Against the backdrop of extreme weather events, pandemics, sabotage, and ongoing geopolitical developments, the resilience of digital infrastructures has never been more critical. On 20 April 2026, a new platform dedicated to addressing this challenge will convene for the first time: the Cross-State Forum on Network Resilience, hosted at the darmstadtium Science and Congress Centre in Darmstadt.

Organised on behalf of the Hessian Ministry of Digitalisation and Innovation by the newly established Coordination Office for Network and Communication Resilience at Breitbandbüro Hessen (HTAI), the forum brings together stakeholders from across state borders — including telecommunications companies, solution providers, and representatives of Hessian municipalities — to exchange knowledge and develop shared approaches to securing digital network infrastructure.

Diverse program with speakers from research and practice

The program combines keynote addresses, debate formats, and interactive scenario exercises. Participants will explore crisis scenarios and potential technical solutions, while municipal best-practice cases and the latest research findings will also be presented.

emergenCITY will be represented by Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt, Director of the DiReX Application Centre and Co-Speaker of the LOEWE Centre emergenCITY at TU Darmstadt. In her contribution “Ganzheitliche digitale Resilienz auf Basis starker Netze”, she will address how cutting-edge research from Darmstadt can strengthen Germany’s resilience. Her talk is scheduled for 10:10 pm.

The forum opens with a keynote by Hessian Minister for Digitalisation and Innovation Prof. Dr. Kristina Sinemus, followed by contributions from senior figures in crisis management, civil-military cooperation, and critical infrastructure protection. The afternoon features short pitches presenting concrete solutions for greater network redundancy, practical insights from municipalities, and an outlook on innovations from research — including the latest findings from the cross-state Open6GHub+ research project and a look at resilience in 6G mobile standards.

Further information on the agenda and registration is available via the official forum page.

Date: Monday, 20 April 2026 from 09:15 am to 3:30 pm

Location: darmstadtium – Wissenschafts- und Kongresszentrum, Schlossgraben 1, 64283 Darmstadt

Registration and program: breitbandbuero-hessen.de