At the 4th International Digital Security Forum in Vienna, internationally renowned speakers will discuss the major challenges facing our sovereignty and global cooperation.
From 4 to 6 June 2025, Vienna will be the centre for global discourse on digital security, technological sovereignty and international cyber resilience for the fourth time. With the support of the Federal Chancellery (BKA) and the State Secretariat for Digitalisation as well as the Federal Ministries for European and International Affairs (BMEIA), for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI), for Finance (BMF), for the Interior (BMI) and for National Defence (BMLV), the International Digital Security Forum (IDSF) 2025 is being organised by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology in close cooperation with the BMEIA, aRGE Sicherheit und Wirtschaft (ASW) of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, the Kompetenzzentrum Sicheres Österreich (KSÖ) and the Agency for Economic Cooperation and Development (AED) as well as in cooperation with international partner organisations.
Under the motto "Balancing Sovereignty and Solidarity in the Digital Age", the #IDSF25 will bring together international experts from the fields of diplomacy, politics, business and science for three days at the MuseumsQuartier Vienna. The forum will shed light on the tension between digital sovereignty (independence) and international cooperation from various technological, political and economic perspectives. Three conference days provide the framework for high-calibre keynotes and discussions on the challenges of digital transformation.
Day 1 - Policy Making (4 June 2025)
Michal Krelina (SIPRI - Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Stockholm) will open the forum with a keynote speech on the security implications of quantum technologies. In the subsequent panel discussion, Claudia Reinprecht (Head of Department for Telecommunications, Digital and Tech Diplomacy at BMEIA) will discuss the role of tech diplomacy in the digital age with Ditte Bjerregaard (Acting Tech Ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark), Andrea G. Rodríguez (Chair of the Governing Board, ImpaQT, Netherlands) and Ulrich Mans (Quantum Delta, Netherlands), among others.
In her keynote speech, Renata Ávila Pinto (CEO Open Knowledge Foundation, UK) called for a stronger return to the digital commons. Nathan Coyle (Senior PeaceTech Advisor, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology) will then discuss data-driven governance and digital sovereignty with, among others, Farhat Asif (Founder & President of the Institute of Peace & Diplomatic Studies in Islamabad, Pakistan), Tobias Lang (Director of the Austrian Centre for Peace) and Markus Kornprobst (Professor of International Relations at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna).
Guilherme Maia de Oliveira Wood (Head of the Department of Neuropsychology and Neuroimaging at the Karl-Franzens-University Graz) will then address social, legal and ethical aspects in the context of neurotechnologies and their impact on our society, followed by a video message from Bethany Allen (Head of China Investigations and Analysis, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)).
Further exciting impulses will be provided by Detlef Eckert (author of the book "40 Years of European Digital Policies") on Europe's digital sovereignty and Guilherme Maia de Oliveira Wood on ethical issues as well as in a security-critical context together with Alexandra Duca (lawyer at the BMLV), Matthias Kettemann (Professor of Innovation, Theory and Philosophy of Law at the University of Innsbruck) and Jean-Marc Rickli (Head of Global and Emerging Risks at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Switzerland).
After a video message from Max Schrems on the legal status quo, Christof Tschohl (Research Director of the Research Institute Austria) will discuss the challenges arising from the balance between innovation and regulation with Sebastian Kneidinger (Policy Advisor, epicenter.works) and Orion Forowycz (Co-Founder and CTO of Nexus Group AI, Austria), among others.
Day 2 - Cyber Security (5 June 2025)
Senadin Alisic (Strategy Advisor at Combitech AB, Sweden) will open the day with a keynote on strengthening transnational infrastructures. The panel will include Georgios Kolliarakis (Coordinator of the EU P2P Global Dual-Use Programme of the European External Action Service EEAS), Eman Alawadhi (Vice President for Network and Cyber Security at Expo City Dubai), Salmi Ahsan (Security Specialist, SAP Berlin, Germany) and the internationally renowned governance and compliance expert José Carrera (UAE).
Karin Kosina (Head of Unit for Cyber Security, BMEIA) will speak with Szilvia Tóth (Cyber Security Officer, OSCE) and Philipp Agathonos (Austrian Ambassador to Vietnam) on the topic of geopolitics and cyber security.
Elena K. Sokova (Executive Director of the VCDNP - Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation), Lars van Dassen (Executive Director of WINS - World Institute for Nuclear Security) and Paul Smith (Professor of Computing and Communications at Lancaster University, UK), together with other panellists, will address the impact of digitalisation on nuclear security.
After an introductory expert briefing by Anna Malec (ESDC - European Security & Defence College), Christian Rupp (former Executive Secretary eGov Austria, Special Ambassador, aed - Federal Agency for Economic Cooperation and Development) will discuss the importance of education and training in the face of growing global cyber threats with Uroš Svete (Director of the Government Information Security Office of the Republic of Slovenia) and Natalia Spinu (Senior Cyber Security Expert and Responsible AI Governor for Moldova), among others.
An additional programme item will focus on funding initiatives with contributions from Ralph Hammer (Director of the Staff Department for Security Research and Technology Transfer, BMF), Jeanette Klonk (Programme Manager, National Contact Point for Civil Security for Society, Austrian Research Promotion Agency - FFG) and Birgit Reiter-Braunwieser (Team Lead Research Location & CEE, Austria Business Agency - ABA).
The day's finale will be the screening of the documentary film "How to Build a Truth Engine" by Austrian filmmaker and journalist Friedrich Moser, as an introduction to the main topic of the third IDSF event day.
Day 3 - AI & Disinformation (6 June 2025)
On the final day, two panels will focus on the interactions between artificial intelligence and disinformation. The panellists will include Ross King (Head of Competence Unit Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, AIT), Katharina Schell (Deputy Editor-in-Chief, APA - Austria Press Agency), Friedrich Moser (filmmaker), Sabine T. Köszegi (Head of the Institute of Management Science, TU Wien), Carmen Isabel Grabuschnig (Sorbonne Université) and Filimon Peonidis (Professor for Philosophy at the Aristotle University Thessaloniki, Greece).
Top-class social science parallel track on IDSF Day 2 (Thursday 5 June)
The programme will be complemented by an exciting social science track organised by IDSF programme partner Vienna Centre for Societal Security (VICESSE) under the title "Sovereignty and Solidarity in the Digital Age - a critical View", which will take place on 5 June 2025 as part of the IDSF. This part of the programme will open with a keynote speech by Bart Karstens (Rathenau Institute, Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences, Netherlands) on "Community-Led Digital Sovereignty: Insights and Lessons from an Indigenous Initiative in Remote Canada", followed by high-level panel discussions on the social challenges of digital transformation and practical technological and security policy issues.
Special workshops with in-depth thematic focus
In order to provide participants with more practical insights into the challenges of digitalisation and innovative technological solutions, parallel interactive workshops will also be offered on the first two days of the conference as part of the forum. organised and run by the CMI - Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation (topic: AI for Peace: The Promise and Peril of AI-Powered Engagement in Conflict Zones), the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation - VCDNP (topic: Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security of High-Risk Critical Infrastructure) and the Vienna Business Agency together with SBA Research.
Accompanying exhibition of innovative Austrian SMEs and global companies
In addition, the forum is organising an accompanying exhibition in which innovative companies (SMEs), leading IT organisations and research institutions will present their latest solutions and developments. Companies have the opportunity to position themselves as partners (see also https://idsf.io/partners-2025/) in front of an international audience. Information on partner packages that are still available can be found at https://idsf.io/service-offerings/.
About the #IDSF25
Following the great success of IDSF 2023 with over 500 participants and more than 100 speakers from 35 countries, the organisers are planning a high-calibre programme for 2025 that addresses the key balance between technological innovation, digital sovereignty and international cooperation. The conference will examine new security risks at the interface of AI, quantum technology and biotechnology, the role of tech diplomacy in an increasingly digitalised world and the transformation of global cyber security strategies, particularly in geopolitically sensitive regions. Other focal points address digital resilience, the protection of critical infrastructure, trustworthy data spaces and human-centred digital governance and data sovereignty for peace and security, as well as the impact of disinformation and digital manipulation on democracies. Information on current programme content can be found at https://idsf.io/programme/.
Further information on the programme and tickets are available at https://idsf.io/erhältlich.