Press Releases 2019

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 such as hydrogen, methane or ammonia in an almost carbon-neutral way. The growing demand for PtX means the Moroccan government’s interest in investing in this process is correspondingly high. A study by Fraunhofer ISI shows: Morocco could become an exporter of carbon-neutral energy sources and make a major contribution to achieving the targets set in the Paris Climate Agreement – if it is able to manage the risks associated with PtX.

On behalf of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Fraunhofer ISI, together with other institutes of the Fraunhofer Group for Innovation Research, 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.

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.

Car bans for conventional drive trains are one possible measure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve sustainability goals. The Fraunhofer ISI and the Simon Fraser University (Canada) have developed recommendations on how car bans could be implemented in a meaningful way.

According to a study by Fraunhofer ISI, trucking companies are open to switching to alternative powertrains. Developments in technology and infrastructure and political support are needed to turn this basic willingness into an actual change.

Implementing the climate and energy objectives will lead to a significant decline in the demand for gas in Germany in the coming decades. For natural gas, which is the most important gaseous energy source today, this means: the more ambitious the targets are, the lower the demand for gas. This will have major impacts on the gas infrastructure in Germany. In particular, not all the gas distribution networks will continue to be economically viable.

The 18th report on “The State of Renewable Energies in Europe” highlights the dynamic growth of renewable energies in the heating sector – especially heat pumps. The 2018 edition also reveals an increase in the total share of renewable energies from 17% in 2016 to 17.5% in 2017.

The 2018 openness indicator, which was compiled by Fraunhofer ISI together with the ZEW as part of the 2018 Innovation Indicator, assesses the openness of 35 national economies. China is only ranked 35th; Germany ends up in 21st place. China’s lack of openness is also a key topic at the EU-China Summit on 9 April.

A new study by Fraunhofer ISI looks at broadband/fiber-optic rollout in Baden-Wuerttemberg. Alongside the experiences made so far, it also examines the question of how to accelerate the rollout of a gigabit network in the federal state. According to the study, current developments are heading in the right direction; this has to do with Baden-Wuerttemberg’s specific operator model. However, realizing the innovation effects of a state-wide gigabit infrastructure requires concerted action and a commitment to “fiber-optic only” on the part of all the stakeholders involved.