An industrial campus network must meet demanding requirements in terms of bandwidth, latency, and availability. At the same time, the quality of a wireless connection depends heavily on the surrounding environment.

In a production facility, this environment is dynamic: machines, shelving, materials, or vehicles can affect radio signals and, for example, create areas of signal shadowing. At the same time, new production processes or mobile systems can cause connectivity requirements to change within a short period of time.

A wireless network that was optimally configured at a particular point in time must therefore continuously adapt to changing conditions.

ADAPT takes a different approach: network planning is treated as a continuous process covering the entire lifecycle of a campus network – from initial planning and ongoing operation to continuous optimization.

The aim of the project is to develop a comprehensive tool for 5G/6G campus networks.

It will enable companies not only to plan their networks initially, but also to adapt them automatically and securely to dynamic operating conditions. To achieve this, ADAPT combines several technological approaches.

A key role is played by hybrid digital twins. Production facilities, logistics structures, and material flows are represented virtually. This makes it possible to simulate and evaluate different network configurations, load scenarios, and adaptation strategies before changes are implemented in the real environment. At the same time, information from ongoing operations is fed back into the virtual model.

This approach is complemented by AI-supported network optimization. AI models are intended to detect changes in radio propagation, evaluate different network configurations, and derive suitable optimization measures.

ADAPT also challenges a fundamental principle of conventional wireless networks: permanently installed antenna locations.

In a dynamic environment, connectivity may be required in different locations at different times. New equipment may be added, production areas may be rearranged, or particularly high data rates may be required temporarily.

The project is therefore investigating flexible and programmable Radio Units that can be positioned wherever reliable connectivity is needed. This allows the radio infrastructure to respond more flexibly to changing environments or temporary bottlenecks.

This approach fundamentally changes the role of the campus network: instead of being a largely static infrastructure, it is intended to become an adaptive system that can respond to the requirements of production and logistics.

However, this flexibility also introduces another challenge.

If a network changes automatically, it is not sufficient to assess its security only during initial commissioning. Security mechanisms must also take dynamic operation into account.

ADAPT therefore integrates cybersecurity and tamper monitoring directly into the campus network concept. The communication infrastructure is intended to remain protected throughout its entire lifecycle.

One research approach involves radio-based environmental validation. The system should continuously verify whether the underlying environmental model still corresponds to the actual physical environment. Changes or deviations can therefore be detected and incorporated into the assessment of the network's current state.

This creates a direct link between physical and digital security.

It is precisely here that the importance of cyber-physical security approaches becomes apparent: an industrial communication network cannot be fully secured by considering digital data traffic alone. Changes in its physical environment can also be relevant to both security and reliability.

The methods developed within the project are not intended to be investigated solely through simulations.

The campus network tool will initially be tested in the PACE Lab at Fraunhofer IML. The facility includes, among other things, an O-RAN-based 5G campus network, a high-precision motion capture system, and various robotic platforms. Under controlled conditions, the different components of the project can be tested and optimized together.

The approaches will subsequently be validated in industrial environments. According to Fraunhofer IML, the technologies developed are to be tested under real-world conditions at project partner KRONE and in an environment provided by RHENUS, among others.

In the long term, the project results are also intended to be transferred to other application areas, such as agriculture, construction, healthcare, or temporary large-scale events.

ADAPT runs from January 2026 to December 2028 and is funded under North Rhine-Westphalia's ERDF/JTF Programme 2021–2027. The project has a funding volume of approximately €2.8 million. It is led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML. Other participants include KRONE, Techbros, PHYSEC, TU Dortmund University, and Ruhr University Bochum.

Together, the project partners are researching how future campus networks can be operated in a more automated, flexible, and secure way.

For PHYSEC, ADAPT addresses a central challenge of industrial digitalization: as connectivity increases, simply providing communication is no longer enough. Companies must also be able to determine whether their communication infrastructure is operating reliably, responding appropriately to changes, and continuing to operate in a trustworthy state.

ADAPT therefore does not view the campus network as an infrastructure that is completed once and then remains unchanged.

Instead, it creates a continuous cycle: the real production environment provides information about its current state. A digital twin represents this environment. AI-supported methods evaluate necessary adjustments. Flexible network components can respond to new requirements. At the same time, security mechanisms monitor whether the network and its environment continue to match the expected conditions.

The research project therefore combines four requirements that are becoming increasingly important for future industrial networks: connectivity, adaptability, resilience, and security.

For companies, this could create a new way of planning and operating private mobile networks: no longer as static infrastructure that depends on an environment remaining as constant as possible, but as an intelligent communication system capable of detecting and responding to change.

This is where ADAPT's long-term potential lies: the campus network should be able to evolve together with production – without compromising security or reliability.

Genau darin liegt das langfristige Potenzial von ADAPT: Das Campusnetz soll sich gemeinsam mit der Produktion weiterentwickeln können – ohne dass Sicherheit und Zuverlässigkeit dabei an Bedeutung verlieren.