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The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft will expand its activities in Heilbronn significantly with funding from the Dieter Schwarz Foundation. From 2025, a total of eight research and innovation centers will address research topics ranging from cybersecurity to quantum AI. This will provide an important impetus for innovation in Germany and strengthen the country’s competitiveness in these fields.

How can surgery be made more cost-effective, safer and more efficient in the future? An interdisciplinary French-German team has developed high-tech hybrid operating rooms that harness the power of 5G and AI to unlock whole new applications.

Up to now, wood waste has had to be disposed of at great expense and, at best, has been used to generate energy in incineration plants. Fraunhofer researchers are now using this valuable resource to produce biohydrogen in the Black Forest region of Germany. In the joint project H2Wood — BlackForest, fermentation processes using hydrogen-producing bacteria and microalgae have been specially developed for the biotechnological production of this green energy carrier. A pilot plant for the production of biohydrogen is to be commissioned as early as 2025. A study published as part of the project also examines the potentials, barriers and measures for regenerative hydrogen production from waste wood and old wood in the Black Forest region.

Worldwide, consumption of sugar has risen steadily in recent decades even though this food contributes to cavities, high blood pressure and widespread health issues such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In the joint research project NovelSweets, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME have teamed up with partners to use methods derived from biotechnology to produce innovative, protein-based sweeteners. Their goal is to replace sugar and existing sugar alternatives, especially in beverages.

Storms, hail, rising floodwaters — extreme weather events have caused billions of euros in damage in recent years. In the ResCentric project, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI have developed a simulation software that can identify risks associated with construction infrastructure, calculate the likelihood and costs of damage and pinpoint measures to protect property against climate-related risks. The focus is on the resilience of buildings.

Cyberattacks have become a major risk for companies and other organizations. To prevent data theft, sabotage and extortion, many companies and government agencies are turning in response to Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, which use detection rules, also known as signatures, to identify cyberattacks. However, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE have conducted extensive tests and concluded that it is easy for attackers to evade many signatures like these. AMIDES, a new open source system from Fraunhofer FKIE, is designed to help remedy the situation. It uses AI to identify attacks that traditional signatures miss.

In the VALPEATS project, Fraunhofer researchers are working with project partners to develop a monitoring platform to collect information and evaluate the condition of peatlands. Peatlands are drying out due to conversion to agricultural land and climate change, releasing huge quantities of CO₂ into the atmosphere in the process. The project involves an interdisciplinary team of specialists in the field along with a network of sensors, drones, and AI tools. VALPEATS is laying the groundwork for protecting peatlands and planning rewetting measures.

Culinary foam made from the whites of chicken eggs makes baked goods light and airy. In the LeguFoam project, Fraunhofer researchers are working on a plant-based alternative made from legumes.

Today, Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier honored the winners of the Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2024 at a formal ceremony in Berlin. The award was presented to a team of experts led by Dr. Norwin von Malm and Stefan Grötsch from ams OSRAM and Dr. Hermann Oppermann from the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM for the technological implementation of their idea — an LED matrix that turns car headlights into projectors. The LED technology developed by the team opens up new possibilities for innovative designs thanks to its high-resolution light distribution and its energy efficiency.

Hardly any other chemical substance can compete with PFAS, due to their unique properties. That explains why it is so hard to find a replacement for these toxic “forever chemicals”, which accumulate in the environment and do not break down over time. A team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM has succeeded in developing solutions that hold great promise of targeted substitution for PFAS in fields including medical engineering.