Balancing Sovereignty and Solidarity
in the Digital Age
International Digital Security Forum (IDSF) Vienna 2025
Digital transformation challenges states to maintain their open strategic autonomy and sovereignty while fostering global solidarity in leveraging the benefits and addressing risks and cyber threats. Digital sovereignty emphasizes control over national data and infrastructure, while digital solidarity relies on international cooperation to develop common security standards and share knowledge. The International Digital Security Forum (IDSF) 2025 will focus on exploring this crucial balance from a variety of technological and thematic perspectives. Topics include cybersecurity in a globalized world, AI-driven critical infrastructure security, PeaceTech initiatives, and the role of tech diplomacy in an age of artificial intelligence. This conference provides a comprehensive platform to examine how independence and cooperation can be harmonized to address global digital security challenges.
Given this background, #IDSF25 will bring together international and national leadership and stakeholders for information exchange and to foster collaboration and build partnership in the context of this year’s conference motto “Balancing Sovereignty and Solidarity in the Digital Age”. Following last year’s success forum with over 500 international participants in Vienna and more than 100 speakers from 35 countries, the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology is happy to announce the 4th International Digital Security Forum (IDSF) to be held from 4. – 6. June 2025 in Vienna, Austria.
The conference is created as a physical event and takes place in the cultural hotspot MuseumsQuartier Vienna. It is organized by AIT with the support of the Federal Ministry of European and international Affairs, further major Austrian ministries and in partnership with the Austrian Security and Defence Industries Group of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and the Competence Center Secure Austria (KSÖ), as well as in cooperation with international partner organizations.
In keeping with its tradition, the conference will be a mix of keynotes from prominent digital security players from around the world and discussion panels with experts from authorities, academia and industry. Part of #IDSF25 is an accompanying exhibition of innovative Austrian SMEs and global companies from the digital sector. Furthermore, IDSF25 will explore the role of cyber and tech diplomacy and confidence-building measures in cyberspace, as well as the intersection between technology and international crisis and conflict management.
Furthermore, and building on the success of prior editions, the Vienna Centre for Societal Security (VICESSE) and the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology are happy to announce their continued collaboration to host a parallel Social-Science Track on the 5th of June 2025 as part of IDSF. For this purpose, a special Call for Papers will be organized and announced in due time.
The program of #IDSF25 includes the following topics:
- Beyond Digital: Tech-Diplomacy in the Age of AI and Quantum
- The Security Costs of Digital Transformation
- Building National Resilience through Cyber Security Training & Exercises
- (Geopolitics of) Cyber Security for the Indo-Pacific
- AI-Driven Security for Critical Infrastructures
- PeaceTech
- Responsible Use of Biometric Data
- Information Integrity, Disinformation and Societal Impact
- The Next Generation of Trusted Data Sharing (Gaia-X)
