Interview with Dr. Dirk-Meints Polter, Senior Vice President of Fraunhofer

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2009. Within six decades Fraunhofer has not only become Europe's largest organisation of applied research but also an international player. This interview was given by Dr. Dirk-Meints Polter Senior Vice President of Fraunhofer, who was responsible for internationalisation from 1989 to 2001.

Printable Batteries

Batteries were long bulky and heavy. Now, a new cutting-edge battery is revolutionising the field. It is thinner than a millimetre, weighs less than a gram, and can be produced cost-effectively through a printing process.

Developing key technologies for the largest solar power station

Andasol 1 is presently the world's largest solar power station. Researchers at the German Aerospace Centre (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) were heavily involved in the development of key technologies and identified the most suitable location with the help of various tools, including satellite data.

Long-term impact of the German-Egyptian Science Year - 18 research projects funded through GERF program

The Egyptian Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF) and the German International Bureau (IB) of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) launched 18 joint applied research projects in May 2009. The projects will be financed by the "German-Egyptian Research Fund" (GERF) over two years.

Research Cooperation with Taiwan: New DFG Funding Instrument

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) would like to intensify cooperation between researchers from Taiwan and Germany. For this purpose, the funding instruments of the DFG and its Taiwanese partner organisation, the National Science Council (NSC), are to be even better coordinated with one another and their interactions optimised.

New Form of Collaboration in University and Extramural Research Institution

KIT marks the creation of a completely new form of collaboration between university and research institution, with which it aims to head the world league of research institutions. It is the first time that a university and a research institution have merged to form a single institution.

Five million euros establish the LMU Center of International Health

As one of the winners of the competition "Higher Education Excellence in Development Cooperation" run by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development  (BMZ), the LMU Munich and its partner universities will have five million euros at their disposal over the next five years for building up the LMU Center of International Health.

Successful Presentation at Bangalore Bio 2009

As part of the BMBF Initiative "India and Germany - Strategic Partners for Innovation", Germany presented itself as a centre of biotech science and industry at the Bangalore Bio Show from 18 to 20 June 2009. The exhibitors presented a comprehensive range of products and developments, extending from infection biology, neurobiology and stem cell biology, and much more.

Federal Minister Schavan: "Research needs strategic partners abroad"

Under the lead responsibility of the Federal Research Ministry, the German Government has published the first interim report on the Internationalisation Strategy for Science and Research that was adopted in 2008. Federal Research Minister Annette Schavan drew a positive conclusion of all the measures that had been undertaken so far by all the institutions involved.

German R&D networks and clusters to be internationalised 

To support the internationalisation of German networks and clusters, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has launched a current pilot measure to initiate contacts between German industrial and scientific networks and relevant technical or scientific networks and clusters worldwide.

The smell of fear does exist

A research group headed by psychologist Prof. Dr. Bettina Pause from the Institute of Experimental Psychology, University of Düsseldorf, has proven that fear can be transmitted between two people via smell. It does not even have to be consciously perceived, proving that humans communicate chemically.

6th BMBF Forum for Sustainability

6th BMBF Forum for Sustainability will be held in Hamburg on 9 and 10 September 2009. Prof. Dr. Frieder Meyer-Krahmer, State Secretary to the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, will inaugurate the conference which aims to strengthen collaboration between politics, science and industry.

"Research in Germany" at the  International Conference on Advanced Materials (ICAM)

The International Conference on Advanced Materials (ICAM) is one of the worldwide acknowledged conferences of the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS) and will be held in Rio de Janeiro from 20 to 25 September 2009. A range of topics at the frontiers of material research of contemporary importance for science, technology and engineering will be highlighted.

Vision 2009 - 22nd International Trade Fair for Machine Vision and Identification Technologies

The automotive and electrical industry, mechanical engineering, technologies for the environment and renewable energies - as an industrial nation Germany thrives on home-grown innovation, on the quality of its products and the internationality of its economic relations. It thus comes as no surprise that the world´s leading trade fair for the machine vision industry takes place in Germany.

Visit to MIFI

Representatives of 20 German universities and research institutions will visit Moscow´s prestigious Engineering and Physics Institute "MIFI" from 5 to 7 November this year. All the institutions represented share a common interest in the research fields of "physics, nanotechnology and materials science."