Cyber-Defence Campus: Strengthening Switzerland’s Cyber Defence

This year's Cyber-Defence Campus Conference will take place on Wednesday, 29 October 2025, at the Kursaal Bern. The main theme of the conference is ‘The Role of Cyber in Conflicts and (Hybrid) Warfare’. We look forward to welcoming experts and interested parties from government, industry and academia to this conference.

On 14 May 2025, the Federal Council acknowledged the first implementation report on the National Cyberstrategy (NCS). The report showed substantial progress in the implementation of the five strategic goals of the NCS, from strengthening self-empowerment to international cooperation. The Cyber-Defence (CYD) Campus makes important contributions in many of these areas, through research, innovation promotion and practically oriented cyber exercises.

On Wednesday, 21 May 2025, the Technology Day of the Cyber-Defence Campus provided a practical demonstration of the technological innovations that already exist today and will be necessary for use tomorrow.

The Cyber-Defence Campus announces that its founding director, Dr. Vincent Lenders, will leave the campus at the end of July 2025. Dr. Lenders established the CYD Campus in 2019 on behalf of the head of the DDPS as a fundamental part of the DDPS's and the nation's cyber strategy (DDPS and NCS Cyber Strategy). Under his visionary leadership, the Cyber-Defence Campus quickly established itself as a key pillar in Switzerland's cyber defence.

From February 3rd to 7th, the BACS (building automation and control systems) hackathon of the Cyber-Defence Campus took place in Thun. Participants had the opportunity to test real HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) systems, analyze security vulnerabilities, and develop defense strategies. In addition to an open research track, the event offered intensive training in firmware analysis and network security. The focus was on expert exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration

American security agencies have confirmed serious vulnerabilities in the collision warning system used in civil aviation. A research project conducted on the tarmac by the Cyber-Defence Campus in collaboration with Italian researchers has contributed significantly to the discovery of these vulnerabilities.

The Cyber Security team of the Cyber-Defence Campus is dedicated to promoting innovative research and solutions to secure the digital landscape of today and tomorrow. The team combines in-depth expertise on challenges in various areas of cyber security, thus contributing to national resilience against evolving cyber threats.