Fraunhofer IMWS awarded as ‘Innovator of the Year’

For the first time, the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS in Halle (Saale) has made it into the ranking of the most innovative companies and research institutions in Germany. The list of the best companies determined by the business magazine ‘brand eins’ and the statistics portal Statista is based on surveys of industry and innovation experts. The Fraunhofer IMWS received the top rating in the ‘Energy and Environment’ category.

Fraunhofer Halle Brand eins
© Fraunhofer IMWS/Sven Döring
Using high-resolution methods, researchers look inside materials and develop solutions for greater reliability and new material properties.
Fraunhofer IMWS Innovationspreis
© brand eins/Statista
The Fraunhofer IMWS received the best rating in the ‘Energy and Environment’ category in the ‘Innovator of the Year’ ranking.

“I am extremely pleased about this award – also because the evaluation is based on the assessment of many experts from industry. After all, implementing innovations together with companies is our job. The fact that they recognize the expertise and creativity we offer is therefore a particularly valuable recognition,” says Prof. Ralf B. Wehrspohn, Director of the Fraunhofer IMWS. 

The institute offers solutions above all for improved material efficiency. The researchers in Halle (Saale) analyze materials down to the atomic scale in order to increase their reliability, safety, service life, and functionality. At the same time, the institute’s 330 or so employees develop new materials that are particularly efficient or enable resources to be used more sparingly. The institute’s industrial clients come from areas such as microelectronics, plastics technology, photovoltaics, the chemical industry, power engineering, automotive engineering, and aircraft construction. 

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is represented in the ranking with a total of nine institutes and facilities, after achieving five top placings last year. “This is impressive evidence of Fraunhofer’s continuous innovative strength. I am also particularly pleased that Saxony-Anhalt is represented in the ranking this time, unlike in 2018. There are many companies with forward-looking ideas in our region, which I notice every day in our cooperation with our partners. The award for ‘Innovator of the Year’ can make this even more visible,” says Wehrspohn. 

The list of the most innovative companies in Germany in 2019 is based on online surveys of industry and innovation experts, such as leading representatives of companies that have won innovation awards. The ranking is compiled for 20 sectors and has been conducted since 2016.