Founded in 1959, the French-German research Institute of Saint-Louis (ISL) is a binational institution jointly operated by the French and German Ministries of Defence. Our mission is to develop technological innovations for the armed forces and security issues while pursuing a dual objective: - To detect enemy weapons and mitigate their effects in order to protect soldiers and vehicles. - To provide our own forces with precise and directive destructive energy at long ranges for improved protection and minimisation of collateral damage. ISL with its multidisciplinary approach is unique in Europe. When inventing equipment and technologies for the armed forces of the future ISL is tackling 5 main scientific challenges: - Energetic materials and systems - Future gun systems and smart ammunition - Advanced situational awareness - Survivability of weapon systems - Protection and performance of dismounted soldiers ISL has a staff of 400 highly qualified employees, more than 60 % of whom are scientists or engineers with around 40 PhD students. ISL's research teams participate in a dense academic network and are renowned for their innovations used both before industrial implementation and during joint development. All our highly motivated and well qualified staff members have access to state-of-the-art scientific equipment. All research works is conducted under the strictest environmental conditions.