Christoph Igel has been appointed Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE effective August 15, 2026. Igel will jointly lead the institute with Peter Martini, Executive Director of Fraunhofer FKIE. This shared leadership structure will strengthen Fraunhofer FKIE’s position as one of the largest defense technology research institutes within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB is strengthening its leadership team. Effective August 1, Marc Eichhorn has joined the institute management and will co-lead Fraunhofer IOSB alongside Executive Director Jürgen Beyerer. The new dual leadership structure reflects the institute’s expanded expertise in laser technology, optronic systems, computer vision and AI-based robotics.

Industrial drying processes consume large amounts of energy and negatively impact the climate since they burn fossil fuels to heat air. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB are working with industry partners on a new approach to decarbonize this process: Instead of hot air, they are using superheated steam. Combined with a heat pump and smart controls, their superheated steam drying process saves significant amounts of energy and eliminates the need for natural gas.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS is expanding its leadership team: Wenke Weinreich has been appointed the institute’s second director, effective immediately. In her new role, she will be working alongside Institute Director Harald Schenk and guiding the institute’s strategic and scientific direction. At the same time, she will take on the professorship in Functionalized Microelectronics for Heterogeneous Systems at the Dresden University of Technology.

Hair products used in hair salons release aerosols that can cause respiratory tract irritation if inhaled. Under a contract from industry, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM investigated the effects of aerosols produced when using heated chemical hair products. Using an innovative cell-based in vitro inhalation method, the researchers can estimate effects on the respiratory tract and identify potentially harmful substances. This non-animal testing method supports safe product development that is fully in line with the safe-by-design approach, which integrates safety in product development right from the start.

Criminals use deepfakes for fraud and identity theft—even in situations where people have come to trust their eyes and ears. Corporate videoconferences are increasingly becoming a target for illegal activities. Fraunhofer researchers are working to detect attempted fraud in real time.

US technology giants dominate the cloud market, threatening the technological sovereignty, data privacy and innovative capacity of European companies. In the project ApeiroRA, the Fraunhofer Institutes for Software and Systems Engineering ISST and for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC are supporting software company SAP in safeguarding Europe’s technological and economic independence in the cloud and edge computing sector. The partners are developing an open-source blueprint for a European, vendor-neutral cloud-edge infrastructure that guarantees interoperability between different providers.

Every year, billions of products are sealed in film packaging. This packaging must be reliably leakproof, especially in regulated sectors such as in the medical and food industry. In the OCTInline project, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS have developed an innovative testing system. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be used to non-destructively detect defects in seals in real time during the packaging process, with a resolution in the micrometer range.

Statement by Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, on the suspension of applications for the Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM) and its implications for innovation, technology transfer and the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Artificial intelligence can now generate images that are virtually indistinguishable from real ones. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB have developed RealorRender, a tool that not only specifically detects such deepfakes but also explains why an image is classified as real or AI-generated. The new hybrid approach significantly improves detection accuracy, while explainable AI processes ensure transparent results.

Lithium-ion batteries in personal electronic devices (PEDs) such as laptops, smartphones, powerbanks and electronic cigarettes can pose a serious safety risk in air travel. Damaged or overheated batteries can combust or ex-plode. In the LOKI-PED project, the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI and the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP cooperated with Airbus to examine the consequences of smoke and fire occurring in aircraft cabins and cockpits. This first scientifically substantiated risk assessment will contribute to a safer use of electronic devices in air travel.

LARS is designed to enable safer, more efficient and faster logistics processes. The laser-based projection system that was developed by researchers from Fraunhofer uses light to guide workers through warehouses in real time. The visual guidance system is particularly helpful for new and un-skilled workers.

Lime, a key component in cement, can be used for both interior and exterior plastering. However, the production of this versatile building material generates significant emissions. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS in Hermsdorf, Thuringia, are devel-oping a membrane reactor that enables climate-neutral lime production while also recovering new raw materials.

Wildfires are becoming more frequent and more intense worldwide. Fires often become infernos due to heat, drought and wind, especially in the summer. The problem is compounded by the climate crisis. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM and the startup CAURUS Technologies GmbH are responding to this growing global threat. They are collaborating to develop a machine learning system for more precise aerial firefighting that determines the fire situation in real time and calculates the optimum aerial drop time.

