White flecks on sweets with a chocolate glaze are harmless – but esthetically unappealing. More than just improper storage can diminish the glossy sheen. Researchers have discovered other weak points in the production process. Armed with sophisticated analysis, companies can now protect their products effectively from the undesirable coating.

Lupines can constitute an important nutritional element of the human diet. Scientists have found a way to process lupine seeds so they can be turned into protein-rich, flavor-neutral ingredients for foods. For their work on this, Fraunhofer scientists Stephanie Mittermaier and Peter Eisner and Prolupin GmbH’s Katrin Petersen were awarded the German Future Prize 2014 (»Deutscher Zukunftspreis«).

As in the previous year, a study carried out by Thomson Reuters, the international media group, has come to the same conclusion in 2014. Besides Fraunhofer, also BASF, Bosch and Siemens are the only German representatives among the »Top 100 Global Innovators 2014«.

Fraunhofer researchers receive an Innovation Prize this year from the European Association for Research and Technology Organisations EARTO for the development of software that protects companies from theft and improper use of data. In addition, Frank Treppe, Division Director of Corporate Strategy and International Affairs at Fraunhofer, has been elected as EARTO Vice President. Together with EARTO President Maria Khorsand, he will be representing 350 institutions conducting applied research in Europe.

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Europe’s premier research and development organization, is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of its U.S. subsidiary – its largest outside of Germany. As part of the celebration, Fraunhofer will be introducing its new Fraunhofer USA management team, while highlighting its focus over the next 20 years in terms of fostering innovation through international collaboration.

Whether from solar parks, wind turbines or biomass facilities, more and more of our electrical power is coming from distributed and volatile sources. Unfortunately, the availability of wind and solar energy depends on the weather and time of day. In the future, smart grids, innovative storage technologies and energy management systems will enable us to make use of renewables only when they are needed, as well as keeping the power network stable.

Mobility would be at a standstill without electric motors and their powerful permanent magnets. These owe their useful magnetic properties to the chemical elements neodymium and dysprosium, which belong to the group of rare earths. Sometimes called critical raw materials, nobody is sure whether the supply of rare earths will hold out in the medium and long term. But ensuring that these raw materials remain available on the world market is far from easy, and prices have been rising steadily for years. One of the factors affecting the expansion of emerging technologies is having these prized resources available in sufficient quantities. This is why Fraunhofer researchers in the »critical rare earths« lighthouse project are working on technologies to process rare earths more efficiently, reuse them or to find suitable substitutes.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has been successfully developing concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology for many years. In this technology Fresnel lenses are used to bundle sunlight and focus it onto miniature, highly efficient solar cells. The FLATCON® module technology originates from Fraunhofer ISE and is continually under further development at the Institute. Now with their newest CPV module technology, the Freiburg researchers announce a world record module efficiency of 36.7 %, achieved by adapting the concentrating lens to a new solar cell structure. The high module efficiency was measured under Concentrator Standard Testing Conditions, or CSTC, and marks the best value ever achieved for a photovoltaic module.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Production of the Final Match will pioneer a 360-degree viewing experience thanks to a panoramic, Ultra HD OmniCam developed by scientists at the Fraunhofer HHI in Berlin. Football fans will be able to re-live all the drama and emotion of the July 13 match between Germany and Argentina in this ground-breaking format for the first time at the new FIFA World Football Museum in Zürich, which is scheduled to open its doors to the public in early 2016.

Marking the start of this collaborative effort and offering the first insights into what’s to come was an opening event held on July 9, 2014. In attendance were Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of Finance and Economics Nils Schmid, Jeffrey M. Hill from the Consulate General of the United States, Maria Zuber, Vice President for Research at Boston-based MIT, and a host of scientists from both institutes.

For her outstanding research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine Fraunhofer scientist Prof. Dr. Katja Schenke-Layland has been distinguished with the 2014 Young Scientist Award of the Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society – European Chapter (TERMIS-EU).

Klaudia Kunze has become director of the new Communications Division at Fraunhofer at the beginning of June 2014. She will be reporting directly to President Prof. Reimund Neugebauer.

Four science prizes will be presented at this year’s annual conference of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in Freiburg. The first, the Stifterverband Science Prize, is awarded for scientific excellence in collaborative applied research projects. The Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize will be awarded to three teams of researchers in recognition of outstanding scientific work leading to the solution of application-oriented problems.

Prof. Alexander Verl assumed his position as Member of the Board and Executive Vice President for Technology Marketing and Business Models on 1 April 2014. He moves from Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA to senior level management of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. The new department has been created to further develop potential within Fraunhofer – by utilizing the results of research and marketing research achievements.

The Morgenstadt City Challenge is a global competition for cities that want to be better prepared for the urban challenges of the future. Three winning cities will get to enjoy support of a special kind from the innovation network »Morgenstadt / City of the Future«, which is made up of institutes from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, municipalities and private industry.

One of Fraunhofer IME`s projects is among the finalists of this year`s GreenTec Awards. The GreenTec Awards is Europe’s largest environmental and business prize. Once a year the Awards honor environmental commitment and green technologies. The joint project with CONTINENTAL »RUBIN - Dandelion RUBber Goes Industrial« was nominated in the category Automobility. On on Feb 25th the jury will choose the winner out of the three nominees per category.

Prof. Horst Karl Hahn and Prof. Ron Kikinis will take over joint leadership of the Fraunhofer Institute in Bremen, Germany on May 1, 2014. Both will pursue the optimal use of information in medical imagery for patient care.

On February 20, 2014, Professor Christoph Klein was awarded the renowned German Cancer Prize. By selecting him for this prize, the German Cancer Society honored his outstanding experimental research into metastatic dissemination of cancer cells.

Long before Germany set out on its journey toward a new energy economy, scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg were already developing ways to tap sources of renewable energy – in particular the sun. This dedication to renewables over many years has now been recognized in the form of the Zayed Future Energy Prize 2014. Awarded to Fraunhofer ISE on January 20, 2014, the prize is endowed with 1.5 million US dollars. Prizewinners are selected on the basis of the degree to which they bring about a tangible change in industry, society and the environment, their impact as a leader and role model, and the viability and innovative potential of their organization.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Emmy is a very prestigious award for excellence in television in America, and this year an Emmy Award in the Technology & Engineering category has been given to the Motion Picture Experts Group – MPEG – for the development of the MPEG-2 Transport Stream standard.

Technology can assist in compiling history. Fraunhofer researchers receive the European Innovation Prize from the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations (EARTO) on 4 Dec 2013 for software that reconstructs files of the East German state security service.