Press / Newsroom

How Fraunhofer institutes use circular design, digital materials expertise and bio-based materials to keep raw materials in continuous circulation.

Earlier detection. Precision treatment. Rethinking healing. Research into precision medicine at Fraunhofer combines biological findings, digital technologies and medical expertise to gain a better understanding of diseases and to tailor therapies to individual patients. This leads to healthcare innovations that improve and save lives. Fraunhofer researchers are developing new active ingredients, precise diagnostic methods, intelligent data analyses and smart medical technology for this purpose. Our 4D approach entails an interdisciplinary combination of drugs, diagnostics, devices and data.

Artificial intelligence and innovative blood tests make it possible to detect cancer, sepsis and tuberculosis earlier and earlier. We can combat these effectively with new substances and personalized therapies. Fraunhofer researchers are now opening the door to the application of medical innovations.

At least 8,000 highway overpasses and 17,630 kilometers of railway across Germany are dilapidated, but repairs and rebuilding will take time. How Fraunhofer technology is accelerating service and maintenance – so the Carola Bridge collapse in Dresden will remain an isolated incident. so the Carola Bridge collapse in Dresden will remain an isolated incident.

Germany is investing in security and defense. There are numerous research projects ready to launch, not only within the Bundeswehr but also in the realms of civil defense and critical infrastructure. Not all challenges have been resolved yet, but the future is looking brighter.

Whether in electric vehicles, medical technology or smart devices, batteries have become a fixture of our everyday lives. As the global energy transition advances and the need for sustainable and low-emission technologies increases, demand for powerful energy storage solutions that conserve resources is also on the rise. Battery cells represent a key technology in the energy transition, but strong research and rapid innovation transfers are the only way to tap into their full potential and meet the demand for European battery cell manufacturing.

Developing new medications is becoming more and more expensive and taking longer and longer. Now, AI and miniature organs grown in a Petri dish are helping to change that.

The tiniest parts of matter provide insight into big contexts. Sunlight, magnetism and molecular interactions are just some of the things that cannot be explained conclusively without them. As a basis for advanced technologies, quantum physics is set to achieve great things across a range of different areas. What is the current status of advances in quantum computing, communications, imaging and sensors?

Products from Germany’s factories enjoy an excellent reputation. In 2017, the “Made in Germany” label was ranked first in a study by statistics portal and market research firm Dalia Research. A recent study by entrepreneurship platform Meisterkreis, transformation research agency Sturm und Drang and agency group Serviceplan Group found that 25 percent of consumers in Europe, China and the United States favor German brands. Or rather, they still do. There is a trend toward domestic products, notably driven by U.S. President Donald Trump and his “America First” policy. And, as the study also reveals, German products have a worsening image here in their home country. Some 42 percent of German participants indicated that their reputation has declined. So how is the German art of engineering doing? Which technologies and methods might help to secure a competitive edge internationally? And how can the research sector support industry?

Science year 2025 - Energy of the Future: Fraunhofer is working to further develop and refine hydrogen technologies and geothermal systems while boosting their efficiency and at the same time to make nuclear fusion possible in the long term as an ecofriendly source of energy. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has dedicated Science Year 2025 to these energy forms of the future.