Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is the leading organization for applied research in Europe. It conducts application-oriented research for direct use by companies and for the benefit of society. There are 56 Fraunhofer Institutes in 40 different locations in Germany as well as research centers and representative offices in Europe, USA, and Asia. The practical application of the results is always the goal for all contract research, initial research, consulting, and studies. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s tasks therefore mostly lie within the sphere of cooperation between public authorities and private companies. Its success is reflected in numerous facts and figures. It is, for example, the research organization with the highest number of patent applications effective in Germany. Companies of all sizes and industries use Fraunhofer Institutes as external high-tech laboratories for practically all types of development projects and special services and as a competent advisor for organizational and strategic issues.

Innovations for the digital future – in the area of modern communication systems and in the areas of digital media and service utilization – are the focus of the research and development work at the Heinrich-Hertz-Institut. The HHI strives to further develop the principles of information technologies and to create new applications for new products as a partner to industry. The competencies of HHI include optical communication networks and systems, mobile broadband systems, photonic components, and electronic imaging technologies. In addition, the institute also focuses on video and audio coding and transmission (video over IP), 2D and 3D image signal processing, Mixed Reality displays, autostereoscopic 3D displays, human-machine-interfaces, information management, and image and video archiving.

Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Ilmenau conducts applied research in the field of digital media and works on leading projects and topics in the field of audio visual applications.
Besides sound solutions for home- and professional users software technologies for analysis and characterization of multimedia content as well as audio-visual applications for medical engineering are being developed. Furthermore interactive AV applications for entertainment and knowledge management and the design of architectures for digital online-distribution are in the institute's research focus.
The Fraunhofer IDMT realizes innovative scientific results through prototypes and applicable solutions which come up to customer and market requirements in close cooperation with partners in economy, culture and science.

Since 2008, Fraunhofer IDMT has two new branch labs. The department Children's Media, based in Erfurt, works on the development of innovative computer based program and edutainment formats for children and adolescents. The project group Hearing, Speech and Audio Technology, based in Oldenburg, researches topics of audio system technology, concerning the fields of health, transportation, multimedia and telecommunication.

>The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO deals with current issues in the area of technology management. The Institute particularly helps companies recognize the potential of innovative organizational forms and innovative information and communication technologies. It assists companies in adapting these to their individual needs and utilizing them effectively. In line with the companies’ requirements, the Institute develops market- and customer-oriented technology strategies. It plans and accompanies the application of technology throughout the company, in business divisions, and in individual projects.

The Fraunhofer IGD develops technologies and applications in the research fields of visual computing, semantic modeling, and generalized digital documents and libraries. Thanks to its long experience and expertise, it can be relied upon for assistance when technical solutions for innovative prototypes and services are to be implemented. The institute also researches into promising key technologies in partnership with several universities, and systematically translates their solutions into marketable products in cooperation with business enterprises from many different sectors of industry. Besides the main institute in Darmstadt, the Fraunhofer IGD has a branch in Rostock, a joint research center in Singapore and a project group in Graz.

The classic disciplines of applied mathematics such as numerics, differential equations, stochastics, and optimization make up the core capabilities of the ITWM. The Institute also focuses on theory areas which are mathematically oriented and have emerged as fringe areas between mathematics and technology. With these core capabilities, the ITWM has worked on nearly 300 projects in its business areas of virtual material and product design, process simulation, and diagnostic systems. The products range from software and consulting services to support services and system solutions. The ITWM not only utilizes simulation software, it also develops it, often in collaboration with leading software companies.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems IAIS researches and develops innovative systems for data analysis and accessibility of information, in both software und hardware. The field of research ranges from sensor data and business intelligence to media analysis and visual information systems. The Institute’s core capabilities lie in the areas of machine learning and adaptive systems, data mining and business intelligence, automatic media analysis, interactive access and exploration, and autonomous systems.

The Fraunhofer Institute FIRST develops state-of-the-art software technology to support clients and partners in achieving optimally designed IT-based processes. When it comes to human-centric computing, FIRST makes sure that processes and tools adapt to the needs of people and that they are appropriately available in each particular situation, at the right time and at the right place. The Institute’s focus is on the areas of medicine, media, automotive, transportation, and within its own sector of software development. Fraunhofer FIRST was founded in 1983 as an institute of the Gesellschaft für Mathematik und Datenverarbeitung (GMD). It has been part of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft since July 2001.

The FGAN Institute FOM in Ettlingen and the Fraunhofer IITB in Karlsruhe merged to form the new Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation (IOSB) on January 1, 2010. The new Fraunhofer IOSB encompasses a unique and comprehensive range of expertise. Its know-how ranges from object and atmosphere physics to optics, sensor physics and image and signal analysis, also including information and knowledge processing, system technologies and anthropomatics. Whereas the terms “optronics” and “image exploitation” in the name of the new institute are largely self-explanatory, “system technologies” includes all the disciplines needed to build powerful integrated systems out of heterogeneous components and subsystems. One of our key areas is the automatic exploitation and fusion of images from various networked sensors such as infrared, laser or radar and from video sequences.