The digital networks that characterise today’s world, together with the demographic change occuring in Germany and the growing frequency of extreme events are resulting in the emergence of the new threats that are increasing the vulnerability of our modern industrialised society. Combined with the continual diversification of safety and security risks, this means that disasters are capable of causing ever more serious harm. In order to continue protecting people and infrastructure against future environmental, economic and social damage, it will be necessary to firmly embed preventive measures in our society and ensure that the right lessons are learned from the past.
The concept of resilience provides a holistic approach to this problem that attaches equal importance to the technological and social dimensions and helps to minimise the threats to our safety and security. Acchordingliy, acatech – National Academie of Science and Engineering launched the “Resilien-Tech” project with the aim of improving our understanding of this concept and enabling security researchers to put it to practical use.
The authors of this STUDY analyse the concept of resilience from a civil security research perspectice, with particular emphasis on the issue of critical infrastructure protection. They also identify concrete approaches to developing resilient technological and socioeconomic systems.