Scientists

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

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Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is a fixed element in the German research landscape. It is committed to excellence in its research activities and maintains close ties with institutions engaged in fundamental research.

Further information

Publication database »Fraunhofer Publica«

You can approach the institutes and research institutions directly to obtain scientific publications from Fraunhofer research activities. You can also utilize the »Fraunhofer-Publica« database for research purposes. »Fraunhofer-Publica« is a multidisciplinary database which documents publications from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, its institutes and their employees. With well in excess of 100,000 titles listed, it reflects the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft's entire research portfolio. Around 8,000 new titles are added each year.

Fraunhofer-Publica includes the following documents:

  • Books 
  • Magazine articles 
  • Articles from books or conference proceedings
  • Conference volumes
  • Dissertations and doctoral theses 
  • Research reports 
  • Patents
  • Other publications as well as posters, presentations, etc.

The Fraunhofer-Publica database has been compiled and is maintained by FhG-Online on behalf of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft headquarters, in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institutes and their libraries.

Open Access Policy

In 2003, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft signed up to the "Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities", undertaking to provide free access on the Internet wherever possible to all published research findings. The publications are available free of charge as full-text versions on the »Open Access ePrints Server« that is connected to our publications database.

Research grant »Fraunhofer Attract«

An idea becomes an innovation, if it comes to use. The grant »Fraunhofer Attract« offers outstanding external scientists the opportunity to develop their ideas towards an actual application within an optimally equipped Fraunhofer institute operating close to the market. The scientist will be offered a budget of 2.5 Million Euro over 5 years to lead a group of 3-5 co-workers.

Contact

  • Dr. Raoul Klingner

    International Business Development

    Headquarters of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

    Hansasstraße 27c
    80686 Munich, Germany

    • Phone +49 89 1205-4700
    • Fax +49 89 1205-77-4700

Excellence initiative

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research is making 1.9 billion euros available to universities within the scope of the excellence initiative. In addition to the “Future concepts for the promotion of top-class research at universities” – elite universities – clusters of excellence and postgraduate schools will also be sponsored. Fraunhofer Institutes contribute to the success of their partner universities.

Future concept for the promotion of top-class research at universities:

Graduate School

  • »Graduate School for Advanced Manufacturing Engineering der Uni Stuttgart«, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA and Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO
  • »Bonn-Aachen International Graduate School for Applied Informatics«, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT
  • »Jena School for Microbial Communication«, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF

Clusters of excellence

  • »Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage Countries« der RWTH Aachen, Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT und Fraunhofer Institute forProduction Technology IPT
  • »Ultra High-Speed Mobile Information and Communication« der RWTH Aachen, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT
  • »Engineering of Advanced Materials – Hierarchical Structure Formation for Functional Devices« der Uni Erlangen-Nürnberg, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISB
  • »Interdisciplinary Center for Integrative Neuroscience « (CIN) der Uni Tübingen, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA

Future concepts for the promotion of top-class research at universities – elite universities

»RWTH 2020: Meeting Global Challenges« der RWTH Aachen and the Fraunhofer Institutes for Applied Information Technology FIT, Laser technology ILT, Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Production technology IPT.

Prizes and distinctions

Scientists from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft are honored for outstanding achievements and receive prestigious prizes from Germany and overseas. A selection of the major prizes is listed here.

Current Prizes

Becquerel Prize for Dr. Andreas Bett from Fraunhofer ISE

Sep 21, 2009

At the 24th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference (PVSEC), the European commission has awarded the Becquerel Prize to Dr. Andreas Bett, Head of the Materials – Solar Cells and Technology department and one of the deputy institute directors at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy ISE.

Bayer Climate Award for Prof. em. Dr.-Ing. Eberhard Jochem

Professor Eberhard Jochem, a former member of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE is the winner of the Bayer Climate Award for outstanding achievements in fundamental climate science research. The award was presented by the Bayer Science & Education Foundation in Berlin on March 24, 2009.

The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize

  • 2008: Holger Boche a member of the directorate of the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI for his work on the mobile radio networks of the future
  • 2007: Peter Gumbsch from Fraunhofer IWM for his outstanding research on the deformation and fracture mechanisms of materials
  • 2005: Andreas Tünnermann Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, for his pioneering work in developing high-performance fiber lasers
  • 1991: Hermann Riedel from the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM

The German Future Prize – the German President’s award for technology and innovation

  • 2007: Andreas Bräuer, Fraunhofer Institute for Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, and Dr. Klaus Streubel and Dr. Stefan Illek, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors for new production methods for highly-efficient, energy-saving and long-lasting high-performance thin film LEDs, which can replace traditional light bulbs.
  • 2004: Rainer Hintsche Director of the “Biotechnical Systems” department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology ISIT in Itzehoe jointly with two co-operation partners for the »Laboratory on a chip – electrical biochip technology« project.
  • 2000: Karlheinz Brandenburg and his colleagues Bernhard Grill and Harald Popp, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS in Erlangen for the MP3 decoding process.

