Christoph Igel has been promoted to director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics (FKIE) as it seeks to strengthen its tech transfer activities.
Igel joined Fraunhofer FKIE in 2022 as head of technology management, before becoming deputy institute director in 2024.
Since then, he has led the integration of the Fraunhofer Institute for Technological Trend Analysis INT into Fraunhofer FKIE, and overseen the planning of new institute sites in eastern and central Germany.
Igel will lead the Fraunhofer FKIE together with executive director Peter Martini. The shared leadership structure is expected to strengthen the institute’s position as a defence technology researcher.
Specifically, Igel has been tasked with opening up avenues for tech transfer, innovation, and research, including through Saxony’s research network, I2SN – Innovation in Integrated Security and Sustainability .
He will be forging closer links between Fraunhofer FKIE’s research and real-world applications, helping to move innovations into the armed forces, emergency services, industry, and society.
Before joining Fraunhofer, Igel was the founding CEO and director of research at the Federal Agency for Innovation in Cybersecurity, overseen by the Federal Ministry of Defence and the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
