“We want to exchange ideas with you. We’re looking for your feedback,” emphasized FKIE Institute Director Professor Peter Martini in his opening remarks. “Because here at FKIE, we work every day to make the world safer—not just to think it more safely.” Around 240 invited guests from the Federal Ministry of Defense, all branches of the Bundeswehr, government agencies and organizations with security responsibilities, and industry accepted the Fraunhofer FKIE’s invitation to gain an overview of current research findings, their clear practical relevance, and the transfer of results.

High-Level Presentation Program

Vice Admiral Dr. Thomas Daum, Inspector of the Cyber and Information Domain (KdoCIR), kicked off the lecture program at the opening with an unambiguous message: “Cooperative research and innovation is not just a catchphrase, but a living reality,” thereby acknowledging the long-standing, close collaboration between KdoCIR and Fraunhofer FKIE. In his keynote address, Major General Klaus Frauenhoff, Head of the Army Concepts and Capabilities Development Centre, pointed out the enormous and ever-growing importance of unmanned systems for the Army and also highlighted the cooperation with the Wachtberg-based research institute. First Director Matthias Damm, Deputy Head of the Bundeswehr Office for Defence Planning, then provided deep insights into planning processes and structures, making it clear just how closely Bundeswehr planning and the application-oriented research conducted by Fraunhofer FKIE are intertwined.

With regard to this collaboration, Rear Admiral Christian Bock, head of the Bundeswehr’s newly opened Innovation Center, summed up his philosophy on Day 2: “Innovation doesn’t have to be invented; rather, it must be embraced and structured.” Major General Michael Traut, Commander of the Bundeswehr Space Command, focused on space as critical infrastructure and a new battlefield—and highlighted the contribution that Fraunhofer FKIE’s research expertise can make to safeguarding space-based capabilities. Captain Jörg Dieter Lorentzen of the Navy Headquarters and Oliver Witt, head of the FKIE’s “Human-Machine Systems” (MMS) department, brought the event to a successful close with an exciting look back and forward: “25 Years on Course Together—The German Navy and Fraunhofer FKIE.”

Panel Discussion: A Call for Greater Speed

“How can we quickly translate technical progress into actionable structures?”—with this opening question, moderator Professor Christoph Igel, Deputy Director of FKIE, kicked off the panel discussion “Innovation for National Defense and Security,” sparking a lively debate in which the high-profile panelists did not hold back in sharing their assessments.

Professor Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, and Thomas Tschersich, CSO of Deutsche Telekom, noted that while Germany is strong in research, innovations must be translated into actionable structures more quickly. “We are right in the midst of a technological paradigm shift,” emphasized Lieutenant General Michael Vetter, Head of the Innovation & Cyber Department and Chief Information Officer at the Federal Ministry of Defense (BMVg)—while also urging that efforts focus not only on processes but also on changing mindsets. This assessment was also endorsed by Retired Major General Wolfgang Gäbelein, Chairman of the DWT, and Peter Beiderwieden, Vice President of the Federal Police Headquarters. Speed is the top priority right now, Tschersich emphasized—combined with the courage to accept even 80-percent solutions. “A workable solution today is better than a perfect one that comes too late.” Everyone agreed: intensive dialogue and close cooperation among all stakeholders are more important than ever to advance innovation for national defense and security.

Centerpiece Exhibition: Hands-On Collaborations

Alongside the lecture program, the exhibition—the centerpiece of the event—offered an impressive glimpse into active research collaborations. With 23 exhibits, FKIE scientists presented their current work side by side with their respective development partners from the Bundeswehr, the Defense Technology Agencies, and the Federal Police. For the first time, exhibits from the FKIE’s Euskirchen location were also on display, showcasing the institute’s expanding portfolio.

A particular highlight was the outdoor area, where future technologies for the protection of land vehicles were presented. Visitors were able to climb into a GTK Boxer JODAA and experience the ARIVA application—Augmented Reality in Vehicle Applications—firsthand. Also on display there was a compact HPEM sensor that detects electromagnetic interference and pinpoints its direction and intensity—a technology of great relevance for the protection of modern weapon systems.

Live Broadcast from the European Land Robot Trial (ELROB)

The live broadcast from the European Land Robot Trial (ELROB) in Thun, Switzerland—the world’s largest performance comparison of robotic systems—also drew great interest. Dr. Frank E. Schneider, deputy head of the FKIE’s “Cognitive Mobile Systems” (CMS) department and initiator of ELROB, reported live from the military training area on the five-day major event featuring 21 international teams and provided an initial assessment of the progress and limitations of military ground robotics.

Conclusion: Collaborative Research as a Model for Success

The overall conclusion of the two-day event was clear: The Technology Forum has once again demonstrated that collaborative research is not just a buzzword for Fraunhofer FKIE, but rather the foundation of its day-to-day scientific work. After all, effective solutions for defense and security can only be developed through close collaboration and constant exchange with partners from the Bundeswehr, the Federal Ministry of Defense, and government agencies and organizations responsible for security. And the 7th edition has once again shown that the FKIE Technology Forum is a vital venue for intensive, forward-looking dialogue between research and practice.