Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems IKS

As a pioneer for safe, intelligent cognitive systems for production automation, Fraunhofer IKS focuses on the following topics:

• Automation systems
• Industrial sensors

Fraunhofer IKS facilitates prediction & decision support by developing trustworthy AI models using clinical data. 

Will the cars of the future drive autonomously? This vision of the future will only become reality if autonomous driving is safe. Fraunhofer IKS is therefore working on adaptive software architectures for vehicles.

Quantum computers could enable new applications. Fraunhofer IKS is researching safe software applications for quantum computing so that calculations can be relied upon.

Fraunhofer IKS regularly offers exciting and varied workshops on topics in our key areas Automation, Health, Mobility and Quantum Computing.

Digitalbonus.Bayern is a funding program for the digitization of small enterprises. Fraunhofer IKS supports you in the areas of AI, robotics, and digital twins.

Artificial intelligence opens up new economic opportunities for companies. However, the integration of AI raises significant safety concerns in safety-critical systems. This results in a gap between economic potential and safety, the economic safety gap. But generative artificial intelligence (Generative AI, GenAI) can help close it.

Holistic safety for road vehicles is the focus of the annual Safetronic conference (November 12–13, 2025, in Leinfelden-Echterdingen). In a video discussion, Fraunhofer IKS Director Prof. Dr. Mario Trapp and Program comittee member Hans-Leo Ross, CARIAD, talk about the future of mobility.

The safety of a product, i.e., not causing harm, is a crucial property for its persistent success on the market and avoidance of legal risks for the manufacturer. However, since perfect safety is typically not achievable, the question what defines acceptable safety and what defines acceptable risks, i.e., risk acceptance criteria (RAC), arises.

Consultation projects play a crucial role in fulfilling the Fraunhofer mission of translating cutting-edge research into industry applications. Recently, Fraunhofer IKS cooperated with the South Korean company ZIOVISION on AI-based facial fracture segmentation from medical images. The successful outcome of the project demonstrates the potential benefits such collaborations offer to both partners.

With the Fraunhofer IKS Playground, the institute offers access to experimental prototypes and innovative concepts from cutting-edge research.

In the white paper “Ensuring Trustworthiness of AI-Enhanced Embedded Systems”, Infineon Technologies and Fraunhofer IKS present how to apply a unified safety lifecycle on an AI-Based Motor Control Unit (AI-MC) illustrative use case.

For the fifth time, Fraunhofer IKS will host the international Safetronic conference in 2025. The event will take place on November 12 and 13, 2025. Register now!

Fraunhofer IKS is a member of the Fraunhofer Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Alliance. It combines the broad range of industry expertise and years of experience of more than 30 Fraunhofer institutes and supports companies by implementing Big Data and AI strategies.

You can find all upcoming Fraunhofer IKS envents on our event overview.

Get a compact summary of what is currently happening at Fraunhofer IKS. Click here to register:

Fraunhofer IKS is getting a new institute building on the Fraunhofer campus in Garching near Munich. Dind all information about our new building here:

You can find all the Institute's news on our News page. Read on directly.

Have you always wanted to leave your footprints behind and make the world a little safer? Then apply to the Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems IKS in Munich!