New Joint Israeli/German Center to Revolutionize Cybersecurity

Sunday, Oct 25, 2015

The Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (Photo Courtesy of Flash90)

A new Cybersecurity Center that will propel the field into a new era was launched on October 21st 2015 in Jerusalem. Hebrew University and the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology, the leading institute for applied cybersecurity research in Germany, have agreed to create the Fraunhofer Project Center for Cybersecurity in Jerusalem. This Center will become the leading institute for applied cybersecurity in Israel and will help develop the next generation of Israeli hi-tech.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Mount Scopus and it specifies which fields in cybersecurity the Center will focus on such as internet security, security of critical infrastructures, industrial security, cloud security and privacy. In the spirit of collaboration both Hebrew University and Fraunhofer SIT appointed their own specialist, Dr. Michael Schapira from Hebrew University and Dr. Haya Shulman from Fraunhofer SIT, to serve as chief coordinators to ensure the Center's shared success.

The ceremony was marked with a visit by the President of the Bundesrat and Minister-President of the State of Hessen, Volker Bouffier. Following the signing, Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson, President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said: "It is fitting that in this fiftieth year of diplomatic relations between Israel and Germany, researchers from both countries will begin working together to develop cybersecurity solutions to enhance global security and strengthen our democratic societies.”

The Rachel and Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering is one of the most advanced research institutes in the world and is home to the new Center.