The partners cover three complementary areas of expertise: The Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research contributes its expertise in materials research, the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS in energy technologies, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE in cyber security and IT.

Joint labs are being established in these areas of expertise with 15 associated partners from universities and non-university research institutions in the Free State of Saxony. The focus is on the topics of “personal and vehicle protection,” “resilient energy systems,” and “software-defined defense.” In addition, a multi-stakeholder network on topics related to external, internal, and civil security and defense research is to be established in the Free State of Saxony.

The research network's central office is located at Fraunhofer IKTS. "With our I2SN network, we are creating a high-performance structure for systematically addressing pressing security-related issues with an interdisciplinary approach. Our common goal is to drive innovation for a resilient, sustainable, and secure society. The fact that the network's central office is located at Fraunhofer IKTS underscores our commitment to actively shaping this development," emphasizes Prof. Alexander Michaelis, Director of Fraunhofer IKTS.

The project is funded by the Sächsische Aufbaubank (SAB) on behalf of the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism (SMWK). The network is to be built up and structurally anchored by the end of 2027.