Prizes and Distinctions

For their dedicated leadership and collaboration in the NATO STO Research Task Group “Full-Duplex Radio Technology for Military Applications” (IST-175-RTG) Fraunhofer FKIE scientists Prof. Dr. Marc Adrat, Dr. Markus Antweiler and Matthias Tschauner have been awarded the “NATO Information Systems Technology (IST) Panel Team Excellence Award.” In its statement, the jury emphasized the great importance of their research for NATO: The newly developed “in-band full-duplex” technology paves the way for the Alliance's military superiority in the electromagnetic spectrum. For essential key disciplines on the battlefield of the future, whether in communications or drone defense, the technology is of the highest practical relevance for future NATO missions.

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On November 5, 2024, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) Chemnitz awarded Fraunhofer ENAS the distinction of “exemplary vocational training organization,” honoring the institute’s long-standing commitment to training highly specialized young talent for the semiconductor industry.

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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.

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The research project “PnP grids - Grid-forming control for distributed power converters” has been honoured with the 10th ISGAN Award of Excellence. The prize, which is awarded by the International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN) in cooperation with the Global Smart Energy Federation (GSEF), honours outstanding innovations in the field of smart grid technologies.

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The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, together with the Digital Innovation Hub Photonics and Quantum Optics GmbH, was awarded the Technology Transfer Prize of the German Physical Society for the successful transfer of scientific expertise into commercial applications.

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Prof. Dr. med. Fabian Kiessling has been recognized by Clarivate as a Highly Cited Researcher 2024 in the Pharmacology and Toxicology category. This is the sixth consecutive year he has been on the Highly Cited Researcher list, having already been recognized in the same category between 2021 and 2023 as well as in the Cross-Field category in 2019 and 2020.

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Dr. Johannes Rocker received the a Poster Award at IMRET 2024 in Graz, Austria. His poster, entitled “Electron-mediated Biocatalyzed Synthesis of Chiral Fine Chemicals in Microstructured Flow Reactors,” presents innovative approaches to the electrification of organic syntheses by combining biocatalysis and electrochemistry.

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Not only research at Fraunhofer IAF contributes daily to making mobility sustainable in the future, but employees also make their way to work at the institute in an environmentally conscious manner. Fraunhofer IAF has therefore now received the MobilSiegel for the second time since 2021 and has been recognized for special measures that motivate employees to travel to and from work in a climate-friendly manner. The seal is awarded by Freiburger Verkehrs AG on behalf of the city of Freiburg and in cooperation with the districts of Emmendingen and Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald.

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At this year's European Symposium on Reliability of Electron Devices, Failure Physics and Analysis (ESREF), Dr. Michael Dammann from Fraunhofer IAF received the Best Paper Award.

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Kay Fuhrmeister and his colleagues Hao Cui, Artem Yaroshchuk and Thomas Köllmer win the Best Poster Award at the IEEE 5th International Symposium on the Internet of Sounds (IEEE IS² 2024) in Erlangen.

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The EU has banned animal testing for cosmetics and non-animal alternative methods are preferable for the risk assessment of new chemical substances. At the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, a three-dimensional skin model has now been set up for the first time that directly displays the skin's reaction to substances: The reporter skin. Thanks to the built-in reporter, the cellular response can be measured precisely and quickly – using a living model. This means that not only cosmetics can be tested effectively, but also allergens and the inflammation-causing or toxic effects of biocides, pesticides and chemicals.

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In space medicine, fibrotic wound healing processes that occur in the absence of gravity and increased radiation exposure often result in delayed healing and increased scarring. This can have a negative impact on the health and functionality of astronauts."Ste llarHeal" is a joint project of Fraunhofer ISC, Fraunhofer ITEM and ILK Dresden, led by Dr. Dieter Groneberg. It is developing a revolutionary cryopreservable cell-based solution for first aid and improved wound healing in space, which can also be used to treat chronic diseases on Earth.  

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Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Renner, Head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, received the Innovation Award of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia 2024 in the "innovation" category for a novel production process for aerogels that is suitable for the mass market. On September 30, 2024, Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy and Deputy Prime Minister of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, presented Prof. Renner with the award at KOMED in Cologne. The innovation prize in this category is endowed with 100,000 euros.

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For their research into customized 2D materials, a team of four scientists from Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF have been awarded the “Thüringer Forschungspreis” (Thuringian Research Prize). The award for scientific excellence in the category “Applied Research” was presented today at a ceremony at the Technical University Ilmenau and is endowed with 25,000 euros.

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Increasing sustainability in the paper recycling cycle and counteracting the shortage of skilled workers: In the BMWK joint project "KIBAPap", the Fraunhofer IVV and its project partners are developing a self-learning assistance system for machine operators that makes a significant contribution to reducing resource requirements in the highly complex process of paper production from waste paper. In addition, it enables the sustainable safeguarding of experience in the company and thus offers an answer to the challenges of the shortage of skilled workers. On February 19, 2024, the "KIBAPap" research project was presented with the European Paper Recycling Award 2023 for innovative technologies and R&D in Brussels.

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More success for the Fraunhofer FKIE scientists in Wachtberg: The NLytics system was declared the winner of the newest shared-task competition CLAIMSCAN 2023, organized by the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. The system is the result of a joint research project in collaboration with the University of the Bundeswehr Munich and aims to detect propaganda and misinformation campaigns on social media using AI.

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