Alfried Krupp Sponsorship Prize

  • 2004: Ina Schieferdecker from Fraunhofer FOKUS
    for her outstanding achievements in research and teaching. This award supports the work of outstanding young professors.

German Environmental Prize

  • 2005: Joachim Luther from Fraunhofer ISE for outstanding merit in the area of solar energy

The European Grand Prix for Innovation

  • 2005: Rainer Hintsche staff member of the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology ISIT for the development of a chip, which can be used in the diagnosis of cancer and inherited diseases
  • 2004: Helmut Fuchs from the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP is awarded the »Pan European Grand Prix for Innovation« on the topic of »Environmental Protection«.
  • 2003: Hannelore Römich Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC, receives the »Pan European Grand Prix for Innovation« for the development of a light dosimeter.

Philip Morris Prize

  • 1999: Michael Schanz, Christian Nitta and Thomas Eckart researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS, receive the renowned award for applied research in the competitive field of “Photonics and Optoelectronics” for the development of a digital high-performance camera.

 

Further information

Fellowships

Fraunhofer members of staff are nominated as fellows on the basis of their extraordinary achievements and receive fellowships.

  • Fellow of the American Physical Society: Professor Eicke R. Weber, institute director of the Fraunhofer ISE

  • Fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE): Professor Herbert Reichl, director of the Fraunhofer IZM
    Professor Dieter Rombach, institute director of the Fraunhofer IESE

  • Fellow of the Laser Institute of America (LIA): Professor Reinhart Poprawe, institute director of the Fraunhofer ILT

  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Professor Helmut Neunzert, former institute director of the Fraunhofer ITWM,

  • Deutsche Akademie der Technikwissenschaften (acatech): Member Professor Ina Schieferdecker from Fraunhofer FOKUS

ERCIM fellowships for PhD holders

Fraunhofer is member at ERCIM (European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics), a pooling of European, national research facilities in the fields of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Applied Mathematics. ERCIM offers fellowships for PhD holders from all over the world. Topics cover most disciplines in Computer Science, Information Technology, and Applied Mathematics. Fellows are hosted in leading European Research Institutes.

Application deadline twice per year: 30 April and 30 September


"The ERCIM Alain Bensoussan Fellowship Programme is supported by the Marie Curie Co-funding of Regional, National and International Programmes (COFUND) of the European Commission"

  • Bettina Touré

    Institutszentrum Birlinghoven

    Schloss Birlinghoven
    53757 Sankt Augustin

    • Phone +49-2241-14-2271

Fraunhofer Prize Award 2010

At the annual conference of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft the Stifterverband Award and three Joseph von Fraunhofer prizes and three Hugo Geiger prizes were bestowed. The Stifterverband Award recognizes scientifically outstanding joint projects in applied research.

The winners of the Science Prize Awards on May 19th 2010 in Leipzig with Dr. Arend Oetker, President of the Stifterverband (left), Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan, Federal Minister of Education and Research and Prof. Dr. Hans-Jörg Bullinger, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (right). 

Stifterverband Award for Science

In 1920, scientific representatives founded the Stifterverband (Association of Donors) at the recommendation of German academies, universities and scientific institutions. Its reestablishment after World War II is closely tied to the reestablishment of the „Notgemeinschaft der deutschen Wissenschaft" (German Research Association) on January 11, 1949.

As in the past, the Stifterverband today views itself as intermediary between business and science. Under the aegis of the Stifterverbund, a capital volume of 2 billion euros is administered in 450 individual endowments. For the past 8 years, it has bestowed on the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft a prize endowed with 50,000 euros. This award recognizes the scientific excellence of joint projects in applied research that the Fraunhofer institutes have developed in conjunction with business and/or other research organizations (Article 1) This prize and the „Technology for Humanity" prize are awarded each year on an alternating basis.

  • more info

Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Prize – research with a practical orientation

This prize has been awarded by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft every year since 1978, in recognition of outstanding scientific work by members of its staff leading to the solution of application-oriented problems. Over 200 researchers have meanwhile seen their work honored in this way. This year, three prizes will be awarded – each valued at 20,000 euros.

  • more info

Hugo Geiger Prize – promoting talented young scientists

The Bavarian government instituted this prize in 1999 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. It is named for former Bavarian secretary of state Hugo Geiger – patron of the inaugural assembly of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft on March 26 1949. The Hugo Geiger Prize is awarded for outstanding, application-oriented doctoral theses or dissertations – up to now only in the life sciences. From this year on, prizes will also be awarded for papers that cover other research areas of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. The prizewinning papers are selected on the basis of scientific quality, industrial or economic relevance, novelty and an interdisciplinary approach. The work must be directly related to a Fraunhofer Institute or have been written at one. This year, the first-placed winner will receive 5000 euros in prize money, the second winner 3000 euros and the third 2000 euros.

  • more info

Current Job Offers

Contact

For further information about our research fields as well as for concrete advice please contact our institutes directly. The contact persons of our groups and alliances gladly establish the contact for you.