It may seem paradoxical, but as technology becomes more and more specialized, the research teams developing it require ever-increasing amounts of indisciplinary knowledge and experience. However, the resources needed to advance and commercialize important new technologies - scientific, material, or otherwise - tend to be scattered, not centralized, spread out over many different industry players and parties.

A Meeting Place for Science and Industry

To bring these resources back together, Fraunhofer has funded a series of "Innovation Clusters" designed to bridge the gap between industry and scientific research. Fraunhofer currently maintains 16 active Innovation Clusters, developing industrial, academic, and government cooperation to create strategic industries and establish leadership roles in new markets. Each Innovation Cluster is built around a specific Fraunhofer Institute, and comprises members of regional industry and R&D partners whose capabilities supplement Fraunhofer's own. Successful clusters not only stimulate market competition, but create fruitful, lasting collaborations between research and industry that benefit all partners involved.

Electronics for Sustainable Use

One example is the Electronics for Sustainable Energy Use Cluster, located in Nuremberg in Southern Germany. Its goal is to advance the development and deployment of energy-efficient electronic devices, particularly power electronics, touching on areas such as household appliances, entertainment electronics, offices, industrial facilities, power supply networks and electric vehicles. Including Fraunhofer, the consortium consists of 4 research partners and 11 industrial partners working together on advanced, economical, compact, and reliable systems, with a special focus on energy-efficient homes and workplaces, intelligent power networks and electric mobility.