The KIT Executive Board underscores in the position paper “Security-Relevant Research @ KIT” KIT’s willingness to strengthen internal and external security through research and innovation. It thus contributes to the resilience of democracy. “We have obligations to society. Therefore we are determined to contribute to the common good in the area of security through our work as a public research institution,” says Professor Jan S. Hesthaven, President of KIT.

As both a university and Helmholtz Center, KIT is uniquly positioned  to conduct security research. The core mission of this research is to safeguard peace and defend democracy and freedom. The commitment to democratic values and scientific principles is the guiding idea. Above all, KIT is committed to academic freedom. KIT supports its researchers and helps them make informed decisions about protecting and disseminating their results. Participation in defense-related research is, in principle, voluntary.

Topics and Ethical Guidance

Since early autumn 2025, researchers and the Executive Board had been analyzing selected security-related research approaches. These included topics such as the protection of critical infrastructure to strengthen supply security, the importance of digital sovereignty, and the defense against cyberattacks. Discussions also covered security-related robotics for the protection of people, sensing and communication, including early threat detection and warning. Systems engineering played a role as did the development of drones and drone defense technology.

In implementing the position paper, KIT’s Ethics Committee  is involved to keep risks and ethical questions of security-relevant research in view. The Ethics Committee develops guidelines for an ethically responsible conduct of defense research and reviews related research projects. In cases of resulting value conflicts, it is its task to mediate. Under the premise of academic freedom, it ensures transparency and highlights potential risks and dangers of misuse, but also opportunities of security-relevant research.

In the interview, the President of KIT, Professor Jan S. Hesthaven, and the Vice President Academic Affairs, Professor Oliver Kraft, explain the background of the position paper. They address concerns that have been raised since its publication. For example, KIT will not work on concrete weapon systems and certainly not on weapons of mass destruction. Even if it wanted to, KIT as a university, could not do so, because security and secrecy requirements are not in place. This will not change, as KIT will never give up its character as an open university. The next step will be to analyze where KIT can contribute its expertise most effectively, and to define red lines that KIT is not willing to cross.

In HRK’s view, universities make a central contribution to security and peace. To meet this significance, universities and policymakers must create the necessary framework conditions.

A publication by the League of European Research Universities (LERU) describes the challenges of security-relevant research at universities. It focuses in particular on fundamental value conflicts and their potential solutions. LERU is a network of leading European universities dedicated to cutting-edge research.