Hendrik Wüst, Minister President of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, visited the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS. As part of a multi-stop tour in Halle (Saale), he learned about the institute’s research topics.
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Christian Schmelzer, acting director of the Fraunhofer IMWS, welcomed the Minister President and introduced him to the research institute’s areas of expertise. “The strength of the Fraunhofer IMWS lies not in a single industry but in our methodological expertise: We understand how the microstructure of materials determines their properties, reliability, and performance – and we can design them specifically to meet these needs. This know-how has an impact across many key industries. That is why expertise from our institute can be found today in a wide variety of applications – from cars and smartphones to everyday products like toothpaste. I also view Minister President Wüst’s visit as recognition of this work and as a valuable opportunity to discuss the role of applied research in innovation, competitiveness, and structural change,” said Schmelzer.
During a laboratory tour, the deputy directors of the institute, Prof. Dr. Thomas Höche and Frank Altmann, illustrated this research work using concrete examples. Höche presented the microPREPTM device for laser-based sample preparation, developed in collaboration with 3D Micromac. The system offers unique capabilities for the rapid and precise processing of material samples, which is necessary, for example, as preparation for analysis using transmission electron microscopy.
Altmann explained the role of Fraunhofer IMWS within the German Research Fab Microelectronics and in the EU pilot line “Advanced Packaging and Heterogeneous Integration for Electronic Components and Systems (APECS),” where the team from Halle (Saale) also contributes its expertise in material characterization, testing methods, and reliability assessments. In the laboratory, he demonstrated the capabilities of lock-in thermography and acoustic microscopy for defect diagnostics in microelectronics.
In a subsequent background discussion, the Minister President and the Fraunhofer Institute management exchanged views on lessons learned in shaping structural change, opportunities for optimizing successful research transfer, and suitable framework conditions for recruiting skilled workers.
(September 2, 2026)
Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS