Press/Newsroom

Extreme weather, blackouts or major emergencies: When every second counts, public agencies and local governments must act as fast as possible. But how can decision-makers maintain situational awareness and make well-informed decisions? An AI-driven civil protection dashboard will help them do just that. Fraunhofer researchers are developing the system with partners in the RegioGuard-PRO project. The aim is to integrate data from a range of sources, provide for early identification of situational awareness and improve collaboration among crisis responders and security personnel.

Amid geopolitical turmoil, protecting critical maritime infrastructure is more important than ever. The Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE is working together with maritime security research partners to develop innovative solutions for underwater acoustic communication and robust networks.

Pancreatic cancer is among the most aggressive cancers and has a poor prognosis. The partners in the RELEVIUM EU project aim to improve palliative care and quality of life for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer using digital tools and an AI-supported multimodal intervention. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM are using explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) methods to help implement personalized treatment plans and strengthen patients’ well-being and self-management.

Enzymes have enormous potential to make industrial manufacturing more efficient and unlock new production methods. However, tailoring them to specific applications is a complex process. In the ZenBio project, Fraunhofer researchers in Potsdam are developing an automated platform to accelerate this work by combining cell-free protein synthesis with AI-assisted enzyme design. The platform will enable companies to develop suitable enzymes faster and more cost-effectively.

Magnets are essential components in electric vehicles, wind turbines and electronics. However, their production depends on rare earth elements such as neodymium, about 90 percent of which is imported from China. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS are working with project partner TU Bergakademie Freiberg to develop a technology to recover these valuable raw materials in Germany for use in new products.

On October 1, 2026, Franziska Boenisch took over as a director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC. She has also been appointed to the Chair of Software and Systems Security at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Georg Sigl, a director of the institute since 2010 and holder of the TUM Chair of Security in Information Technology, has assumed the role of executive director in the institute’s dual leadership team.

On October 1, 2026, Michael Sedlmair joined the leadership team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD. He will work with Matthias Unbescheiden to shape the institute’s scientific and strategic direction at its Darmstadt and Rostock locations. His work will focus on human-centered artificial intelligence and on how visual computing technologies can help people tackle complex cognitive and physical tasks. Sedlmair will also join the Technical University of Darmstadt as a professor and hold the Chair of Visual Computing, formerly the Interactive Graphics Systems Group.

Cushioning for upholstery, mattresses and vehicle seats is made primarily from petroleum-based polyurethane foams. Fraunhofer researchers are replacing the conventional material with sustainable foams made from renewable resources that provide exceptional comfort for seating and sleep systems.

Seawater and brackish water could serve as alternative water sources for hydrogen production. The challenge is that conventional electrolyzers require high-purity water that needs extensive treatment. In the SeaEly project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES and the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM investigated how suitable seawater and brackish water are for hydrogen production and what testing and evaluation infrastructure is needed.

Heat pumps are an efficient and future-proof key technology for the energy transition in heating systems and for achieving Germany’s climate goals. In the WESPE project, Fraunhofer researchers and their partners are working to make heat pump installation faster, more productive and more efficient to support the transformation of the heating sector, despite a shortage of skilled workers. Innovative, standardized digital tools and practical installation solutions tested in real-world conditions are to significantly speed up future heat pump retrofits.