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Fraunhofer Research Team Wins the ”Innovations for a Better Future” Award

Around the world, there is a lack of comprehensive medical care for people living in remote areas. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have devised a solution for this in the PreCare project: a flexible, modular health platform that can be installed on the bed of a pickup truck. It is already in use in South Africa and Namibia. The team was presented with the Innovations for a Better Future award from the Fraunhofer-Zukunftsstiftung (Fraunhofer Future Foundation) for this development.

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PreCare - Health Care for Everyone and Everywhere

Impressions from Namibia: The handover of the mobile healthcare platform “PreCare” to the NGO Mudiro e.V. marks another important step toward providing medical care to remote regions. The platform, which was manufactured entirely in Africa, went into operation in April 2025 and is used locally for an early detection and prevention program for cervical cancer. PreCare was developed by the Fraunhofer Institutes IST and ISE as a flexible, modular solution for basic medical care – mobile, robust, and adapted to local needs. The video shows moving moments from the handover, the platform's first deployments, and impressions of the local commitment of the partners involved.

#WomeninScience

Johanna Reus studied pharmaceutical engineering at the Technical University of Braunschweig and has been doing research at our institute in the working group for medical technology and pharmaceutical systems ever since. Her focus is on surface modification. She is currently working on one of 12 doctoral projects in the RNApp research training group, which is dedicated to the further development of RNA technologies. Johanna's focus is on the packaging of RNA drugs. In particular, she is working on solutions for surface coatings that can prevent unwanted adhesion of RNA molecules to the packaging surface. This is an essential question for the safe and efficient use of RNA-based therapies! In addition to her scientific work, Johanna is committed to promoting diversity and equality in research as the deputy commissioner for equal opportunities.

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Recruiting and personnel marketing at the Fraunhofer IST

Get to know our colleague Carolin Buttler, who is responsible for recruiting at the Fraunhofer IST. She shares exciting insights into her work, the importance of talent acquisition and what she particularly appreciates about her day-to-day work with applicants.

Diversity in research, language and culture - together at the Fraunhofer IST

The International Mother Language Day is a day of remembrance proclaimed by UNESCO to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. It has been celebrated annually on February 21 since year 2000. Our institute is also multilingual, a large number of employees of the Fraunhofer IST is international. In the following video, some of our international colleagues introduce themselves:

In portrait: Research on tribological systems for greater sustainability

At the Fraunhofer IST we are working on coatings and surfaces for sustainable products and production systems. Our colleague Markus Mejauschek is a research associate in the department "Tribology and Sensor Technology" and is concerned with the development of durable and thus sustainable products such as components or tools. In the fifth part of our series "In portrait" he gives an insight into his everyday work - researching tribological systems for more sustainability by optimizing friction and wear.

Ready for the future: Groundbreaking ceremony for Fraunhofer ZESS institute building

The Fraunhofer Center for Energy Storage and Management Systems ZESS is centered around the development of system solutions for energy storage and hydrogen technologies. To achieve this, the three research partners — the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM, the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST and the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS — are being provided with a new institute building at the Braunschweig Research Airport. The groundbreaking ceremony on June 7, 2023 marked the start of construction on a research building comprising over 3,400 square meters of floor space. Among those who participated in the ceremony were the Minister for Science and Culture for Lower Saxony, Falko Mohrs; the mayor of Braunschweig, Dr. Thorsten Kornblum; and the vice-president for Technology Transfer and Innovation at the Technical University of Braunschweig, Prof. Arno Kwade.

Video: © Fraunhofer IST, Music: Anno Domini Beats

In portrait: Trainees in research

At the Fraunhofer IST we offer training in four apprenticeship professions. Training to become a physics laboratory assistant is one of them. Friederike and Denis recently completed their training at the Fraunhofer IST and provide us with a review.

Video: © Fraunhofer IST, Music: Track Tribe

#WeKnowSustainability: Sustainability and life-cycle engineering

The topic of sustainability is a central success factor so that industry can contribute to a climate-friendly and resource-saving future. At the Fraunhofer IST we develop tools and instruments for measuring sustainability performance. Within the framework of life cycle engineering we take into account the entire product life cycle – from raw material to recycling. With our customers and partners we are thus working together on a path to climate neutrality.

