Research Center in Saarland 19th to join Helmholtz Association

"Digital information is playing an increasingly important role in many areas of life," says Otmar D. Wiestler, President of the Helmholtz Association. "This means that data processing and research into data security represent a major scientific and social challenge that must be met by all Helmholtz research fields. I am delighted that we will now be in a position to pursue this topic with renewed vigor as Germany’s largest research organization. The Helmholtz Association’s Assembly of Members has approved the admission of the institution currently known as CISPA – Helmholtz-Zentrum i.G. GmbH in Saarbrücken, Germany, as the 19th member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. In the future, it will be called Helmholtz Center for Information Security – CISPA and will play a significant role in further developing the excellent level of expertise that we already have in this field."

In consultation with a transfer committee, the current institution successfully underwent a scientific evaluation in spring 2018. This was a key requirement for its admission to the Helmholtz Association. Together with the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the state of Saarland, the Helmholtz Association has established a sound financial framework for the development of the new Helmholtz Center. "As a result, the new Helmholtz Center will become a key cornerstone for the long-term and integrated study of digital information within our Association. We aim to develop the Saarbrücken location as an international center of excellence for information technology," continues Wiestler.

"We now have a superb foundation from which to tackle the major challenges of IT security," says Michael Backes, Founding Director of CISPA – Helmholtz-Zentrum i.G. GmbH. "We are very pleased that we will soon be a Helmholtz Association Center. With clear scientific and financial prospects, we can now tackle the major challenges in this field with the necessary critical mass in terms of researchers. Saarland is an outstanding location in which to undertake this work."

Backes envisages current and future examples of research areas as including the security and reliability of autonomous transport systems, the development of robust IT infrastructure, and the security of personal data in the context of biomedical research.

Otmar D. Wiestler adds: "With its 200 employees under the leadership of Michael Backes, CISPA has developed into a highly regarded location for research into IT security – not just in Germany, but worldwide. The work accomplished by Mr. Backes offers vast potential to take further vital steps in terms of fundamental research and application, and to ideally complement the portfolio of the Helmholtz Association."

The Helmholtz Association contributes to solving great, pressing questions facing society, science, and business with top scientific performances in six research fields: Energy; Earth and Environment; Health; Key Technologies; Matter; and Aeronautics, Space, and Transport. With more than 39,000 employees at 18 Research Centers and an annual budget of € 4.5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest science organization. Its work follows the tradition of the great natural scientist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894).

The Saarbrücken Center for IT Security, Privacy and Accountability (CISPA) was established in 2011 thanks to project-based funding from the German federal government and was transferred to CISPA – Helmholtz-Zentrum i.G. GmbH at the end of 2017. The Center currently employs around 200 leading research scientists. As of January 1, 2019, it will become a member of the Helmholtz Association and will be known as the Helmholtz Center for Information Security – CISPA.

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Press contact

Helmholtz Association
Roland Koch/Press Spokesperson
roland.koch@helmholtz.de

CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security
pr@cispa.saarland