Fraunhofer FKIE focuses its research on helping the armed forces and civilian security agencies advance technologically. Working closely with its partners, the institute develops technologies and processes that strengthen a whole-of-government approach to defense and security. Christoph Igel will be opening up new avenues for research, technology transfer and innovation at Fraunhofer FKIE through initiatives such as the Innovation in Integrated Security and Sustainability (I2SN) research network in Saxony, his contributions to Germany’s High-Tech Agenda in the strategic research field of security and defense and his networking activities spanning research, industry, defense and security. In this way, he is making an important contribution to forging closer links between research and real-world application, ensuring that research findings can be put to immediate use by the armed forces, emergency services, industry and society.

“Security cannot be taken for granted. It is essential to freedom, economic strength and social cohesion. In an increasingly complex global environment, we need research excellence and technological innovation to safeguard our ability to respond effectively to future challenges and strengthen the protection of the government, industry and society. Fraunhofer FKIE is a leader in this effort, combining outstanding research with a strong commitment to turning results into practice and developing effective solutions to the security policy challenges of our time,” explains Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. “With his proven expertise in information technology and cybersecurity, Igel will help drive advances in future technologies critical to security and further boost our collaboration with partners in the Bundeswehr, research, government and industry.”

Interface with the Bundeswehr, Science, and Industry

Christoph Igel, 57, is a behavioral scientist and computer scientist. He began working for Fraunhofer in 2022 as Head of Technology Management at Fraunhofer FKIE. Beginning in 2024, as Deputy Institute Director, he has been responsible for planning the new institute site in eastern and central Germany and led the integration of the Fraunhofer Institute for Technological Trend Analysis INT into Fraunhofer FKIE. At the same time, he served as Executive Director of Fraunhofer INT.

Before joining Fraunhofer, Igel was the founding CEO and Director of Research of the Federal Agency for Innovation in Cybersecurity (Cyberagentur), a federally owned in-house organization overseen by the Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg) and the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI).

Igel has repeatedly held leadership and management positions in research and innovation: He spent ten years at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), where he helped establish the Berlin campus. He is a professor of information technology and has served as an honorary professor of technology-based information, knowledge, and education management, as well as a visiting professor at several universities. His positions included roles at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Chemnitz University of Technology and the Steinbeis University. He earned his doctorate from Saarland University and completed his habilitation at the University of Münster.

Igel served as an IT staff officer in the Planning Department of the Cyber and Information Domain Command. He subsequently served in the Army Command, in the Department of the Army Chief Digital Officer/Land-Based Operations. Since 2022, Igel has served as a permanently assigned reservist in the Army Command, the Naval Command, and the Federal Ministry of Defense – and since 2026, in the rank of colonel in the reserve on the General Staff at the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College, where he supports the development of the Defense Technology Campus in collaboration with Helmut Schmidt University/University of the Bundeswehr Hamburg, the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College, and Fraunhofer. During his military service, he served in the 26th Airborne Brigade as a paratrooper and sniper.

Igel was a member and spokesperson for expert groups at the National Digital Summit, an ambassador for the National STEM Forum, and a board member of the Digital Networking Charter.

Guiding Principle of Cooperative Research and Innovation

Upon his appointment, Igel expressly thanked the Executive Board of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft for the trust they had placed in him and stated: “I am very much looking forward to this exciting role. With commitment and energy, I intend to build on the progress made in recent years and continue the growth trajectory of this important defense and security institute within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Working alongside my colleague Martini, I will also help position Fraunhofer FKIE for the future at the intersection of the Bundeswehr, research and industry."

Institute Director Martini believes that, with this new dual leadership, his institute is strategically well-positioned for the future: “Few people embody Fraunhofer FKIE’s guiding principle of collaborative research and innovation as clearly as Igel does through his work. He builds vital bridges between research and practical application. What we share is a deep understanding of the Bundeswehr’s specific needs and the capabilities it requires. With his outstanding background in research and the military, Igel will greatly enrich Fraunhofer FKIE’s leadership.”