Fraunhofer and Institut Mines Télécom Join Forces on Energy Transition, Data Infrastructures and Smart Urban Systems

© IMT
From left to right : Axelle Cheney-Grünberger, Senior International Expert for Technological Innovation at French ambassy in Germany, Séverine Jacquet, International Cooperation Officer at Fraunhofer, Yann Busnel, Scientific director at IMT, Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for Europe, Cécile Dubarry, Executive president at IMT, Axel Müller-Groeling, Executive Board Mem-ber for Research Infrastructures and Digital Transformation at Fraunhofer, Laurence Le Coq, Senior VP research and innovation at IMT, Patrick Brandmaier, Managing director of the Franco-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

(IN BRIEF) Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and Institut Mines Télécom have signed a memorandum of understanding at VivaTech 2026 to deepen their research partnership in hydrogen, cybersecurity and smart cities. The agreement creates a formal framework for joint research initiatives, closer cooperation among researchers and the development of strategic European innovation projects. Building on previous collaboration, including the French-German AI Industry Executives’ Dialogue, the partnership aims to strengthen Europe’s technological and digital sovereignty by combining German and French applied research expertise. The cooperation will focus on renewable hydrogen technologies for the energy transition, cybersecurity and sovereign data infrastructures, and smart city solutions such as urban data platforms, digital twins and AI-powered transport systems. Fraunhofer and IMT also plan to support concrete industrial projects, with both organisations highlighting the importance of trusted partnerships, competitiveness, resilience and European strategic autonomy.

(PRESS RELEASE) MUNICH, 18-Jun-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and Institut Mines Télécom are expanding their research partnership to strengthen European innovation in hydrogen, cybersecurity and smart cities.

The two organisations signed a memorandum of understanding at VivaTech 2026, creating a formal framework for deeper cooperation between researchers, new joint research initiatives and the preparation of strategic European innovation projects. The partnership is designed to support Europe’s technological and digital sovereignty by combining applied research strengths from Germany and France in areas of high economic and societal importance.

The agreement builds on previous cooperation between Fraunhofer and IMT, including their work on the French-German AI Industry Executives’ Dialogue. With the new memorandum, the partners are broadening their collaboration to include concrete research and industrial projects in fields linked to the energy transition, secure digital infrastructure and future urban systems.

Axel Müller-Groeling, Executive Board Member for Research Infrastructures and Digital Transformation at Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, said Europe needs strong research and innovation partnerships to maintain technological sovereignty, competitiveness and resilience. He said Fraunhofer and IMT are bringing together complementary expertise in strategic future areas, with a focus on practical European innovation projects. Müller-Groeling added that trust, synergies and effective cooperation will be central to showing that European partnerships can deliver forward-looking results.

Cécile Dubarry, Executive President of IMT, said the partnership brings together two institutions with a shared focus on applying research directly to business competitiveness. She said the cooperation will draw on scientific and regional networks across France and Germany to develop solutions of European significance in areas including hydrogen, smart cities, mobility, cybersecurity and data spaces.

Dubarry added that IMT’s long-standing commitment to French-German cooperation and its existing collaboration with Fraunhofer are now moving to a new level, with a broader scope that includes concrete industrial projects. She described the agreement as an important step toward shared technological sovereignty, which supports Europe’s strategic autonomy and prosperity.

One major focus of the partnership will be hydrogen and the energy transition. Fraunhofer and IMT aim to support the decarbonisation of energy-intensive sectors, including industry, transport and energy systems, through renewable hydrogen technologies. Their cooperation will cover the hydrogen value chain, including production, storage and conversion through electrolysis, fuel cell technologies and power-to-X applications.

A second focus will be cybersecurity and data infrastructures. The partners will work on secure digital systems, including solutions to protect critical infrastructure, detect fake news, support sovereign industry-specific data spaces, develop trusted hardware and improve interoperable digital security systems.

The third focus area will be smart cities and data spaces. Fraunhofer and IMT plan to develop digital tools for sustainable and resilient urban environments, including urban data platforms, digital twins, AI-powered transport systems and digital services. Interoperability, data standardisation, interface standards and decision-support systems will also be central to this work.

Through the strengthened partnership, Fraunhofer and IMT aim to advance applied research that supports European competitiveness, industrial transformation and technological independence in key future sectors.

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, headquartered in Germany, is one of the world’s leading organizations for applied research. It plays a major role in innovation by prioritizing research on cutting-edge technologies and the transfer of results to industry to strengthen Germany’s industrial base and for the benefit of society as a whole. Founded in 1949, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft currently operates 74 institutes and research units throughout Germany. Its roughly 30,000 employees, predominantly scientists and engineers, work with an annual business volume of 3.6 billion euros; 3.2 billion euros of this stems from contract research.

Media Contacts:

Monika Landgraf
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Munich
Director of Corporate Communications
Phone: +49 89 1205-1333
presse@zv.fraunhofer.de

Séverine Picault
Institut Mines-Télécom
Communication
Phone +33 6 27 66 05 09
severine.picault@imt.fr
www.fraunhofer.de

SOURCE: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft