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In just under two weeks, the 4th International Digital Security Forum (IDSF) will open its doors in Vienna.
Vienna (AIT) – In 13 days, the 4th International Digital Security Forum (IDSF) will open its doors at the MuseumsQuartier Vienna. From 4 to 6 June 2025, the Austrian capital will become the centre of global discourse on digital security, technological sovereignty and international cyber resilience. Under the motto ‘Balancing Sovereignty and Solidarity in the Digital Age’, #IDSF25 will address new security risks at the interface of AI, quantum and biotechnology, the role of tech diplomacy in an increasingly digitalised world, and the transformation of global cyber security strategies, especially in geopolitically sensitive regions. Other key topics include digital resilience, the protection of critical infrastructure, trusted data spaces, people-centred digital governance and data sovereignty for peace and security, as well as the impact of disinformation and digital manipulation on democracies.
Special programme items on AI, peacebuilding, disinformation and digital solutions
- Wednesday, 4 June 2025, 2:00–3:30 p.m.: Workshop by the Vienna Business Agency and SBA Research on ‘Digital Sovereignty in a Connected World: Navigating Between Openness and Control’
- Wednesday, 4 June 2025, 4:00–5:30 p.m.: Workshop by the CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation on ‘AI for Peace: The Promise and Peril of AI-Powered Engagement in Conflict Zones’
- Thursday, 5 June 2025, from 9:45 a.m. (all day): Social science track ‘Sovereignty and Solidarity in the Digital Age – a critical View’, organised by the Vienna Centre for Societal Security (VICESSE)
- Thursday, 5 June 2025, 9:45–11:00 a.m.: Workshop by the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) on ‘Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security of High-Risk Critical Infrastructure’
- Thursday, 5 June 2025, 8:00–10:00 p.m.: Exclusive film screening: ‘How to Build a Truth Engine’ with introductory remarks by Austrian filmmaker and journalist Friedrich Moser
- Wednesday and Thursday, starting at 3:15 p.m.: Exhibitor Innovation Pitches by innovative companies (SMEs), leading IT organisations and research institutions.
Further information and registration details can be found here: https://idsf.io/.
Please note: Representatives of public institutions will be granted free access to the conference.
International guests and prominent speakers
Following the great success of the last IDSF edition with over 500 participants and more than 100 speakers from 35 countries, the organisers have put together a high-calibre programme aimed at international experts and representatives from the fields of diplomacy, politics, business and science. High-ranking speakers will shed light on the tension between digital sovereignty (independence) and international cooperation from different technological, political and economic perspectives. Accompanying high-profile panel discussions, exciting keynote speeches and impulse talks are planned, including by Michal Krelina (SIPRI – Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Stockholm), Renata Ávila Pinto (CEO Open Knowledge Foundation, United Kingdom), Detlef Eckert (author of the book ‘40 Years of European Digital Policies’), Bethany Allen (Australian Strategic Policy Institute – ASPI; video message), Guilherme Maia de Oliveira Wood (Head of the Department of Neuropsychology and Neuroimaging at the University of Graz), Max Schrems (expert on law, data protection and politics), and others. video message), Guilherme Maia de Oliveira Wood (Head of the Department of Neuropsychology and Neuroimaging at the University of Graz), Max Schrems (expert on law, data protection and politics; video message), Senadin Alisic (Strategy Advisor at Combitech AB, Sweden), Philipp Budka (Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Vienna, Austria), Pavlina Pavlova (cyber policy expert, Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Austria), Anna Malec (ESDC – European Security & Defence College), Augusto Lopez Claros (Executive Director, World Governance Forum, Spain), Philipe Reinisch (Founder SILKROAD 4.0, Austria) and Filimon Peonidis (University Professor of Philosophy at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece).
Information on partners and opportunities to participate can be found here: https://idsf.io/partners-2025/
Information on the full programme can be found at: https://idsf.io/programme/
About #IDSF25
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), the Ministry of the Interior (BMI) and the Ministry of 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, the ARGE Security and Economy (ASW) of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, the Competence Centre for a Secure Austria (KSÖ) and the Agency for Economic Cooperation and Development (AED), as well as in cooperation with international partner organisations.