 (36 months)

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