Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI

The Graphene Flagship, in which Fraunhofer ISI is involved with 150 partners from academia and industry, has announced the launch of eleven new »Spearhead Projects«, each developed to take graphene-enabled prototypes to commercial applications. The success of the first Spearhead Projects, launched in 2018 — which included the world's first graphene-enabled solar farm — inspired the Graphene Flagship to keep investing in these initiatives.

What are Europeans going to eat in 2035? How can food be produced using fewer resources? And what will the food sector look like in the future? These and other questions are part of the EU Horizon 2020 project FOX. A new brochure by Fraunhofer ISI presented today at the 33rd EFFoST International Conference in Rotterdam describes the 50 most compelling food trends, from which scientists and food experts have selected the 15 most relevant ones.

As a very sunny and windy country, Morocco is predestined to generate electricity from renewable energy sources. By applying Power-to-X (PtX), this electricity can then be used to produce synthetic fuels in an almost carbon-neutral way. A study by Fraunhofer ISI shows: Morocco could become an exporter of carbon-neutral energy sources.

Together with other institutes of the Fraunhofer Group for Innovation Research, Fraunhofer ISI has identified the most important future topics of applied research. In a foresight process, technological and societal developments were analysed with regard to their innovation potential and their relevance for applied research. Some spotlight topics such as geoengineering were discussed particularly controversially.

The project STRATEGY CCUS has started. In the blog Dr. Elisabeth Dütschke and Julius Wesche describe their  work package “Stakeholder engagement“. The Fraunhofer ISI analyses the social acceptance and stakeholders' perceptions, needs and concerns to secure the early and pro-active participation of all relevant groups early in the elaboration of the CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage) development plans.

Fraunhofer ISI coordinated an international futures research team, which explored technical and social innovations that could radically change value chains in the coming years. The Radical Innovation Breakthrough Inquirer (RIBRI) report identified 100 potential innovation breakthroughs in fields such as Artificial Intelligence, robotics or biomedicine, and indicates how the EU can prepare for them.