The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) has teamed up with commercial insurer FM in a research initiative aimed at addressing cyber and climate risks, reflecting an ongoing strategy in Europe to mobilise public research capabilities to support industry resilience.
The collaboration combines FM’s experience in commercial property insurance with LIST’s research in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, Earth observation, and digital twin technologies.
The initiative focuses on examining the chain reactions that lead to business interruptions and translating scientific research into practical tools for risk management.
Two research projects will lead the initiative. The first concentrates on cyber risks by modelling attack pathways and simulating digital intrusions. The objective is to understand how cyber incidents affect interconnected systems and to inform response and mitigation approaches suited to actual business environments.
The second project centres on climate-related business interruption. LIST is developing a Digital Twin platform that replicates physical environments to simulate how natural hazards such as flooding and wildfires impact infrastructure and operations. The platform will use FM’s climate models and real-time data to track how disruptions - such as flooded roads - can interrupt supply chains and business continuity. It will provide predictive insights and visual dashboards to assist decision-making before hazards escalate into full-scale operational shutdowns.
“This collaboration perfectly illustrates LIST’s mission: connecting deep tech research with industrial reality,” said Jurgen Joossens, acting CEO of LIST. He said the tools developed through this partnership are intended to support resilience not only in Luxembourg but also across Europe and other regions.
FM’s staff senior vice president for research, Sandor Becz, described the partnership with LIST as aligned with FM’s objective to work with leading scientific organisations to address changing risk profiles.
“The collaboration with LIST is part of FM’s broader strategy to engage leading research organizations across Europe and around the world to build a global network of partners that accelerates innovation, deepens scientific insight and strengthens our ability to help clients navigate evolving risks,” said Becz.
FM, operating under a mutual insurance model, works with many global firms to manage property risk and prevent loss. LIST, a public research and technology organisation under the Ministry of Research and Higher Education works across sectors such as digital innovation, materials science, environmental research, and space resources.
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