In portrait: Sustainability in research

In the second installment of our series ”In Portrait”, we would like to introduce our colleague Prof. Dr. Stephan Krinke, who supports the Fraunhofer IST with his expertise in the field of sustainability management and life cycle engineering. What goals is he pursuing through the research work at the Fraunhofer IST in order to provide a contribution towards increased sustainability and climate neutrality in research? And what motivated him to switch from industry to applied research? The answers to these questions and more can be found in the video:

Video: © Fraunhofer IST, Music: Patrick Patrikios

In portrait: Women in science

Dr Kristina Lachmann heads the groups Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Processes and Medical Technology and Pharmaceutical Systems at the Fraunhofer IST. In this video you can see how her career at the institute progressed from student assistant to head of the two groups, how she balances her private life with two small children and her work as a group manager, and what advice she gives to young colleagues who are still at the beginning of their scientific careers.

Holistic digital process chain - from material to high-tech product

At the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST, we keep an eye on the entire product life cycle and develop sustainable products and associated production systems. Digitization, networking and automation are the keys to a holistic design of process chains and their embedding in production systems. Central to our work is a profound understanding of the relationships between the process parameters, the resulting structure of thin films and surfaces, and the final properties of the product. Inline and laboratory analytics create the foundation for this and provide important data for simulation-based approaches, e.g. for a simulation of layer growth or new data-driven approaches based on machine learning.

Video: © Fraunhofer IST, Music: The Future

A look at the Fraunhofer IST

At the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST we harness the potential for sustainable products and associated competitive, scalable production systems. Our research encompasses the plant technology, entire process chains of the process and production engineering up to the consideration of entire factories. Starting from the requirements of the sustainability, we keep an eye on the entire product life cycle - from the material through the process to the component and product to recycling. Based on our technology and competence fields the departments of the Fraunhofer IST create solutions especially in the sectors plant and mechanical engineering, tools, vehicle construction, aerospace, energy, optics, medicine, pharmaceutical and environmental technology. This includes solutions for battery production, the production of tribological systems and sensor technology, the production of precision optical systems and methods and technologies for digital services.

Cell Culture Technology – Plasma in a bag (in German)

Living cells are increasingly being used in modern therapy methods such as blood transfusions, stem cell therapies and bone marrow transplantations, or in the regeneration of severe burns. The standard cultivation of these cells in open systems is associated with a high contamination risk, which can only be reduced with sophisticated equipment and correspondingly high costs and a suitable laboratory infrastructure. Using closed bag systems as a cultivation vessel can provide relief. Common polymers usually do not provide a suitable surface for cultivation, since the cells cannot adhere. To gain adherence, the surface has to be pre-treated or coated. Therefore, a special process based on an atmospheric pressure plasma technique was developed at Fraunhofer IST which enables an automatized coating in the interior of closed plastic bags.

The Technology Cold Plasma Spraying

At the Application Center of the Fraunhofer IST customer-specific plasma sources are developed in close cooperation with industry which serve a wide range of applications. By treating diverse material systems such as metals, polymers, glasses, natural materials, etc., whose sometimes strongly varying surface properties can have a significant influence on the plasma parameters and their characteristics, we offer many years of expertise in the field of process development. This ensures a target-oriented adaptation of your requirements to our systems. Challenges resulting from your catalog of requirements have been the basis for our expertise for many years. Based on this wealth of experience, we can offer you targeted process development and integration, and sometimes facilitate a smooth technology transfer.

Disc-Jet – Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Source for Surface Treatment

At the Application Center of the Fraunhofer IST customer-specific plasma sources are developed in close cooperation with industry which serve a wide range of applications. By treating diverse material systems such as metals, polymers, glasses, natural materials, etc., whose sometimes strongly varying surface properties can have a significant influence on the plasma parameters and their characteristics, we offer many years of expertise in the field of process development. This ensures a target-oriented adaptation of your requirements to our systems.