Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
The world of work is changing rapidly, driven by the digital transformation as well as major social and economic challenges. Our goal as a scientific organization is to navigate this environment by actively working with other stakeholders to shape a working world that will meet future demands, forging new paths to balance excellence, innovation and flexibility.
The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft launched the New Work@Fraunhofer initiative back in 2018. It is dedicated to creating a flexible, cooperative, participatory and customer-oriented working and research environment for self-determination among employees within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.
Flexibility and personal responsibility for employees
New Work@Fraunhofer revolves around flexible working models that meet the needs of our employees and customers, from remote working and flexible schedules to agile, collaborative organizational structures. In the last Fraunhofer-wide survey, employees responded very positively to the flexibility they have in setting their schedules and choosing where to work.
New ways of working and altered project and customer requirements are also impacting organizational forms. At Fraunhofer, this means further bolstering and developing agile thinking and actions along with customer-oriented organizational forms and collaboration styles. In line with these efforts, we are also embracing new forms of leadership and self-organization, backed by relevant training activities, digital platforms and modern work environments.
Piloting flexibility in the research sector
In a recommendation paper for policymakers, Fraunhofer put forward some concrete suggestions for arranging flexibly scheduled scientific work to make everyday working routines more flexible, thereby also increasing the attractiveness of non-university research organizations.
In addition, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and Leibniz Association jointly created an experimentation space for flexible work in science and research in April 2025. The goal of this two-year project is to pilot innovative approaches for greater flexibility in working models, thereby modernizing HR work and at the same time ensuring top-class research conditions.
The focus is on advanced time recording, hybrid forms of work and short-term sabbaticals, which will be trialed in the project at Fraunhofer and Leibniz institutes that are interested in these avenues. The researchers working on the project will not only study the effects of measures like these on innovative strength, appeal as an employer and employee motivation but also identify specific recommendations for adding flexibility to the overall conditions that apply in science and research.
The project aims not only to increase employee satisfaction and health in the short term but also to spur the strategic growth and evolution of how work is conducted in the science and research sector in Germany.
In the long term, the project will enhance the research institutions’ appeal as a place to work while making them more innovative. It will also be instrumental in cultivating and retaining skilled workers and ensuring that Germany remains competitive as a business hub.
Experimentation space for flexible work in science and research — Fraunhofer IAO (in German)