Here, new concepts are developed in the field of non-lethal weapons and pyrotechnical compositions for defence purposes. In the field of flares, new formulations are developed and tested.

Pyrotechnical compositions represent an important group of IR flares, which can make a significant contribution to defence against infrared-guided missiles. The ejected flares produce an IR signature considerably greater than that of the target object, thereby diverting the missile away from that object towards themselves. Continual developments in detection systems capable of multispectral target detection means that the radiation signature must be made as similar as possible to that of the object. The continual development and improvement of flares is therefore essential for them to remain effective.

Tasks can be divided into the development of new compounds with improved properties, and signature measurement of flares to evaluate their effectiveness.

Non-lethal weapons (NLWs) are weapons developed and constructed to neutralise opponents without significant or lasting injury, or to disable equipment or infrastructures while minimising collateral and environmental damage.

Mechanic, acoustic and kinetic NLWs are the focus of research at the ICT. Besides its scientific work, the institute also organises the international "Symposium on Non-Lethal Weapons", and is founder and chair of the "European Working Group on Non-Lethal Weapons" (EWG-NLW), founded in 1998.