Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST

Fraunhofer is the largest organization for applied research in Europe. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, founded in 1949, is a recognized non-profit organization and undertakes applied research of direct utility to private and public enterprise and of wide benefit to society, concerning health, security, communication, energy and the environment.

At present, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft maintains 74 institutes and research units. The majority of more than 28,000 staff are qualified scientists and engineers, who work with an annual research budget of €2.8 billion. Of this sum, €2.3 billion is generated through contract research. More than 70 percent of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s contract research revenue is derived from contracts with industry and from publicly financed research projects.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST in Braunschweig is an innovative partner for research and development in surface technology, with expertise in the associated product and production systems. Around 120 employees work together with customers from industry and research to develop customized and sustainable solutions: from prototypes, through economic production scenarios, to upscaling to industrial magnitudes - and all this whilst maintaining closed material and substance cycles. In addition to application-oriented research and development, scientific principles are also researched within various collaborations with universities and research institutions.

Coating and surface technology is the key to innovative products and systems: Through modification, patterning and coating of the surface, a wide range of functions and functionalities can be realized. One of the institute's particularly strong points is its ability to create the optimum process chain for the respective task on the basis of a broad spectrum of processes and coating materials. The Fraunhofer IST not only has excellent capabilities in surface analysis using the very latest equipment but has also accumulated extensive experience in the modeling and simulation of both product properties and the associated processes and production systems.

Membership in European networks (selection):

• A.SPIRE
• European Factories of the Future Research Association (EFFRA)
• Europäische Forschungsgesellschaft Dünne Schichten e. V. (EFDS)
• European Photocatalysis Federation
• Europäische Forschungsgesellschaft für Blechverarbeitung e.V. (EFB) 
• European Joint Committee on Plasma and Ion Surface Engineering (EJC/PISE)
• NANOfutures European Technology Integration and Innovation Platform (ETIP) in Nanotechnology