SPS’25

 

Science · Peace · Security ’25

10 – 12 September 2025

Invention Center, Campus-Boulevard 30, 52074 Aachen

By Kim Westerich-Fellner

From 10-12 September, the Science – Peace – Security ’25 (SPS ’25) Conference was held in Aachen, Germany. The event was hosted by VeSPoTec and organized by Forschungszentrum Jülich.

The conference explored how rapid technological advancements are reshaping global peace and security. Against the background of shifting global orders, SPS ’25 provided a platform for exchange of expert perspectives on how verification can address crucial risks posed by conventional arms and weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, biological, and chemical threats. Key discussions highlighted the challenges arising from fast-evolving military and dual-use technologies, such as artificial intelligence, advanced data analytics, and new capabilities emerging from a rapidly transforming biological landscape.

The conference was opened by Dr. Irmgard Niemeyer (Forschungszentrum Jülich) and Dr. Jürgen Altmann (FONAS – Research Association for Science, Disarmament and International Security), who provided a timely assessment of the risks and challenges for verification in the current international security landscape, highlighting the need for innovative, interdisciplinary solutions to ensure effective compliance mechanisms.

Over the course of three days, 60 international scholars and practitioners shared their work and perspectives and engaged in lively, cross-disciplinary discussions. In addition to the timely and relevant insights offered through presentations and poster sessions, a highlight of the conference was the interactive dialogue Research at Crossroads, where participants explored together how a research agenda can be shaped to address non-proliferation, arms control, and disarmament in a changing world.

SPS’25 offered a valuable opportunity to exchange knowledge, foster collaboration, and contribute to the search for effective responses to the multifaceted challenges facing peace and security.

 

 

Original Conference Announcement (Published prior to the event)

The following announcement was originally published before the conference and outlines the intended goals and thematic focus of SPS ’25.

In recent years, rapid technological advancements have fundamentally transformed the international security landscape, presenting significant risks and complex challenges to global stability. The swift progression of military and dual-purpose technologies, including artificial intelligence, advanced data analytics, and nascent biological and chemical capabilities, poses significant challenges in monitoring their development and potential applications. Verification entails determining treaty compliance through systematic information gathering, analysis, and interpretation to assess adherence to mutually agreed-upon limitations. The intricate nature of emerging technologies has added new layers of difficulty to the already intricate verification task. These multifaceted difficulties demand innovative, interdisciplinary solutions to ensure effective verification mechanisms in the evolving technological realm.

The Science – Peace – Security ’25 conference seeks to explore the profound impact of these technological developments on peace and security, with a special emphasis on the role of verification in managing and mitigating risks associated with conventional arms and weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), including nuclear, biological, and chemical threats. However, the conference will also provide a platform for broader discussions on how technological progress influences the dynamics of global peace, security, and conflict.

For more details click  PROGRAMME

 The conference is organized by VeSPoTec, the regional research consortium focused on addressing the challenges of nuclear disarmament and arms control verification in an increasingly complex and unpredictable world. VeSPoTec unites RWTH Aachen University, Forschungszentrum Jülich, the University of Duisburg-Essen, and the Technical University of Darmstadt, along with associated partners including the University of Vienna and the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP). Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), VeSPoTec is committed to integrating technical, political, and social insights to develop innovative verification approaches. The Science – Peace – Security ’25 conference embodies the consortium’s mission to bridge the gap between science, technology, and policy to address pressing global security challenges.

The conference is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and the German Research Association for Science, Disarmament, and International Security (FONAS).

Participation in the conference is free of charge.

Programme Committee

  • Irmgard Niemeyer, Head of Division, Nuclear Safeguards and Security, Forschungszentrum Jülich
  • Malte Göttsche, Professor, Technical University of Darmstadt, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF)
  • Stefan Böschen, Professor, Human Technology Center, RWTH Aachen University
  • Ralph Rotte, Professor, Institute of Political Science, RWTH Aachen University
  • Carmen Wunderlich, Senior Researcher, Institute of Political Science, University Duisburg-Essen
  • Moritz Kütt, Senior Researcher, Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy, the University of Hamburg
  • Grant Christopher, Co-Program Director for Verification and Monitoring, the Verification Research, Training, and Information Centre (VERTIC)
  • Cecilia Gustavsson, Associate Professor, Division for Applied Nuclear Physics, Uppsala University, Alva Myrdal Centre for Nuclear Disarmament
  • Gunnar Jeremias, Research Associate, Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker-Centre for Science and Peace Research (ZNF), University of Hamburg
  • Kadri Reis, Research Associate, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF)