Industrial Technologies

Key enabling technologies such as nanotechnology, advanced materials, nano- and microelectronics, photonics or advanced manufacturing are considered to have strong impact on the current and future competitiveness of important industrial sectors. The Business Unit Industrial Technologies analyzes the emergence and development of these technologies, related process issues, market entry and market diffusion in different application areas. The range of service includes analyses of technological potentials, economic analyses and the investigation of societal and political framework conditions.

Coordinator of Business Unit is Dr. Thomas Schmaltz.

Focus on Battery research

Fraunhofer ISI has been active in the field of battery technologies for over ten years. The technological focus of our battery activities is on lithium-ion batteries. However, also alternative battery chemistries and systems that could reach market maturity in the next few years are continuously monitored and analysed.

Fraunhofer ISI's research questions in the field of batteries range from the evaluation of research and development of new battery technologies in the laboratory to suitable funding strategies, technology commercialisation, industrial production, use and finally end-of-life treatment.

More information on battery research at Fraunhofer ISI

Focus on Nanotechnology

Fraunhofer ISI already identified and characterized nanotechnology as an important future technology in the report “Technology at the beginning of the 21st century“, published in 1993. With the participation of all Competence Centers our institute today deals in numerous projects with issues regarding nanotechnological innovations – from early development to application.

Part of the portfolio are comparative analyses of nanotechnological innovation systems, elaboration of scenarios to forecast future nanotechnological developments, analyzing innovation drivers and barriers for the market diffusion of nanotechnological innovations, potential and impact assessments of technological developments, researching societal acceptance of emerging technologies, sustainability assessment as well as supporting the technology transfer.

Fraunhofer ISI contributes its expertise to the Fraunhofer Nanotechnology Alliance, the supra-regional network for nanotechnology materials NanoMat and the High-Tech-Initiative NanoValley.