The German Navy and the Fraunhofer EMI have signed a cooperation agreement. The aim of the partnership is to foster close scientific and technical exchange and, if applicable, to initiate joint research and development activities.

On June 22, 2025, the Inspector of the Navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, and the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI, represented by Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Stefan Hiermaier, signed a cooperation agreement.

Risks and threats at sea and underwater, combined with increasingly rapid technology cycles, present a rapidly growing challenge. Therefore, the German Navy is advancing the establishment of an innovation ecosystem that includes not only military agencies but also academic institutions and organizations for research and technology development.

In this context, the Navy Command and the Fraunhofer EMI intend to foster close scientific and technical exchange in the future and, if applicable, initiate joint research and development activities on relevant issues of the German Navy in the area of »Effects, Protection, and Short-Time Dynamics in the Context of Different Threat Scenarios«.

The collaboration between the German Navy and the Fraunhofer EMI particularly serves to facilitate the exchange of information regarding the use of innovative technologies relevant to the Navy, as well as the testing of functional demonstrators and the handling of projects in the aforementioned areas. The cooperation also includes support for exercises or practical trials.