Fraunhofer FOKUS Opens Cutting-Edge Safety Lab

What happens when the power grid fails, floodwaters rise, or a city needs to evacuate fast? These are exactly the kinds of scenarios that Fraunhofer FOKUS wants to tackle head-on. On March 25, 2026, the Berlin-based research institute officially opened the SIRIOS Lab, a state-of-the-art facility for simulating, visualizing, and analyzing complex crisis situations.

According to the press release from Fraunhofer FOKUS, the lab builds on an earlier Safety Lab, significantly expanding its capabilities with larger visualization surfaces, immersive media technology, and a flexible spatial concept. The result is a research and demonstration environment that is unique across Germany.

SIRIOS stands for the security of sociotechnical systems, meaning the safe interaction between people and technology in modern society. Using digital building and infrastructure twins, coupled simulations, and interactive visualizations, the lab creates a realistic environment where emergency services, public authorities, scientists, and operators of critical infrastructure can test new methods and technologies side by side.

The opening event brought together around 30 invited guests, including Berlin's State Secretary for Interior Affairs Christian Hochgrebe, who called the lab "a milestone for public safety." Fraunhofer President Prof. Holger Hanselka emphasized that resilience is not built during a crisis but through preparation, research, and understanding critical dependencies beforehand.

The SIRIOS Lab is funded by both the federal government and the state of Berlin, and unites four Fraunhofer institutes: EMI, FOKUS, IOSB, and IVI. It is not just a research space but a collaborative platform where policy, business, and science can develop solutions together.