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25 years of IT security: Bochum University celebrates with a big party!
The Ruhr University Bochum is celebrating 25 years of IT security with a ceremony, scientific exchange and an active community.
25 years of IT security: Bochum University celebrates with a big party!
On June 11, 2025, the IT security course at the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) will celebrate its 25th anniversary. As part of the Cybersec Day of the Horst Görtz Institute for IT Security (HGI), over 200 guests came together, including scientists, students, alumni and friends of the institute. This anniversary celebration marks a significant milestone in the development of one of the most sustainable cybersecurity programs in Europe.
The celebrations began in the morning with scientific exchange, which was characterized by lightning talks, speed dating and lively discussions. In the afternoon, greetings were given and 25 years of IT security were looked back on before the event ended with a summer festival, outdoor games, a table tennis tournament and musical performances. HGI spokesman Prof. Dr. Ghassan Karame underlined the institute's leading role in the European IT security landscape.
The path of IT security at the RUB
The IT security course was initiated in 2000 through a generous donation from the entrepreneur Horst Görtz in order to promote the anchoring of the topic of IT security in academic teaching. At the beginning, only around 30 students were enrolled, while today the number has increased to over 800. This development makes the course one of the largest in Europe, combining fundamental subjects such as computer science, mathematics and electrical engineering with current topics in cybersecurity, including human aspects and artificial intelligence.
Teaching at the HGI is research-oriented and interdisciplinary. This is supported by a renowned scientific environment; HGI professors have received numerous awards, including the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize and ERC Grants. As part of the CASA (Cyber Security in the Age of Large-Scale Adversaries) Cluster of Excellence, significant research continues to be carried out, which further increases the institute's perception and reputation.
The role of students and graduates
The student community is a central part of the HGI. Offers such as game evenings, hackathons and the CTF team “FluxFingers” promote a sense of community and the practical application of the knowledge learned. Graduates of the course not only quickly find attractive job offers, but many also decide to start their own companies. Like Dr.-Ing. Timo Kasper, an alumni and co-founder of Kasper & Oswald GmbH, shows that embryos of this training path have great opportunities to successfully gain a foothold in the industry.
The HGI is viewed by G DATA Software AG as a competent partner in IT and data security. The continuous support from such companies demonstrates the high status of cybersecurity training not only in Germany, but on an international level. The research and teaching at the HGI are considered world-class, which makes the University of Bochum a sought-after training location for future IT security experts.
In view of the alarming figures on cyber crime in Germany, with over 82,600 cases and an annual loss of around 55 billion euros, the demand for well-trained specialists in cybersecurity is more crucial than ever. Graduates of the IT security dual course of study are prepared for the challenges of the job market, in which topics such as cryptography, network administration and forensics are of central importance. This shows how important in-depth and practical training is in today's digital world, where companies worldwide lose an average of almost 23 working days per year due to IT downtime, and not just as a result of cyber attacks.
Overall, the study program offers not only academic training, but also a community and a springboard into the future, making it an outstanding example of the combination of science and practice in one of the most important research fields of our time. The future-oriented IT security dual course of study imparts both theoretical and practice-oriented knowledge in areas such as IT security technology, application programming and security management and thus trains the specialists of tomorrow.