FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT
| Registered office | Germany - Munich |
|---|---|
| Other branches | Ettlingen (DE), Bonn (DE), Erlangen (DE) |
| Industries | Research and Development |
| Categories | surveillance, major player, research, science |
| Sources | Unspecified |
| Website | https://www.fraunhofer.de/en.html |
About the company
The "Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung" is organized as a private association, but its nearly 80 institutes receive their basic funding from the federal and federal state governments. A large proportion of its contract research is also financed by public funds, the vast majority of the rest by industry. The explicit goal is application-oriented research for industry. However, it is also established practice for scientists to apply for patents and found companies themselves based on their research at the Fraunhofer Institutes in order to commercialize new technologies.
The nearly 80 institutes work on a wide range of topics. However, ten of them are grouped together in the "Fraunhofer Defense, Prevention and Security Division" (VVS). They are committed to "research and development in the fields of defense and civil security" and conduct departmental research for the German Ministry of Defense. The explicitly mentioned application fields of the VVS include "border security", "information gathering, reconnaissance and decision support". The VVS includes, among others, the Institutes of High Frequency Physics and Radar Technology (FHR), Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics (FKIE), Optronics, Systems Technology and Image Exploitation (IOSB) and that of Integrated Circuits (IIS), which are also particularly active in border surveillance technologies. The FHR primarily and continuously researches sensor technology as used on satellites, drones, and patrol vehicles and optimizes them for various applications. Like the FKIE, it is located on Wachtberg near Bonn. The FKIE, in turn, develops communication and control systems for the German armed forces and other "authorities or organizations with security tasks" (BOS) and is also active in the field of "cyber security" and also "cyber defense." Both work partly in close coordination with the IOSB in Ettlingen near Karlsruhe, which specializes in the evaluation and processing of sensor data as well as their presentation - e.g. on screens or "digital situation tables". The IIS, headquartered in Erlangen, also develops optimized chip architectures for these applications. Apart from the carrier systems (i.e., the actual vehicles, drones, etc.), these four institutes with partially overlapping areas of responsibility thus supply the essential components of high-tech border surveillance.
Contribution to the EU border regime
Overall, the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft has benefited the most from security research in the FP7 and Horizon2020 research programs in comparison to all research institutions across Europe. For example, IOSB was involved in the AMAAS and WIMAAS projects, which were designed to test the use of sensor buoys and drones to combat illegalized migration. It was also involved in the PHAROS and PREVISION projects, which were designed to optimize satellite communications and automated data analysis for "security agencies." The IOSB is (is) working on similar projects in parallel within the framework of national "civilian" security research and for the German armed forces. It is playing a leading role in testing intelligent video surveillance in public spaces at Mannheim's main train station and has hosted the "Future Security Conference" on several occasions, which is characterized by dystopian surveillance fantasies.
Added: Jan. 11, 2024
Last update: Jan. 28, 2024, 12:03 p.m.