Article from Research in Bavaria: New Solutions for the Industry of the Future – Digital Twins and Cybersecurity Strategies for the Modern World of Work

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The GFA is honoured to be spotlighted in this wonderful article by Vera Spaett from Research in Bavaria.

Here the part regarding the GFA:

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A group of people standing in front of the ferries wheel in Munich.
Participants of the 2nd GFA Future-IoT PhD school on the topic “IoT meets AI” in Munich in September 2019.

A Joint German-French Project Targeting Commercial Success

In 2016, TUM co-founded another long-term project, the German-French Academy for the Industry of the Future (GFA), with the aim of preparing and strengthening industry in France and Germany. The GFA is the result of close cooperation on research, education, and innovation between TUM and the Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT)—the biggest grande école in France, which has campuses across the country.

Since the project started, teams comprised of German and French researchers have collaborated on over 27 research projects, jointly supporting the education of students and doctoral candidates.

“The GFA is a vibrant forum for exchange and international understanding. A whole host of motivated people are putting a lot of energy into strengthening German-French research cooperation,” says Professor Marc-Oliver Pahl, holder of the Chair of Cybersecurity for Critical Networked Infrastructures at IMT. He knows both university partners in the GFA well, having worked at TUM from 2008 to 2019 before accepting a professorship with IMT Atlantique in France.

Graduate Opportunities with the GFA

The GFA’s mission is to strengthen the life-long learning of international students and doctoral candidates, as well as working professionals, around the changes underway in the world of work and the digitalization of the economy. As part of German-French collaboration, the GFA co-organizes PhD schools as well as workshops and hackathons for international students, doctoral candidates, and other researchers in conjunction with industry partners.

Pahl is a member of the GFA steering committee and provides advice on future educational activities at the GFA. He has been teaching students and engaging with digital learning formats for many years, having played a pioneering role in the field of eLearning. The GFA therefore offers free digital learning formats, such as MOOCs, on topics such as the future of work.

Robot walking in a virtual reality environment
A smart assistant robot acts as a guide through the cybersecurity jungle in the virtual reality environment.
Prof. Pahl wearing virtual-reality-glasses
Professor Pahl in an Augmented Reality Security Operation Center with data projected onto his smart glasses.

The TRUE-VIEW Project: Enhanced Cybersecurity Through the Metaverse

Another way of connecting with the GFA is by engaging with its research projects. With computer systems becoming increasingly ubiquitous, data is increasingly collected and processed sometimes without us even realizing. In a recent project called TRUE-VIEW, Pahl and his team explored how the metaverse could be used to raise awareness about invisible data collection and processing.

In the metaverse, users wear headsets to enter collaborative virtual worlds. As part of this work, the team developed several extended reality (XR) interfaces with virtual and augmented reality (VR, AR) as proofs of concept. The scientists created scenarios that provided a virtual representation of Wi-Fi signals at the TUM Department of Informatics, as well as of data processing in factory automation systems and ambient data processing in classrooms, all using 3D headsets.

GFA Seed Funding a Pathway to Career Success

The TRUE-VIEW project led to Pahl’s involvement in the joint Horizon Europe “CyberSecDome” project, which includes 13 partners including TUM and IMT and over €6 million in funding. The GFA also awards seed funding to promising high-risk project ideas to support the preparation of applications for more extensive grants, such as those awarded by the EU and gained by Pahl. Its research topics include Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Manufacturing, and Network Systems. Over 35 large and medium-sized companies from Germany and France work with the GFA. “It’s wonderful to see so many industrial and academic entities wanting to partner with us. Nothing could illustrate the GFA’s success better,” says Pahl.

Please find the full article here: https://www.research-in-bavaria.de/industry-of-the-future

French-German Tech Lab @ VivaTechnology 2023

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We are happy to be co-organizers of the French-German Tech Lab on this year’s edition of the biggest Startup Event in Europe “VivaTechnology 2023”. See you there!

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60th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty – GFA celebrates 60 years of German-French relations

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Exactly 60 years ago, German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and French President Charles De Gaulle signed the Treaty of Friendship in the Élysée Palace. With this agreement, the two neighbors paved the way for a prosperous common future in the heart of Europe after long enmity and wars.

Today, the current German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Emmanuel Macron, as well as other politicians and invited guests, met at the Sorbonne University to celebrate this anniversary.

