Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE
Fraunhofer FKIE Opens New Site in Leipzig for Research and Innovation in Defense and Security
As part of a special conference on the topic of “National Defense and Resilience,” Fraunhofer FKIE provided its first glimpse into its research and innovation topics at the new location in Leipzig on April 23, 2026. More than 150 participants from politics, academia, industry, as well as NATO, the German Armed Forces, and government agencies and organizations with security responsibilities attended the event. This event also served as the inaugural conference for the new Saxon research network “Innovation in Integrated Security and Sustainability” (I2SN). Within this network, Fraunhofer FKIE is responsible for the “Cyber/IT” research area and, with its Deputy Director, Prof. Dr. Christoph Igel, also acting as the network spokesperson.
With approximately 650 employees, Fraunhofer FKIE is one of the leading institutes for defense and security research in Germany. More than 60 years of international research, technology, and innovation alongside the Bundeswehr and NATO, as well as in collaboration with the security and defense industry, define the institute, which covers all domains of national defense: on land, at sea, in the air, underwater, in cyberspace, and in space. Technologies are developed to detect, minimize, and manage existential risks at an early stage.
On April 23, the institute’s new location in Leipzig was officially opened as part of the conference “National Defense and Resilience,” where 15 employees will already be working this year. Over 150 participants attended, including representatives from NATO, the Federal Ministry of Defense, the Bundeswehr, numerous university heads and presiding bodies of colleges and universities in the Free State of Saxony, directors of non-university research institutions, and companies from across Germany. Saxony’s State Minister for Science, Sebastian Gemkow, opened the event.
Pooling expertise alongside industry
“Security and defense research are top priorities for Fraunhofer. With our interdisciplinary expertise and application-oriented research, we specifically strengthen the technological sovereignty of Germany and Europe, contribute to the development of a resilient security architecture, and develop innovative solutions to effectively counter current and future threats,” says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer Society.
“Of particular importance right now: cyberattacks, disinformation, and sabotage are affecting our society across time and space. Precisely because of the rise of hybrid warfare, it is inherently crucial in defense research that solutions move quickly from the lab to practical application. At the new Fraunhofer FKIE location, we are pooling our expertise in software-defined defense, cybersecurity, and resilience, and—in collaboration with industry—developing user-oriented technologies to detect such complex threats early on and ensure rapid response capabilities.”
Strengthening Innovation Capacity in the Free State of Saxony
“There is great potential in the innovative strength of Saxon research in technology development and methodology,” says Minister of Science Sebastian Gemkow. “This potential must also be available to Germany, for security and defense. With the Fraunhofer FKIE and the research network ‘Innovation in Integrated Security and Sustainability’ (I2SN), Saxony has now created the conditions for this. I am convinced that we are thereby making a decisive contribution to greater security and, in the future, to the creation of greater industrial value.”
At its new location in Leipzig, Fraunhofer FKIE is focusing on “Software-Defined Defense” and “Cybersecurity and Resilience” – topics that are among the defense institute’s key research areas and are of growing importance for Germany’s future security and defense structure. In addition, the institute is active in Central/Eastern Germany through the “Cybersecurity Learning Lab” for digital forensics at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, as well as through a “Joint Research & Testing Lab” currently under development in Löbau (Upper Lusatia) focused on transfer and innovation in land-based operations.
Professor Christoph Igel, Deputy Director of the FKIE and responsible for FKIE activities in Central and Eastern Germany, comments: “As a defense institute, we have stood firmly alongside the Bundeswehr and security authorities for decades. With our new activities in Central and Eastern Germany, we are strengthening the transfer of knowledge to regional industry and the economy and laying the groundwork for new innovation in the Free State of Saxony. Operating close to industry and delivering rapidly applicable solutions for defense and security needs is part of our DNA as an institute of the Fraunhofer Society.”
Research network with the focus area “Cyber/IT”
The conference “National Defense and Resilience” also marked the launch event for the new research network “Innovation in Integrated Security and Sustainability” (I2SN). Funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the Ministry of Science, Culture, and Tourism (SMWK), 18 institutes and professorships in the Free State of Saxony are conducting research on requirements for external, internal, and civil security in the thematic areas of cyber/IT, energy, and materials, and are working on innovations in collaboration with industry. The Fraunhofer FKIE is responsible for the “Cyber/IT” thematic area. FKIE Deputy Director Professor Christoph Igel is the spokesperson for the I2SN research network.
Media contact:
Prof. Dr. habil. Christoph Igel
Deputy Director of the Fraunhofer FKIE and
Spokesperson for the “Innovation in Integrated Security and Sustainability” (I2SN) research network
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