Engaging at the BBK-Fachkongress in Bonn

From February 5th to 7th 2025, the B-prepared Horizon Europe project had the exciting opportunity to participate in the BBK-Fachkongress “Forschung für den Bevölkerungsschutz” in Bonn, Germany. Invited to showcase our work at the poster exhibition organized by VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH, we engaged with experts, first responders and researchers dedicated to advancing civil protection.

The Growing Role of Serious Games in Disaster Resilience

The event was an inspiring platform to exchange ideas and experiences with like-minded professionals, all working towards enhancing disaster resilience. A key takeaway from our discussions was the growing recognition of serious games as powerful training tools—not only for raising awareness among citizens, but also for improving disaster response capabilities across Europe.

Serious Games: Education for Citizens and First Responders

A major topic of interest was the dual application of serious games in education. While these games effectively teach self-protection and care for vulnerable individuals during crises, they are also being increasingly explored for first responder training. The integration of virtual reality (VR) further enhances these training programmes, making learning immersive, engaging and more effective. The future of disaster resilience education is undoubtedly leveraging gamification to combine skill-building with an interactive and enjoyable experience. One of our products, VR-prepared, is on its way to deliver just that. 

AI-Powered VR Training and Future Innovations

B-prepared’s presence at the congress was marked by a compelling poster presentation delivered by Sean Klein and Jane Jean Kiam from the University of the Bundeswehr Munich. In addition, Sean gave a dedicated presentation on the use of AI-driven non-player characters (NPCs) in VR-powered serious games, a topic that spurred insightful scientific and technical discussions among attendees.

Looking Ahead

We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this important event and look forward to further collaborations in the field of disaster resilience training. By harnessing the potential of serious games and emerging technologies, we continue to push the boundaries of innovation in civil protection and emergency preparedness.