Press / Newsroom

Aquaculture is a growing market around the world. From animal feed production and food manufacturing to pharmaceuticals and medicine, a wide range of industries are profiting from the insights provided by fundamental and applied research into aquaculture — considered a key research and development field for providing food security to a growing global population. As of January 1, 2022, the research team at the German Society for Marine Aquaculture (Gesellschaft für Marine Aquakultur mbH, GMA) has joined the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized and Cell-Based Medical Engineering IMTE in Lübeck to further consolidate the institution’s expertise in this area. This provides the research institution with a second site. It also bundles expertise in the research sector, which will strengthen the maritime economy in northern Germany and promote the development of innovative technologies to improve the ecological and economic balance sheet of aquaculture.

Since January 2022, Fraunhofer Fab Battery Cells FFB has been an independent research institution under the umbrella of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Fraunhofer FFB was originally established in Münster as an institute branch of the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT as part of the FoFeBat project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Fraunhofer FFB aims to accelerate the innovation and commercialization processes of production technologies for existing and future cell formats and thus enable the more efficient, cost-effective production of premium-quality battery technologies. This will prevent international dependencies on other energy storage technology markets over the long term. Prof. Jens Tübke has been appointed acting head of the independent Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB.

Detergent bottles are frequently manufactured using recycled plastic; however, as far as higher value-added applications are concerned, these recyclates have yet to be deployed on a large scale. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF, working together with partner companies, have demonstrated that recycled plastic performs similarly to virgin plastic – not only that, it is also a suitable material for dishwasher case bottoms.

Geothermal systems are becoming an increasingly important source of clean and, above all, baseload-capable energy. But the wells, which can be several thousand meters deep, are risky, and things can sometimes go wrong. Fraunhofer scientists have now developed an innovative tool that enables additional branches to be drilled off of the main well. This decreases the risk of dry boreholes and improves the output.

Quantum mechanically entangled light particles break down the boundaries of conventional optics and allow a glimpse into previously invisible wavelength ranges, thus bringing about new possibilities for imaging techniques, microscopy and spectroscopy. Unearthing these possibilities and creating technological solutions was the goal of the Fraunhofer lighthouse project QUILT, the results of which are now available.

The rate of renovation in the building sector is still too low to achieve the energy transition by the target date set by the German federal government. However, increased use of prefabricated components can help accelerate this process. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP and the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology IEE are developing a facade module that integrates the technical building equipment and supplies it with renewable energy to heat, cool and ventilate the adjoining rooms. This is made possible by a PV system integrated into the modular facade for supplying energy, a mini heat pump for heating and cooling, and a decentralized ventilation unit with heat recovery. In addition to being suitable for the renovation of existing facades, the system can also be used as a sustainable, energy-efficient solution in new builds.

The venom of a single spider can contain up to 3000 components. These components, mostly peptides, can be used to develop promising drug leads for the treatment of diseases. Spider venom can also be used as a biological pesticide. A team of scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME and the Justus Liebig University in Giessen is primarily researching the venoms of spiders native to Germany, which have mostly been neglected until now. Their results regarding the biology of the toxins, in particular from the venom of the wasp spider, have been published in the journals “Biomolecules” and “Biological Reviews”.

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and the Dutch research center QuTech – a collaboration of TU Delft and TNO – are joining forces in the fields of quantum communication and quantum information networks. Together, they are positioning themselves as leading organizations for the development and transfer of quantum technologies to strengthen Europe's innovative power and pave the way for the quantum internet. Today, the partners have signed a memorandum of understanding for close cooperation.

Global supply chains comprise complex networks, making them particularly vulnerable. The UK is a prime example of this, where logistics problems are currently resulting in empty supermarket shelves and closed gas stations. Fraunhofer experts provide IT solutions that counteract supply bottlenecks in international goods traffic and maintain robust supply chains.

The microspeakers for wireless in-ear headphones from Arioso Systems GmbH, a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS, are up to ten times smaller than conventional microspeakers and are made entirely from silicon. Currently at the prototype stage, the energy-efficient MEMS speakers may in future play a role in expanding the range of functions offered by miniaturized headphones – such as instant translations and health monitoring features. This is made possible by an innovative sound transducer principle that dispenses with the membrane, the central element of a conventional speaker.