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Fraunhofer UMSICHT: Sustainable economy

With research in the areas of climate-neutral energy systems, resource-efficient processes, and circular products, the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT makes concrete contributions to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.

 

57,8 Mil. Euro Sales in 2021
4,500 m² of Laboratories and Technical Centers
608Employees

Pioneers in a sustainable world

The institute develops solutions that make decisive contributions to a resource-conserving society and economy, and thus paves the way to a more sustainable world. It works on innovative technologies that can be implemented on an industrial scale, as well as products and services for the circular economy in the areas of energy, processes and products. The goal is to bring the developments to application maturity.

 

Fraunhofer UMSICHT with locations in Oberhausen and Sulzbach-Rosenberg (Bavaria) as well as a plastics pilot plant in Willich, is networked worldwide as an institute of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.

 

"What will tomorrow's products look like? According to which principles will they be manufactured and used? And how will the products be handled end-of-life? We will provide answers to these and other exciting questions!"

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred RennerHead of the Fraunhofer Institute for environment, safety, and energy technology UMSICHT

Research in the market

An important hallmark of the institute is that researchers continuously evaluate project work in terms of sustainability. The institute offers a wide range of services to partners from industry, the service sector and politics:

  • Market analyses and innovation consultations
  • Optimization of processes or organizational forms
  • Product development or improvement (up to small series)
  • Licensing, license takeovers, or certifications


The projects are just as diverse: Together with Duisburger Hafen AG (duisport), for example, the team is investigating how mixed commercial, industrial and residential sites can be further developed with a view to challenges posed by the energy transition as part of the "enerPort" project. The junior research group "H2Organic," on the other hand, has set itself the goal of using electricity from renewable sources with the help of an electrochemical synthesis process to manufacture chemical products with a "green footprint." And in Oberhausen-Tackenberg, housing cooperatives and the municipality are working together with Fraunhofer UMSICHT on the QUENTIN project. In the future, four flexible local heating islands will supply more than 800 residential units, two schools and a sports hall with climate-neutral heat. In total, there are well over 100 projects that are being brought forward by multi-professional teams.

"Efficient energy processes are just as much the focus of our research as new storage technologies and intelligent system solutions. The special thing: We work on innovations across disciplines and sectors."

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian DoetschHead of the Fraunhofer Institute für environment, safety, und energy technology UMSICHT

Non-university research in the Ruhr Valley

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Image cedit: Header: Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Portraits: Fraunhofer Umsicht/Mike Henning