Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM
Dear readers,
We are pleased to present you with this year's online version of our annual report. This is not only the 75th anniversary year of Fraunhofer, but also a time of complex economic and ecological challenges worldwide.
Change and uncertainty are omnipresent, therefore it is particularly important to develop concepts and ideas for an innovation-oriented and sustainable future. Fraunhofer has been committed to this for 75 years and we at IFAM have also been dedicated to accepting our social responsibility for 56 years and are determined to find solutions to the pressing challenges of our time. The basis for this is applied research, which enables us to develop innovative and sustainable technologies. From materials, shaping and joining technology to the functionalization of surfaces, the development of complete components or complex systems and digital processes - the focus at Fraunhofer IFAM is always on sustainability.
An important key to success is networking and cooperation - both internally and with other research organizations and partners from politics and industry. Within IFAM, we promote efficient networking through knowledge management and cross-departmental, interdisciplinary cooperation between all scientists. In this way, employees can use their strengths, create synergies and develop the best solutions together. In addition, close networking with companies, partners and interest groups is particularly important, as this is the only way to create a basis of trust, which leads to an open exchange and innovative project results. Collaboration with external partners particularly promotes the active transfer of knowledge from research to industrial application. This enables us to identify market requirements at an early stage and translate findings from current research into market-oriented solutions.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude and appreciation to our outgoing former Institute Director, Professor Matthias Busse, for whom networking and cooperation have always been of particular importance. Together we can look back on a real success story at Fraunhofer IFAM. In March of this year, Professor Busse retired from the institute management. We wish him every success for all his new projects and, as a sailor, always a hand's breadth of water under his keel.
We hope you all enjoy reading this year's online version of the annual report.
