As a leading research center for cybersecurity, data protection, and trustworthy artificial intelligence, CISPA seeks to combine foundational research and the transfer of innovations into practical applications. Through the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funding program "StartUpSecure," CISPA supports aspiring IT-security entrepreneurs in developing and implementing new business models. In order to specifically encourage female entrepreneurship in the tech sector, CISPA is hosting it first Fem Future Forum this year. Under the motto "The XX Factor for Science and Startups", the event targets a diverse audience spanning the entire spectrum of STEM entrepreneurship and highlights women’s perspectives on technological innovation.
The Fem Future Forum aims to increase the visibility of female leadership and to address gender-specific challenges faced by women in STEM professions. The event offers practical startup support and showcases funding initiatives to unlock the potential of women entrepreneurs in cybersecurity and technological innovation. In addition to aspiring founders, the event also welcomes researchers, students, and doctoral candidates from the Saarland Informatics Campus to learn about startup opportunities and innovations in the deep-tech sector and to network with their peers.
The Fem Future Forum further provides insights into CISPA’s startup culture and its significance for both the regional and national economy. A special highlight of the event are the "Startup Corners," where young founders can present their ideas and engage with participants. Opportunities to build sustainable networks are facilitated through the collaboration with the "StartUpSecure" incubators in Bochum, Darmstadt, and Karlsruhe, as well as the regional network partners "Triathlon – das integrierte Ökosystem für Entrepreneurship, Innovation und Transfer", the Gender Equality Office at Saarland University and Saarländische Wagnisgesellschaft (SWG). In addition to keynote addresses by selected speakers from business and research, a high-profile panel discussion will focus on the future of women in the tech industry.
Event program and speakers
The Fem Future Forum starts at 8:30 am on November 28. The first part of the program is conducted in English and takes place at the CISPA main building near the university campus. Welcome speeches will be delivered by Elena Yorgova-Ramanauskas, State Secretary of the Saarland Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital and Energy; Jürgen Philippi, Head of Startups and Entrepreneurship at CISPA, and Sibylle-Annette Dümont, Gender Equality Officer at CISPA. CISPA-Faculty Dr. Lea Schönherr will give a talk on generative AI, while Lisa Ihde, writer and Technical Account Manager at Google, will speak about women in IT. Further speakers are Carolin Ackermann, co-founder and CEO of Seawater Cubes; Madeline Adam, Investment Manager at SWG, and Sabika Ishaq, CISO and Head of Information Security at Grant Thornton in Luxembourg. The panel discussion also features CISPA-Faculty Dr. Mridula Singh and Vera Sikes, Head of Section IT-Infrastructures at the Federal Office for Information Security.
Starting at 5:00 pm, the evening program of the event takes place at Halle 4 in downtown Saarbrücken. This part of the event will be conducted in German. The founder of ROTERFADEN will share insights on why she decided to run her company as a cooperative. The event will conclude with networking opportunities and live music from "Blacks Groove" and CISPA's very own "Firewall Fantasies".
When and where
Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024
8:30 am-8:00 pm
CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security, Stuhlsatzenhaus 5, 66123 Saarbrücken
Halle 4, Halbergstraße 4, 66121 Saarbrücken
Registration
No admission fee! Please register via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.de/e/fem-future-forum-the-xx-factor-for-science-and-startups-tickets-1028895814077?aff=oddtdtcreator
About the CISPA Incubator
The CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security supports entrepreneurial initiatives and the development of innovations in cybersecurity, funded through the StartUpSecure initiative by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). CISPA maintains close collaboration with four partner incubators, which have also been selected as competence centers by the BMBF: ATHENE in Darmstadt, Cube 5 in Bochum, StartUpSecure KASTEL in Karlsruhe, and the Digital Hub Cybersecurity in Darmstadt.
