Fraunhofer Institutes

The Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI analyzes the framework conditions for innovations. We explore the short- and long-term developments of innovation processes and the societal impacts of new technologies and services. On this basis, we provide our clients from industry, politics and science with policy recommendations and perspectives for key decisions. Our expertise lies in a broad scientific competence as well as an inter-disciplinary and systemic research approach. With 180 staff members from the areas of science, technology and infrastructure, we are a highly motivated team whose scientific expertise and systemic research approach fulfils the diverse requirements of our clients. The increase in our annual budget to over € 19 million which was achieved in 290 projects documents this successful work. Through our comprehensive and inter-disciplinary perspective, we provide a wide range of services for our clients. These services are grouped into six competence centers (CC):

• CC Energy Policy and Energy Systems analyzes technical, economic, ecological and social aspects of sustainable energy systems. It contains the Business Units Energy and Climate Policy, Energy Efficiency, and Renewable Energies as well as Energy Economy.
• CC Industrial and Service Innovations researches how technical and organizational innovations ensure the competitiveness of enterprises. It consists of the Business Units Technical and Organizational Process Innovations, Industrial Services as well as Future-proof Production Systems and Location Management.
• CC Innovation and Technology Management and Foresight develops methods to identify and analyze long-term developments in society, industry and technology. It comprises the Business Units Futures Research and Foresight, Management of Innovations and Technology as well as Strategies for Material Technologies.
• CC Sustainability and Infrastructure Systems analyzes the pre-conditions and possibilities to reduce emissions, improve resource efficiency and the sustainability of infrastructure systems. It contains the Business Units Water Resources Management, Transportation Systems, Systemic Risks and Sustainability Innovation and Policy.
• CC Emerging Technologies analyzes the potentials, effects and design conditions for new technologies and develops options for action. It consists of the Business Units Biotechnology and Life Sciences, Innovations in the Health System as well as Information and Communication Technologies.
• CC Policy and Regions explores the functionalities and the changes in research and innovation systems. It comprises the Business Units Policy and Evaluation, Regions and Clusters and Innovation Indicators.

As an internationally leading innovation research institute, we collaborate with other countries and thus guarantee different perspectives of the research subject. Visiting scientists come to us from the USA, Japan and the BRICS countries. We cultivate an intensive relationship with China and Russia and have started to establish cooperation with research institutions in India and Brazil. The dynamics of these emerging economies including Brazil have been explored in several research projects, such as the ISICUP Project (Integration of Sustainability Innovations in the Catching-up Process), the BRICS Project (on the contributions of German competence in research and science towards realizing the model of sustainable development with a view to the existing innovation potentials), or a doctoral thesis on the multi-level governance structures of the Brazilian innovation system. Currently, Fraunhofer ISI is working closely with ABDI and INMETRO and other Fraunhofer institutes to intensify its activities in Brazil. As part of its commitment to Brazil and the whole Latin American region, Fraunhofer ISI is offering a modular advanced training course to innovation promoting agencies to train their staff.