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Communication despite electromagnetic shielding
Cyberagentur launches €15 million research programme to enable information transmission through conductive materials
On 18 August 2025, the Agentur für Innovation in der Cybersicherheit GmbH (Cyberagentur) published the call for proposals for the ZANDER-F research programme. With a budget of over 15 million euros, the programme aims to research innovative technologies that will enable communication and imaging through conductive barriers such as Faraday cages for the first time. The five-year project addresses critical needs of German special forces and could revolutionise communication technology.
Whether in container ships during anti-piracy operations, in metal industrial plants or underground facilities – wherever electromagnetic radiation is attenuated by metal, conventional communication technologies reach their limits. The ZANDER-F research programme (Future Alternative News and Data Transmission under Difficult Conditions – Faraday Cage) aims to overcome these physical barriers.
The development is based on direct requirements from the German Federal Police, whose special units have to operate in the most complex scenarios. From hostage rescues on the high seas to rescue missions in collapsed regions – robust communication links over short and long ranges and precise imaging techniques are crucial for the success of the mission.
"Overcoming Faraday cages is one of the most fascinating challenges in modern communications technology," explains Dr Aljoscha Rörig, research officer for secure systems and programme manager at ZANDER-F. "Successful solutions would not only significantly support rescue operations, but also provide security forces with completely new tools."
The technology-neutral research programme focuses on completely new approaches that go beyond conventional radio technology. Promising areas of research include plasmonic processes, in which electromagnetic waves are conducted over metal surfaces, electromechanical methods for generating low-frequency signals, and even the use of subatomic particles for information transmission.
The potential applications extend far beyond military and police operations: in border security, the technology could help detect the smuggling of people, drugs or weapons- s through metal containers. In natural disasters, people buried under rubble could be located. The research approaches also offer new perspectives for the early detection of drones in urban areas where buildings block the line of sight.
The call for proposals is designed as a multi-stage process to identify and promote the most innovative solutions. Following an expression of interest procedure, initial ideas will be evaluated before selected participants are admitted to the development phase. The project will run for 60 months from 2026 to 2031.
The call for proposals was published in the Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union with the contract notice number TED540066-2025 (https://ted.europa.eu/de/notice/-/detail/540066-2025). The deadline for submitting the brief concept is 17.10.2025, 10:00. Interested research institutions and companies can express their interest in participating now. Participation is possible both individually and in a consortium.
Further information:
https://www.cyberagentur.de/en/programs/zander-f/
Contact:
Agentur für Innovation in der Cybersicherheit GmbH
Große Steinstraße 19
06108 Halle (Saale)
Michael Lindner
Press Officer
Tel.: +49 151 44150 645
Email: presse@cyberagentur.de
Background: Cyberagentur
The Agentur für Innovation in der Cybersicherheit GmbH (Cyberagentur) was founded in 2020 as a wholly-owned in-house company of the German Federal Government under the joint leadership of the German Federal Ministry of Defence and the German Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community with the aim of taking an application strategy-oriented and cross-departmental view of internal and external security in the field of cyber security. Against this backdrop, the work of the Cyberagentur is primarily aimed at the institutionalised implementation of highly innovative projects that are associated with a high risk of not achieving their objectives, but at the same time have a very high disruptive potential if successful.
The Cyberagentur is part of the National Security Strategy of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Cyberagentur is headed by Prof. Dr. Christian Hummert as Scientific Director and Daniel Mayer (until 31 August 2025) and Bettina Bubnys as Commercial Directors.
Dr Aljosha Rörig, Research Officer Secure Systems
https://www.cyberagentur.de/en/press/kommunikation-trotz-elektromagnetischer-abs...
https://www.cyberagentur.de/en/programs/zander-f/
Dr Aljosha Rörig, Research Officer Secure Systems
Source: freepik/Cyberagentur
Copyright: Cyberagentur
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Dr Aljosha Rörig, Research Officer Secure Systems
Source: freepik/Cyberagentur
Copyright: Cyberagentur
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