“Networks That Are Useful and Enjoyable” Interview With Eckhard Weidner | 10 Years—10 People

Few people have championed networking and sustainable thinking as consistently as Eckhard Weidner. He experienced the power of collaboration at first hand in a project involving more than 200 colleagues from numerous Fraunhofer institutes who worked to develop fundamental principles for the responsible use of plastics. The lessons he learned from that project continue to shape his work today—including his involvement in Fraunhofer-Alumni e. V.

In the opening interview of our series 10 Years—10 People to mark the tenth anniversary of Fraunhofer-Alumni e. V., he shares new perspectives on community, responsibility and future viability.

Mr. Weidner, you’ve been retired for several years now. What was the transition like for you?

Every stage of life has something new to offer—whether university study, career or family. Now it’s retirement. My wife and I retired at the same time, so we said to ourselves: This is something we’ll have to learn! We’re now in our third “year of training,” so to speak, and we’re enjoying the freedom to try out new things—including community involvement. 

How did you come to get involved with Fraunhofer-Alumni e. V.?

Elisabeth Ewen and Wilhelm Bauer approached me and asked whether I could imagine serving on the board. I enjoyed building connections between people when I was an institute director—and that’s exactly what I continue to do now through the alumni association. Fraunhofer-Alumni e. V. provides a platform for maintaining contacts, sharing knowledge and keeping the connection with Fraunhofer alive.

What’s special about the alumni association?

We offer events that you would rarely find elsewhere. At the 2025 Alumni Summit, participants visited the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) and attended a lecture there, where we gained fascinating insights and our questions were answered with unusual candor. There are workshops on cybersecurity, opportunities to connect with Fraunhofer experts, alumni and representatives from industry at the Innovation Lounge, and of course lots of inspiring talks and cultural highlights. All of this is enormously valuable for participants. At the same time, it strengthens people’s connection with Fraunhofer and promotes exchange across institute boundaries.

What challenges do you see?

After the COVID-19 pandemic, it was not easy to revive the alumni culture that had just begun to take shape. Membership numbers are stable, but we’d like to do more to expand the network. One way we aim to do this is by deepening collaboration with alumni initiatives at Fraunhofer institutes.  We already collaborate with FpF e. V. in Stuttgart—the alumni association of Fraunhofer IAO and IPA—as well as with Fraunhofer IML’s Schmallenberger Kreis, Fraunhofer ILT’s AKL e. V. and the Fraunhofer IGCV alumni association.

Another priority area is the network of former executive board members and institute directors, which is known as EVI. Here we’re establishing regular meetings—deliberately held at institutes so as to strengthen the sense of connection. In 2025 we met at my former workplace, Fraunhofer UMSICHT in Oberhausen, and at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML in Dortmund. One particular cultural highlight was a visit to the exhibition Planet Ocean at the Gasometer: two days of dialogue, intense discussion and a great atmosphere demonstrated just how important personal encounters are.

What motivates you personally?

At Fraunhofer I learned how effective we can be when we combine expertise across institutes and disciplines—for example in our Fraunhofer groups or in the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE. This is something I’d like to continue to pursue in the alumni association: creating networks that are useful and enjoyable—both for members and for Fraunhofer as an organization.

What was your most formative experience at Fraunhofer?

What shaped me most was having the opportunity to collaborate with outstanding research scientists. To this day, being part of that community and sharing in its enthusiasm still feels like a great privilege.

Looking back, what were your greatest achievements as an institute director?

Working with a highly motivated and high-performing team, we developed technologies that are helping pave the way to a more sustainable future. One example is innovative processes in leather tanning that reduce the use of chemicals and water by more than 90 percent. Equally important were advances in energy storage, particularly the further development of redox flow batteries, as well as new, cost-effective approaches to building insulation based on aerogels.

I’m especially proud that over the past ten years—working closely and in a spirit of trust with more than 200 colleagues at numerous Fraunhofer institutes—we were able to develop fundamental principles for the responsible use of plastics and demonstrate these in practice. These solutions are now documented.

Mr. Weidner, thank you very much for the interview.