Research AreasSecurity (also encompassing safety, reliability, risk, privacy and trust) concerns all of us without exception. It is not a concept that can be approached from a single point of view. Instead, it must be addressed from a very broad perspective, including different communities and disciplines with different points of view. For example, security in an open space such as a train station represents a conglomerate of trust (both on people, machines and the security procedures), privacy (e.g., when disclosing personal information or using RFID technology), safety and reliability (on the trains and computer systems) as well as risk. Such a scenario cannot be addressed from a single discipline in isolation.
The theme of security is topical and explosive. An interdisciplinary approach is necessary due to the breadth of the subject involved. Researchers from technical subjects, the humanities and social scientists are therefore carrying out research together.
Within the framework of the research initiative it is planned that the existing competences in technology, natural science and social science as well as the humanities concerning the topic of security are to be concentrated together at the Leibniz Universität Hannover in order to create an interdisciplinary forum for questions concerning security research. The concentration of joint activities is to lead to the development of acknowledged specialist competence at the Leibniz Universität Hannover in the field of security research with the goal of successfully acquiring funding for this topic in the future.
The research initiative consists of the two main areas of ‘the establishment of a central coordination office’ and ‘starting work on an interdisciplinary pilot project’. The declared goal is the application for a Collaborative Research Centre on the subject of security.