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and the French Institut Mines Télécom (IMT) are deepening their partnership in the fields of hydrogen, cybersecurity and smart cities. Both partners signed a memorandum of understanding at VivaTech 2026. The goal is to join forces to advance strategic research and innovation projects and to strengthen Europe's technological and digital sovereignty.

In 2025, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft was once again able to demonstrate its innovative strength as a leading applied research organization. Despite challenging market conditions, industrial revenue increased to an all-time high of 966 million euros, while total business volume remained stable at 3.6 billion euros. The number of invention disclosures increased to 589 and, with 538 patent applications, the workforce of 31,000 strong also surpassed its innovation output from the previous year. A total of 29 spin-offs emerged from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft institutes and research units in 2025.

Under the theme “Fraunhofer—Transfer for Our Future,” leaders from research, industry and government gathered on the evening of June 10, 2026, at Congress Center Leipzig as part of the Fraunhofer annual assembly. The event focused on how scientific excellence can be translated more quickly and effectively into economic value, technological sovereignty and societal progress.

Precision optical coatings are key technologies for modern optical systems. These complex coatings impose stringent requirements for uniformity, process stability and productivity on an industrial scale. Stefan Bruns, Philipp Farr and Michael Vergöhl from the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST in Braunschweig have developed a unique coating technology for precision optics systems that meets these requirements and is already in use in industry. Their efforts have earned them the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize for 2026.

The precise measurement of trace gases plays a key role in climate protection, industrial processes and the safety of critical infrastructure. This previously required large, expensive equipment. By further developing a well-known measurement method to be suitable for industrial use, a team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM has now succeeded in implementing highly sensitive gas sensor technology in a robust and compact format—at a fraction of the previous cost. Their efforts have earned the researchers the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize for 2026.

Energy savings, faster calculations and permanent data storage: In collaboration with GlobalFoundries, research scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS have developed a novel storage technology that meets precisely these requirements. The team has succeeded in integrating hafnium oxide-based ultra-fast ferroelectric FRAM memory into an existing industrial manufacturing technology. They have been singled out to receive the Stifterverband Science Prize Forschung im Verbund (Joint Research) for their efforts.

Green hydrogen is seen as a key technology for the decarbonization of industry. As yet, however, shortcomings in the areas of production efficiency, cost and scalability have prevented it from making a breakthrough. Mihails Kusnezoff, Stefan Megel and Sindy Mosch from the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS have developed a high-temperature electrolysis stack that is setting new standards world-wide: It generates hydrogen with unprecedented efficiency, can also operate as a fuel cell and is designed for industrial-scale serial production. This technology has earned the three researchers the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize for 2026.

Which technologies are making aerospace safer and more competitive? And how can new propulsion systems, sustainable materials and satellite technologies be produced economically? Under the direction of Fraunhofer AVIATION & SPACE, researchers from the Fraunhofer‑Gesellschaft will be presenting answers to these questions at ILA, the leading international aerospace trade show, which will take place in Berlin from June 10 to 14, 2026.

Drone swarms can monitor progress on large construction sites, inspect remote offshore wind farms and search for survivors after natural disasters. When multiple drones are deployed, they generally are controlled centrally by mobile communications up to now. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS are working on a decentralized solution that is less susceptible to interference while at the same time ensuring greater flexibility.

The vacuum of space makes cooling extremely challenging. The Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, HHI is developing technologies for thermal management in aerospace applications. The research team is using femtosecond and nanosecond lasers to treat the outer surfaces of satellite components and rocket nozzles to improve their heat dissipation. The researchers will be at the joint Fraunhofer booth at ILA 2026 to demonstrate that metal surfaces structured for high-emissivity ensure significantly more efficient cooling.

Innovative mRNA-based therapeutics and vaccines offer hope in the fight against cancer, genetic disorders and infections. However, their development and production are complex, slow and difficult to scale. Seven Fraunhofer institutes are working to change this situation. In the RNAuto project, they have now developed an automated, digitally controlled production system that is fast, flexible and cost-effective.