01.12.2025

New research project BRIDGE

Legal and ethical support project for BMFTR-funded research projects developing intelligent robotic solutions in environmental technology

BRIDGE – the accompanying project for robotics, information law, dissemination, green tech, and ethics – is launching a nationwide scientific project as part of the “Digital GreenTech – Environmental Technology Meets Robotics” funding initiative of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR). Over the next three years, BRIDGE will advance Germany's high-tech agenda by supporting the safe and responsible transfer of research results into sophisticated environmental applications based on robotics and AI.

As consortium leader, the FZI Research Center for Information Technology is responsible for coordination and contributes its proven expertise in AI, robotics, and information law—including legal analyses and practical implementation support. The funding project partner is the International Center for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities (IZEW) at the University of Tübingen, which identifies ethical dimensions and challenges for intelligent robotics in the environmental sector and develops proposals for effectively addressing them in technology development projects. DIZ | Digitales Innovationszentrum GmbH is a subcontractor focusing on networking, science communication, and systematic knowledge transfer to the specialist community. BRIDGE has a total budget of around €750,000 and a duration of 36 months and is funded by the BMFTR.

IZEW-Team:
Dr. Lou Therese Brandner, Aline Franzke, Prof. Dr. Thomas Potthast (Co-PI) and Dr. Simon David Hirsbrunner (Co-PI)

More information in the press release