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Groundbreaking technologies for a secure, resilient, and trustworthy digital future
Berlin – At yesterday’s Technology Innovation Day, Fraunhofer HHI presented key developments for a secure, sovereign, and powerful digital future. More than 100 guests from business, science, and administration gathered at the Lanolinfabrik in Charlottenburg. The Governing Mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, opened the event with a keynote speech on the role of the capital as a location for innovation and on Europe's technological sovereignty.
Focus on Berlin's innovative strength
In his speech, Kai Wegner emphasized Berlin's importance as a center of key strategic competencies. Technological sovereignty arises where excellent research, industrial implementation power, and international talent come together – as is the case at Fraunhofer HHI. Berlin has an outstanding scientific landscape; the decisive factor now is to consistently translate this strength into marketable applications. Research institutions such as Fraunhofer HHI play a central role in this transfer.
Kai Wegner, Governing Mayor of Berlin: "Berlin's innovative strength arises where excellent research meets entrepreneurial spirit. The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute is a Berlin success story in this regard—a key institute for information and communication technologies in Germany and worldwide that sets standards in future technologies. Our goal is clear: we want to make Berlin the leading innovation location in Europe. With strong research institutions, a dynamic start-up scene, and an open metropolis that attracts talent from all over the world, we have the best conditions for achieving this goal."
Strategic realignment: Focus on future topics
Institute Director Prof. Thomas Wiegand presented the future direction of the institute, which he will now head on his own. With an adapted organizational structure, Fraunhofer HHI is pooling its expertise even more strongly in three core areas: video and artificial intelligence, communication and networks, and photonics.
“Our research shows how technological excellence creates social and economic benefits. The integrated interaction of hardware and software is becoming increasingly important. Whether secure communication and networks, transparent AI, or digital health—we develop solutions with measurable impact, thereby strengthening Europe's digital sovereignty. Berlin offers a unique innovation ecosystem for this, which we are actively helping to shape,” said Prof. Wiegand.
Strengthening Europe's competitiveness
In the subsequent panel discussion, high-ranking representatives from science and industry discussed how Berlin, Germany and Europe can secure their technological leadership in global competition. The focus was on the question of which research fields need to be strategically expanded and more closely networked in order to ensure Europe's long-term digital capabilities and sovereignty.
Fraunhofer HHI's self-image as a networked research institute became clear: innovation arises from close interaction between science, industry, administration, and politics.
Hands-on research: demonstrators with practical relevance
In the institute's showroom, researchers used selected demonstrators to show how applied research addresses specific societal challenges: from transparent AI models and mobile 5G communication to quantum-secure encryption for critical infrastructures. The spectrum was complemented by a technology for lossless compression of health data, which makes telemedicine more robust and networks more efficient.
Tribute to Prof. Martin Schell
Finally, Fraunhofer HHI paid tribute to its long-standing director, Prof. Dr. Martin Schell, who helped shape Berlin as a photonics location and the development of the institute over many years. His departure marks the end of a formative phase in the institute's history.
About Fraunhofer HHI
Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute is a world-leading research institute shaping the digital future. It pioneers innovative technologies at the forefront of materials science, communications, and photonic integration, supporting global connectivity and smart infrastructure. Fraunhofer HHI delivers practical solutions across diverse fields, including medicine, agriculture, critical infrastructure, disaster response, energy, and mobility.
https://www.hhi.fraunhofer.de/en/press/news/digital-sovereignty-secure-ai-strong...
Kai Wegner, Governing Mayor of Berlin (left), and Prof. Dr. Thomas Wiegand, Executive Director of Fr ...
Copyright: © Fraunhofer HHI
Digital sovereignty, secure AI, strong capital city research: Fraunhofer HHI provides impetus at Technology Innovation Day 2026
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Kai Wegner, Governing Mayor of Berlin (left), and Prof. Dr. Thomas Wiegand, Executive Director of Fr ...
Copyright: © Fraunhofer HHI
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