International IBM Research Prize for Fraunhofer FOKUS

„With the award of the Shared University Research Grant we want to acknowledge the outstanding quality of the research activities of Fraunhofer FOKUS in the field of data security research in the eGovernment environment,“ said Erwin Jung, director of IBM Science Relations. Together with IBM, the experts at Fraunhofer FOKUS are working on reliable data security technologies.

„Our goal is to develop secure data management,“ explains Prof. Dr. Radu Popescu-Zeletin. „This is the only way to create the necessary acceptance in the public administrations to increasingly utilise Internet-based services.“

In the project „Electronic Safe“ Fraunhofer FOKUS collaborates with IBM to improve security of personal data on the Internet.

Focus of research activities is the conception and realisation of a virtual safe for personal data and digital documents. The „Electronic Safe“ shall facilitate citizens' electronic access to the public administration and provide them with suitable tools to control and understand the use of personal data. The administration gains access to high-quality data and documents via the „Electronic Safe“ that were explicitly released by the citizen.

As cooperation partner, IBM contributes the software „IBM Identity Mixer“ (Idemix). It allows users to identify each other on the Internet without revealing their own identity. Fraunhofer FOKUS and IBM will use the Research Grant as an opportunity to intensify their research cooperation. Both partners want to further develop the electronic data safe until CeBIT 2010.