WIZnet Germany Launched Three Synergistic IoT Security Research Projects

September 2025 – Abstract

Autumn 2025 – WIZnet Germany GmbH laid the foundation for the next generation of the secure Internet of Things (IoT). With the simultaneous approval of two SME innovation projects and one central joint research project, a technological triumvirate was launched that fundamentally redefines cyber-secure architectures for both the industrial environment (IIoT) and the critical healthcare sector.

To clearly distinguish these highly specialised research and development projects in cyber and hardware security from its classic European distribution business, the independent WIZnet Germany GmbH strategically bundles these activities under its specialised proprietary brand, Våghals.

As previously announced in widely noticed social media updates on LinkedIn, the three initiatives launched in September 2025 interlock technologically like cogs in a machine:

1. The Industrial Foundation: Umbrella Project "SHELL"

The strategic framework is formed by the comprehensive security architecture project "SHELL", which can be viewed via the official SHELL Research Project Page. It provides the robust, overarching protocol framework to secure networked systems against complex cyber risks in harsh, everyday industrial IoT environments.

2. Hardware Hardening in the Field: Project "ZeroRISK"

In addition, the SME project "ZeroRISK" focuses on implementing Zero-Knowledge principles directly at the hardware level. It ensures that industrial control systems, IoT sensors and actuators remain tamper-proof, even in the event of physical access by attackers.

3. The Transfer into Medicine: Project "STEWART"

The concrete bridge from industry to highly sensitive medical technology is marked by the healthcare security project "STEWART". In close research cooperation with the Institute of Computer Architecture and Computer Engineering at the University of Stuttgart and international partners from Turkey – Demsay Elektronik A.Ş. and Medron Technology – a highly secure, networked ECG monitoring technology is being developed here.

Industrial Hardening Meets Medical Precision

Due to the coordinated parallel launch in September 2025, the projects mutually reinforce one another. The uncompromising resilience tested in the industrial environments of SHELL and ZeroRISK flows directly into the medical utilisation of STEWART. Hospitals and medical technology manufacturers thus benefit from the same hardened security architecture that protects critical infrastructures, while the University of Stuttgart accompanies the direct transfer from academic cutting-edge research to market readiness.