The 6th French-German Day for Cybersecurity was celebrated at CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security in Saarbruecken last night. In their welcoming addresses, the keynote speakers Professor Dr Antoine Joux, CISPA faculty and FGCC spokesperson, David Lindemann, Head of Saarland’s State Chancellery and Authorised Representative for Europe-related Affairs, Professor Dr Hélène Boulanger, President of the University of Lorraine, and Irène Weiss, Vice-President of the Committee for Higher Education, Research and Innovation and member of the Delegation for Cybersecurity of the Grand Est Region, emphasized the importance of cross-border research in cybersecurity.
CISPA and Loria renew cross-border cooperation in cybersecurity
The ceremony took place against the backdrop of a successful cooperation between CISPA and the French research laboratory Loria (CNRS, Inria, Université de Lorraine). Taking the form of the virtual "French-German Center for Cybersecurity (FGCC)", the cooperation has been in place since 2020. Based on the institutions’ mutual research interest in information security, the cooperation has been further strengthened with the renewal of a Memorandum of Understanding from 2020. Professor Dr Hélène Boulanger, President of the University of Lorraine, and CISPA-faculty Professor Dr Antoine Joux signed the joint memorandum during the ceremony. In the year marking the sixtieth anniversary of the Elysée Treaty, two of the largest European research institutions in the field of cybersecurity are thus joining forces, highlighting the importance of Franco-German research cooperation.
“French-German Center for Cybersecurity” combines research, transfer und innovation
The "French-German Center for Cybersecurity" aims at strengthening cybersecurity research as well as corresponding transfer and innovation activities between France and Germany. Along the Franco-German axis, this allows for more dedicated research on disruptive innovations that strengthen digital sovereignty. Key research topics include self-determination in data profiling, European Internet and cryptography standards, development and evaluation of operating systems in Europe to secure critical infrastructures, privacy protection and security guarantees in automated AI processes, as well as secure networking in Industry 4.0 and autonomous systems.
Keynote speakers emphasize transregional radiance of joint research
In his welcoming address, Head of State Chancellery David Lindemann praised the transregional radiance of the "French-German Center for Cybersecurity": "The successful cooperation in the field of cybersecurity research between Saarbruecken and Nancy is not only further proof of the good Franco-German cooperation, but also an important cross-border cooperation project that bundles and further develops the results in cybersecurity research and thus strengthens the innovation exchange of both countries in this research field. I am sure that this partnership will set forward-looking impulses in the greater region and sustainably support the transformation process of the economy."
CISPA founding director Professor Dr Dr h. c. Michael Backes stresses the importance of this excellent Franco-German research cooperation: „Together with our research partner Loria from Nancy, we are celebrating a deeply felt friendship and bond in the 60th anniversary year of the Élysée Treaty. I am very happy that with today's ceremony we can lend further radiance to this successful cooperation. We are creating a European centre of gravity of knowledge and ideas in the field of cybersecurity.“
The President of the Université de Lorraine, Professor Dr Hélène Boulanger, highlighted the great potential for innovation created by the cooperation: “Identified as a high-stakes field, cybersecurity is a scientific challenge that the University of Lorraine and its partners in Lorraine (CNRS and INRIA) and across the border (CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security) are meeting. This remarkable scientific potential must be converted into opportunities for our researchers and a driver of innovation in this sector.”
Workshops on cybersecurity research in Saarbruecken and Nancy
The ceremony at CISPA was accompanied by a series of academic lectures on "Malware and Physical Security", to which researchers from both institutions contributed. CISPA faculty Mridula Singh, for instance, spoke about "Passive keyless entry and start system of vehicles and the intrusion detection of CANBus”. Loria researchers Jean-Yves Marion and Tristan Benoit also made contributions. As part of the cooperation between CISPA and Loria, workshops on different cybersecurity topics are held regularly in Nancy and Saarbruecken. The next workshop is planned for the fall and will be held in Nancy.
About the French-German Center for Cybersecurity (FGCC)
The FGCC is an association of the largest and most renowned cybersecurity research centers in Europe. The CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security and the French research laboratory Loria (CNRS, Inria, Université de Lorraine) in Nancy have been pursuing joint paths in cybersecurity research since 2020 and are dedicated to strengthening transfer and innovation activities between France and Germany. Responsible for the FGCC are Professor Dr Dr h. c. Michael Backes and Professor Dr Antoine Joux on the German side, and Professor Dr Jean-Yves Marion and Professor Dr Marine Minier on the French side.
About Loria
Loria is the French acronym for Lorraine Research Laboratory in Computer Science and its Applications. It is a joint research unit of the University of Lorraine and the national research institutions CNRS and INRIA. This unit was officially created in 1997 and is located in Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy (Region Grand Est). Its mission consists mainly in conducting basic and applied research in computer science. Loria is one of the biggest research laboratories in the Grand Est region and it is a member of the Fédération Charles Hermite, which brings together the three main research laboratories of the University of Lorraine.
About CISPA
The CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security is a German national Big Science Institution within the Helmholtz Association. We research information security in all its facets. Our researchers conduct cutting-edge foundational research as well as innovative application-oriented research. Our work tackles pressing challenges in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data privacy. CISPA research findings find their way into industrial applications and products that are available worldwide. This enables us to strengthen Germany‘s and Europe‘s competitiveness. We also promote talent and are a training ground for excellently skilled specialists and managers for the industry. In this way we also transfer our know-how forward into the future.
