Whether it was the devastating flooding in the Ahr Valley, the widespread power outage in Berlin, or extreme weather across large parts of Germany – the past few years have shown just how vulnerable our society is in crisis situations. With the opening of the SIRIOS Lab, Fraunhofer FOKUS brings to life the vision of the Fraunhofer SIRIOS Center – a consortium of the Fraunhofer institutes EMI (Freiburg), FOKUS (Berlin), IOSB (Karlsruhe), and IVI (Dresden) in the field of security research – tangibly real and allowing complex security scenarios to be experienced holistically in a simulated system environment – from critical infrastructure failures to evacuation measures and crisis communication.

SIRIOS stands for the “security of socio-technical systems,” i.e., the secure interaction between people and technologies in our modern society. With the help of digital building and infrastructure twins, coupled simulations, and interactive visualizations, an environment is created in which emergency response organizations, government agencies, academia, and operators of critical infrastructure can test novel methods and technologies in a realistic setting.

Impulses at the opening

At the start of the event, attended by around 30 invited guests, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft emphasized: “Increasing the resilience of the economy and society is a central goal of our research. Fraunhofer brings together a broad spectrum of technical expertise to advance the field of resilience research based on a wide variety of technological, social science, and economic methods. We must be aware that resilience does not emerge in the moment of crisis, but through an understanding of critical dependencies, forward-looking research, and joint preparation. This is precisely where this lab comes in: It creates a space where we can make risks transparent, develop robust courses of action, and test the interaction of all stakeholders under realistic conditions. Resilience is the prerequisite for security – and security is the foundation for a sovereign and functioning society. With the SIRIOS Lab, we are making a decisive contribution to this.”

In his welcoming remarks, Prof. Dr. Manfred Hauswirth, Director of Fraunhofer FOKUS, explained that the new lab will be a central platform for interdisciplinary exchange. Hauswirth explained: “In the SIRIOS Lab, we use state-of-the-art simulations to make complex security situations transparent and analyzable – from critical dependencies to dynamic information flows. At the same time, we are creating a realistic training environment that allows us to specifically strengthen the training and continuing education of security and rescue personnel and better prepare them for interconnected crisis scenarios.”

Christian Hochgrebe, State Secretary for the Interior of the State of Berlin: “The SIRIOS Lab in Berlin is a milestone for public safety. It enables us to simulate complex crisis scenarios realistically, improve collaboration between research, administration, and emergency responders, and identify threats early on. The lab helps us develop targeted measures to sustainably increase the safety of Berliners.”

Prof. Dr. Karsten Homrighausen, State Fire Director of the Berlin Fire Department, focused on the operational level: “For emergency responders, every second counts – and every detail. Simulations like those in the SIRIOS Lab allow us to train procedures, improve decision-making, and become more resilient together before an emergency occurs.”

The SIRIOS Lab: Bringing Safety to Life

A central highlight of the opening was the presentation of a crisis scenario by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Meissen, Haead of the business unit "Collaborative Safety and Security" at Fraunhofer FOKUS.

In the SIRIOS Lab, such scenarios are visualized in a realistic manner – visitors experience firsthand how control centers, sensor systems, emergency responders, and the public must work together in an emergency.

The lab’s exhibition areas represent key stakeholders in public safety and interactively demonstrate how legal, organizational, and technical components interlock. The lab continuously integrates new research findings and allows end-user feedback from exercises and workshops to be directly incorporated into further development.

Discussion: “Crisis-Resilient Together”

To conclude, representatives from key organizations discussed the future of networked civil protection in a panel discussion moderated by Daniel Hiller (Fraunhofer EMI). On the panel, Klaus-Dieter Büttgen (THW), Andrej Philippi (KKI e. V.), Prof. Dr. Manfred Hauswirth (Fraunhofer FOKUS), and Colonel Urs Zimmermann (Berlin Regional Command). The focus was on the challenges of interconnected crisis situations and the question of how digital simulations and joint, scientifically grounded experimental spaces – such as the SIRIOS Lab – can strengthen federal structures.