Date: 18:00 pm, February 11th, 2026
Location: TIP, Theater im Pädagog, Pädagogstraße 5, 64283 Darmstadt
Moderation: Prof. Dr. Malte Göttsche (department 5)
Registeration
We would like to cordially invite professors, young researchers and staff members of TU Darmstadt who are particularly interested in interdisciplinary exchange to attend. Registration via eveeno
An idea
Away from the usual environment and outside conventional academic circles, the experimental, open format of the space is intended to reveal the full breadth of the topic. We hope this will lead to a variety of research perspectives and lively discussion.
In cooperation with the departments of Natural Science Peace Research (Physics, Malte Göttsche), International Relations (Politics, Markus Lederer), Peace and Conflict Research (Politics, Tobias Ide) and PEASEC (Computer Science, Christian Reuter), the FiF is organising DenkRaum1.26.
The invitation
“Security-related research: What are we researching at TU Darmstadt?”
The world is in turmoil and dominated by crises. The number of armed conflicts worldwide is at an all-time high, and Europe is experiencing war for the first time in many decades. Climate change, pandemics, digitalisation, the expansion of autocratic ideas and the erosion of the international order are bringing new dangers with them. Politicians and society are therefore engaged in a controversial debate about how we can guarantee our security in this situation.
This discussion must not stop at the university, and we must consider how ‘security-related research’ can and should be shaped in the future. We would like security-related research to be understood in a broad sense, as proposed by the German Council of Science and Humanities: it concerns internal and external security, resilience and the preservation of the natural foundations of society. Research can contribute to this, but it can also jeopardise it. (German Council of Science and Humanities (2025): Science and Security in Times of Global Political Upheaval | Position Paper; Cologne. (https://doi.org/10.57674/9tr5-kn29)
What needs to be done to ensure that scientists address the potential security implications of their research? And what are the consequences? This concerns both potential opportunities, such as the use of research results to create security, resilience and peace, and risks, such as the possibility of use for harmful purposes. But how do we define what constitutes useful and harmful purposes? What considerations exist between the two? What role does our civil clause play in view of the upheavals in security policy? In other words, how could and should the topic of security-related research be conceived and implemented at TU Darmstadt?
The DenkRaum aims to provide food for thought in an informal atmosphere, highlighting different perspectives, enabling changes in perspective, and encouraging further reflection even after the event. In particular, we want to stimulate discussion about the ambivalence of new technologies, especially with regard to the problem area of peace and conflict research. With this in mind, we look forward to a lively exchange.
The location
The seventh FiF Think Tank will take place at TIP, Theater im Pädagog, Pädagogstraße 5, 64283 Darmstadt.