The GFA also celebrates this day, which makes its mission possible, namely to promote and actively shape bilateral research, higher education and industrial relations in the Industry of the Future.

Macron stressed today that Germany and France “cleared the path to reconciliation,” and must therefore “become pioneers to relaunch Europe.” (According to: https://www.dw.com/en/scholz-and-macron-celebrate-60-years-of-elysee-treaty/a-64480184)

It was the same spirit that helped founding the GFA in 2015, when Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) reacted to the idea of President Macron and former Chancellor Angela Merkel to create a French-German research and innovation network accompanying the digitalization of industry processes focusing on AI, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and network cooperation. Since then, the GFA helped develop a total of 30 French-German research projects, directly involving more than 175 researchers, PhD students and engineers as well as more than 30 industrial partners.

The GFA is at the forefront of innovation and will continue it’s mission with a year full of bilateral events, calls-for-projects and other networking activities to support bringing Germany, France and Europe to the cutting edge in the Industry of the Future.

We thank all researchers, companies, network partners and the many people who have helped us in our mission so far and will continue to support us in the future!

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Metaverse – threat or opportunity for the French-German industry? – Panel Discussion at Bits&Pretzels in Munich, Sept. 25, 3:55pm

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Besides having a booth at Europe’s leading founders festival Bits&Pretzels 2022, the GFA is joining the La French Tech Munich Stage on Sunday September 25 with a panel discussion on “Metaverse – threat or opportunity for the French-German industry?“

When talking about the Metaverse most people immediately think about Facebook and their rebranding to “Meta” in early 2022. And indeed the company announced working on a VR social platform. But that is the keyword, VR or virtual reality! Metaverse is a term that is still vague and complex and can be brought into context with virtual reality, cyberspace and smart spaces, because the Metaverse is still being built and therefor still to be defined in detail. “The Wired” states, that this is because the term doesn’t really refer to any one specific type of technology, but rather a broad (and often speculative) shift in how we interact with technology. And as you may guess, this opens the door to a lot of opportunities and dangers in the process. In our panel discussion we want to share some of these pros and cons to help Germany and France shaping the future of a (European) Metaverse.

Therefore, we invited three wonderful speakers that will join our moderator Paul-Guilhem Meunier (GFA) on stage:

More information under: https://www.bitsandpretzels.com/festival/program/french-tech-stage

Speakers of the Panel
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Our booth at Bits&Pretzels, Sept 25-27, 2022

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Bits&Pretzels is Europe’s leading founders festival. Once a year founders and enthusiasts from the start-up scene meet in Munich at the festival to find and give inspiration through lectures and network among each other.

The organizers of Bits&Pretzels together with La French Tech have chosen France as the guest country for 2022.

The German-French Academy for the Industry of the Future will this year be part of the festival with a booth and a panel discussion on the “French Tech Munich Stage.

Join 5,000 founders, investors, and startup enthusiasts for three days full of learning, networking & inspiration.

… and look out for our booth at the ecosystem of la French Tech Munich!

https://www.bitsandpretzels.com/festival/program/french-tech-stage

Panel Discussion on Sunday Sept 25 at 3:55 pm

The GFA is joining the La French Tech Munich Stage on Sunday September 25 with a panel discussion on “Metaverse – threat or opportunity for the French-German industry?“

For that opportunity we invited three wonderful speakers that will join our moderator Paul-Guilhem Meunier (GFA) on stage:

Interview from Business France with the GFA: Three questions for the GFA

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On September 6th, 2022 Business France interviewed Cosima Stocker, project manager and head of industry relations at the GFA. This is a good opportunity to learn more about us and our network that supports Franco-German industrial cooperation in the field of digitalization.

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What is the Franco-German Academy for the Industry of the Future?

The Franco-German Academy for the Industry of the Future (GFA) is a strategic partnership to foster close cooperation between two leading European research institutions, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany and the Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT) in France, thereby strengthening Franco-German relations. The aim of the RIA is to meet the challenges of the increasing digitalization of industrial processes through joint research, teaching and innovation…

Read more:

German version: https://world.businessfrance.fr/deutschland/2022/09/05/drei-fragen-an-die-deutsch-franzoesische-akademie/

French version: https://www.teamfrance-export.fr/grandest/infos-sectorielles/19844/19844-3-questions-a-lacademie-franco-allemande-pour-lindustrie-du-futur?slugSecteur=industrie&codePays=DE (you will have to sign up for free)