/Fraunhofer IMW
Fraunhofer IMW 2017-05-26T06:35:58+00:00

Fraunhofer Gesellschaft FhG

As a part of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Europe’s largest organization for applied research, Fraunhofer Center for International Management and Knowledge Economy (Fraunhofer IMW) focuses on questions regarding the internationalization of research, development and innovation. The institute highlights the potential for innovation-based growth and transnational knowledge transfer, making its research findings available to the economy and politics and providing support to clients and customers. As an application-oriented institute, Fraunhofer Center in Leipzig is in a position to act within a broad context in a way that is interdisciplinary and cross-thematic. The basic conditions for research, development and innovation are analyzed in an international context in order to improve, and thereby promote, the transfer of knowledge and technologies as well as the development of globalized value creation. Fraunhofer IMW assists with the transfer of knowledge from science to the economy and supports small- and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) with a specific focus on innovative production and service industries in their innovation management and internationalization efforts.

Relevant network and experience in National and European projects

  • DISIRE. The DISIRE project (Integrated Process Control based on Distributed In-Situ Sensors into Raw Material and Energy Feedstock) is a SPIRE PPP project which aims to design novel in-situ sensor technologies that will enable the measuring of properties from specific processes and product streams in the ferrous, non-ferrous, chemical and steel industries
  • EPVI. The EPVI project (Energy Process Optimization in the Manufacturing Industry) is based on the realization that it is necessary to collect and monitor energy consumption and output values at individual product and process levels in order to systematically implement DIN 16001 in the energy-intensive manufacturing industry.
  • RapidFormingDie. RapidFormingDie (Digital Die Production for Metal Forming Processes using Rapid Beam Melting Technologies) is a project which was developed with European and South African partners to solve Rapid Manufacturing issues.
  • Learning Form. LearnForm is a Collaborative European Project to develop a self learning production system. The Proposal was initiated and coordinated by Fraunhofer along with 8 European academic and industrial partners.
  • EFFESUS: EU Energy Efficiency for Historic Districts’ Sustainability. The overall objective is to develop and demonstrate, through seven case studies, a methodology and criteria for selecting and prioritizing energy efficiency interventions in historic districts.

Main tasks and responsibilities within VULKANO

Fraunhofer Center for International Management and Knowledge Economy will contribute to the VULKANO consortium with its know-how in business model development and innovation management and participate in the WP10 “Business Plan and Exploitation”. The institute has a long track-record in successfully bringing innovative products and services to different markets. Based on its portfolio of scientific methodologies and tools, the Fraunhofer Center in Leipzig identifies and analyses new markets and target groups, develops business models as well as innovation and internalization strategies for technology and service companies, research institutions and political players. Within the WP10 Fraunhofer Center in Leipzig will perform a series of business engineering and commercialization activities in order to ensure the maximum market penetration and cross-sectorial impact of the proposed VULKANO technological concept. For this purpose, the Fraunhofer IMW will develop and execute a number of market analyses which will continuously scan the economic and technical landscape (e.g. networked business environment) in order to access and take into account the existing design drivers (e.g. customer needs, technology innovations etc.) and design constrains (e.g. regulatory trends, compliance with codes and standards etc.). The results of this environmental scanning will be used to conceive competitive business models for the exploitable solutions of VULKANO, which will consider the perspectives of all consortium partners and provide them with an estimation of the real market uptake and industrialization costs. Furthermore Fraunhofer Center will organise and execute a series of exploitation workshops on value proposition, business model development and IPR management and protection involving all partners whose outcomes will be used for the generation of a dynamic exploitation plan and IPR strategy. In addition the Fraunhofer Center will establish a consulting panel and provide on-going training on technical business development to managers and researchers within the consortium in order to reach consensus on exploitation issues and support the decision-making process and the drafting of agreements among project partners regarding all exploitable results.

Exploitation and Commercialization of project results