The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2009. Research knows no boundaries. Within six decades Fraunhofer has not only become Europe's largest organisation of applied research but also an international player. The internationalisation is triggered by the globalisation of world industry. The interview was given by Dr. Dirk-Meints Polter Senior Vice President of Fraunhofer, who was responsible for internationalisation from 1989 to 2001. Under his aegis, the German research organisation became a global player.

???aural:Bildanfang??????Großansicht des Bildes???Dr. Dirk-Meints Polter © Stefanie Aumüller???aural:Bildende???

Dr. Polter, when and how did Fraunhofer’s internationalisation begin?

The organisation’s internationalisation was a gradual development. Up until the beginning of the 1990s, Fraunhofer was a national research establishment. Anything that happened beyond Germany's borders at the time was mere coincidence. Individual institutes worked for customers abroad or cooperated with foreign research institutions, but there was no international strategy.

What has changed in recent years?

A lot has changed in recent years, both politically and in how people think. Companies now see Europe as an extended national frontier, and many have become global players. As an organisation for applied research we simply could not afford to ignore this trend. Research collaborations with European partners have become perfectly natural and are supported by government agencies.

The institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft make most of their foreign earnings in European countries outside Germany – either directly through contract research or indirectly through projects funded by the European Commission. We are also present worldwide with our Representative Offices, and our institutes collaborate with partners in 50 countries around the world.

What prompted Fraunhofer to go international?

We had set our sights on America. In the mid-1990s, the U.S. was seen as the top business and science performer, and many of our institutes wanted to establish a presence there. During that time, we founded numerous centres that were intended to act as satellites for the German parent institutes, forging close links with top research organisations in the U.S., generating expertise and giving staff an opportunity to further their development.

Did the effort pay off?

To some extent, yes. The centres developed well. They became more American and also more independent than we initially expected. Today, they are all run by Americans, acquire their own orders and are excellently positioned in the scientific community. Various collaborations have been established with renowned research institutions, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the John Hopkins, Michigan State and Boston Universities.

At around the same time, Fraunhofer opened its first Representative Office in Brussels. What motivated this step?

The opening of the Brussels Office was a response to the increasing importance of the European Commission in Europe’s research community. Ever more projects were being assigned in Brussels, so it made sense to send a representative of our own there to lobby for us. The first person we sent was Prof. Ulrich Buller, who is now Senior Vice President.

Meanwhile, Representative Offices have been set up in the Middle East and in numerous countries in Asia. What is their task?

Unlike the Brussels Office, which only performs lobby work, the Representative Offices in the Middle East and Asia function as extensions of the organisation. Their task is to establish and maintain contacts, set up networks and help the institutes to acquire and handle orders. We have set up such Representative Offices in countries with markets that are important for Fraunhofer, i.e. Japan, China, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. We also have a Senior Advisor in India. All of these countries are many flight hours away from Germany, so it makes sense to have a permanent contact on location who not only speaks the language but is also familiar with the local customs and traditions.

Is Fraunhofer on the way to becoming a global player?

We will continue to expand our global reach, and this requires us to be open, interculturally competent and flexible in the way we think. I believe Fraunhofer is well positioned in this respect: We have already gained a lot of experience outside Germany that benefits our customers, we cooperate with research partners in Asia and America, and are monitoring global markets and mapping out our international strategy accordingly. I think this means we are heading in the right direction towards an international future.

Further information: www.fraunhofer.de