Fraunhofer Research Awards 2026

The 2026 Fraunhofer annual assembly was held in Leipzig under the motto “Fraunhofer − Transfer for Our Future”.

On the evening of June 10, 2026, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft recognized excellent projects by its researchers. Three Joseph-von-Fraunhofer Prizes were presented, along with the Stifterverband Science Prize “Forschung im Verbund” (Joint Research).

The award-winning projects showcase research that has been successfully translated into real-world applications. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft stands as a beacon of innovation and a bridge from discovery to application, occupying a unique place in Germany's highly specialized research ecosystem.

Since 1978, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has awarded the annual Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize to its employees for outstanding scientific achievements in developing solutions for application-related problems.

The criteria for being awarded the research prize include the innovative nature of the scientific methodological approach, the advancement of knowledge, and the transfer of the research findings into practical applications.

This year, three Joseph von Fraunhofer Prizes will be awarded, each worth 50,000 euros. The winners will also receive a silver pin with the profile of Joseph von Fraunhofer.

Stifterverband is a community of around 3,500 dedicated individuals, companies and organizations from industry, science and civil society. It works to explore new approaches to education and science in order to consistently enhance the strength of innovation in society. As a major driving force, it analyzes current challenges, supports model projects and facilitates their dissemination in various networks. It networks industry, science and civil society to jointly develop new ideas and initiates political reforms. Two fields of action are the focus of its work: education and skills acquisition as well as collaborative research and innovation.

For more than 20 years, Stifterverband and Fraunhofer have been awarding this prize, which comes with 30,000 euros in prize money, on a biennial basis. This recognizes joint applied research projects of particular scientific excellence that Fraunhofer institutes are working on in collaboration with industry and/or other research organizations.

The Stifterverband