Press Releases

After completing his four-year term of office, Jan Wörner will hand over the office of Scientific President of acatech - National Academy of Science and Engineering to Claudia Eckert on July 1, 2025 The professor at the Technical University of Munich and Director of Fraunhofer AISEC was unanimously elected by acatech's Executive Committee. Claudia Eckert joins Co-President Thomas Weber: Together they embody the cooperation between science and industry on innovation issues. Siegfried Russwurm, member of the acatech Executive Board and former BDI President, was elected acatech Vice-President.

Easy-to-use and secure electronic identities (eID) and credentials are essential building blocks for access to digital services in areas of life such as mobility, finance, health, public administration and education. From 2027, EUDI wallets will create the basis for a trustworthy, Europe-wide interoperable ecosystem for digital identities and credentials - user-friendly on smartphones. SPRIND - Bundesagentur für Sprungin-novationen is responsible for implementation in Germany on behalf of the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI). Fraunhofer AISEC is a cyber-security partner. By focusing on the user experience, the project cre-ates important foundations for broad acceptance among the popula-tion and thus for fully digital and efficient processes in society, busi-ness and administration.

The EU plans to make digital encryption completely quantum-safe by 2035 at the latest. As quantum computers grow more and more power-ful, qbit by qbit, experts on post-quantum cryptography (PQC) have laid a basis for secure encryption in recent years with new algorithms. But if they are to win the race by 2035, they have their work cut out for them in terms of implementation in systems and communication protocols. That is the takeaway from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC’s 2025 PQC Update, which saw the Ger-man-speaking PQC community from government agencies, companies, universities and other research institutions gather for the fourth time on May 12 and 13, 2025, to talk about the current state of advancement in post-quantum cryptography (PQC).

After three years, the twelve project partners from industry, science, software development and infrastructure have successfully completed the ATLAS-L4 research and development project (automated transport between logistics centres on level 4 motorways): The autonomous truck in road transport became a reality thanks to the work of around 150 engineers! MAN Truck & Bus, Knorr-Bremse, LEONI, Bosch, FERNRIDE, BTC Embedded Systems, Fraunhofer AISEC, Technical University of Munich, Technical University of Braunschweig, TÜV SÜD, Autobahn GmbH and the Würzburg Institute of Transport Sciences (WIVW GmbH) have joined forces for this project.

The mechanical and plant engineering sector has shown significant progress in defending against cyber-risks. According to a current study titled Industrial Security, conducted by the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC, more and more companies are investing in digital protective measures. In spite of these improvements, cyberattacks continue to cause considerable damage, with harm totaling in the nine figures. Further action is needed, especially for smaller enterprises. Social engineering and phishing represent the biggest threat to companies, followed by human error and sabotage.

Data is the key to AI, but its use requires the highest security standards. This is where the TRUSTED project from the European Commission steps in: Over the next three years, the project will develop a prototype data space for personal data that complies with the requirements of current data protection regulations (GDPR, eIDASv2, EUDI wallet, etc.) as well as the specifications of European data spaces (GAIA-X, IDSA, etc.) and provides a trustworthy service for federated learning* in the medical sector. The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC is a research partner and supports TRUSTED with state-of-the-art cybersecurity and data protection technologies. The project is to receive around four million euros from the Horizon Europe program and comprises a consortium of ten partners, two research organizations, three SMEs, two large companies, two NGOs and one clinical partner.

With increasing digitalization and interconnectedness, cybersecurity is gaining ever more importance. At the same time, the risks posed by cyber attacks are increasing dramatically. Russia's war against Ukraine in particular has significantly exacerbated the threat over the past three years. At the 11th Munich Cyber Security Conference (MCSC) leading cybersecurity experts from the worlds of politics, business and science addressed the key levers for tackling this challenge: We must overcome our complacency and invest massively in our cybersecurity, all stakeholders involved must cooperate far more than before and we must make greater use of artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing as the biggest technological drivers of the future for cybersecurity. At the same time, we must not place too high expectations on these technologies. After all, people are and will remain the decisive factor.

The pilot line for “Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration for Electronic Components and Systems” (APECS) marks a major leap forward in strengthening Europe’s semi-conductor manufacturing capabilities and chiplet innovation as part of the EU Chips Act. APECS will make a significant contribution to the European Union´s goals of increasing technological resilience, strengthening cross-border collaboration and enhancing its global competitiveness in semiconductor technologies. The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC develops security features for trusted electronics in the heterointegration of chiplets.

Microelectronics is a key technology in the technical transformation, underpinning everything from everyday objects such as smartphones and ID cards to industrial manufacturing processes and medical diagnostic systems. This makes it all the more important to ensure that electronics are reliable and trustworthy. The Velektronik research platform has teamed up with the Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (VDE) to create a new VDE expert group titled Trusted Electronics. It is to function as a central point of contact, bringing industry, the research sector, and government agencies together to advance the topic of trusted electronics in Germany. The group’s objectives are to cultivate awareness of and support for trusted electronics, consolidate existing research activities, transfer research findings into application, and help to shape industry standards.

With its Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), the EU will in future require manufacturers to guarantee the IT security of products with digital elements. Once the CRA comes into force, which is expected to be in 2024, they will have a maximum of 36 months to demonstrate that their products comply with the new standard. However, due to complex architecture designs and the use of third-party com-ponents, assessing the need for action in concrete terms is a challenge. The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC is conducting research into automated compliance testing of software components with “Confirmate”. The tool will help to automatically assess compliance with the CRA and determine the individual need for action. “Confirmate” compares the security settings with the CRA specifications and helps to quickly identify spe-cific vulnerabilities in the product. The analysis therefore saves valuable time for planning and implementing security measures. Fraunhofer AISEC will be presenting the tool's current range of functions and its application for the first time at this year’s it-sa Expo&Congress (Nuremberg, October 22–24, 2024) at the joint Fraunhofer booth in Hall 6, Booth 6-314.