Press / Newsroom

In the KIOptiPack innovation lab, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV are working with 51 partners from industry and the research sector to develop innovative AI-driven optimization tools and a data space that connects all of the stakeholders in the packaging industry and their data. The goal is to use AI tools to recycle plastic packaging in the future.

Petra Kluger became a member of the institute management team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB on June 1, 2025. She and Markus Wolperdinger will be leading the institute into the future and tapping into new markets. Kluger, an expert on tissue engineering and biofabrication, is adding her areas of expertise to Fraunhofer IGB’s portfolio in the health and nutrition segment. At the same time, she is also taking over as director of the Institute of Interfacial Process Engineering and Plasma Technology IGVP at the University of Stuttgart, which is cooperating with Fraunhofer IGB.

Many rural regions are already facing a shortage of medical care, which is particularly acute when it comes to high-quality diagnostics. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM plan to use radar technology to help with this issue. Working in collaboration with partners, they are developing a mobile low-power radar sensor system for non-contact patient monitoring. The physicians receive details of the patient’s vital signs, such as heart and respiratory rate, without the patient having to wear a sensor on their body.

Researchers from the Translation Center for Regenerative Therapies TLC-RT at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC, working in collaboration with B-COS GmbH, have developed a biodegradable face mask designed as a two-component system that stimulates collagen production with the aim of rejuvenating the skin with lasting results. The anti-aging effect is triggered by ortho-silicic acid.

Traditional storage solutions are reaching their limits in light of the steadily increasing volume of data generated worldwide. In the BIOSYNTH project, three Fraunhofer institutes are developing a microchip platform for future mass data storage using synthetic DNA. In this interview, Dr. Uwe Vogel, the project’s coordinator and head of the Microdisplays and Sensors department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS, explains how the researchers plan to widen the use of this high throughput-capable, modular system for synthesizing DNA, RNA and peptides to also include biological applications such as screening for harmful substances and development of active ingredients.

To produce protein-rich foods sustainably, novel protein sources offer an alternative to meat, dairy and other animal products. In the FutureProteins flagship project, six Fraunhofer institutes have developed closed circulatory indoor cultivation systems for year-round production of proteins from alternative sources, independent of the climate and seasons. Then, as the next step, the researchers also combined the proteins and raw materials derived from plants, fungi, algae and insects with each other for the first time and processed them into prototypes for foods. The novel products and meat alternatives produced in this way are highly nutritionally valuable.

The development of novel therapeutics offer great hope for the fight against widespread diseases such as cancer, but they can impair the cardiovascular system, so development often fails early on. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM and Hannover Medical School have developed a complex cardiac organoid model that can be used to study the potential cardiotoxicity of new medications. Their miniature heart even has an immune system of its own.

An increasing number of electronic waste are not being properly disposed of but are often discarded together with plastic waste, for example. If the batteries in these products are damaged, they can cause fires at sorting plants. In the DangerSort project, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS are using a sensor-based sorting system to remove hazardous items and make recycling plants safer.

The heads of the CDU, CSU and SPD political parties unveiled their coalition agreement on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. With an eye to the German science, research and innovation system, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft believes the agreement contains important measures that can help bolster Germany’s innovative strength and competitiveness. The President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Holger Hanselka, welcomes key points of the agreement, which is to be approved in the weeks to come.

Every year, some 5.6 million metric tons of plastic packaging winds up in household waste in Germany after being used just once. So far, less than a third of it can be recycled. Working in partnership with Hochschule Bremen — City University of Applied Sciences, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM aims to transform this waste into high-quality 3D-printed products.