Annual Report 2023

On October 23, 2023, Ina Brandes became the first state minister responsible for science and research in the history of the institute to visit Fraunhofer FHR.

Scientific excellence in North Rhine-Westphalia – this is also what the name Fraunhofer stands for. On October 23, Ina Brandes, Minister for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, was able to see for herself during a visit to Wachtberg: The Fraunhofer Institute for High-Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques FHR and the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE opened the doors of their laboratories to provide the politician with exciting insights into the current research work of the nearly 1,000 scientists employed at the two institutes. Accompanied by state parliament member Jonathan Grunwald and Wachtberg Mayor Jörg Schmidt, the minister was informed about the work of the two Fraunhofer institutes in Wachtberg.

Science Minister Ina Brandes: »From the institute into industry: This guiding principle is particularly embraced by the researchers at the two Fraunhofer institutes in Wachtberg. The work of the scientists is an excellent example of top research ‚made in NRW,‘ which will help find solutions to the major challenges of our time. The exchange between science and business strengthens both the scientific and economic location of North Rhine-Westphalia.«

Prof. Dr. Peter Knott, Director of Fraunhofer FHR, welcomed the minister at the institute‘s second location in Wachtberg-Villip. In modern office and laboratory buildings, over 100 researchers are working on industrial applications of high-frequency and radar technology. The focus here is on innovation transfer to small and medium-sized enterprises. Head of Section Prof. Dr. Dirk Nüßler presented the minister with project examples such as radar sensors for the steel industry and 3D-printed antennas, and also showcased the modern technological equipment that enables the development of industrial-grade prototypes according to specific customer requirements, from chip development to assembly technology to system integration.

The terahertz.NRW Research Network

Fraunhofer FHR also reported on the status of terahertz.NRW, a project led by the institute with partners at the universities of Bochum, Duisburg-Essen, and Wuppertal and the Fraunhofer IMS in Duisburg, which is promoted by the minister‘s department. His aim is to bring the leading minds in terahertz research together to harness the relatively unexplored but disruptive potential of the technology for new mobile applications.

Security in Space Thanks to Radar

A visit to the space observation radar TIRA, the largest and unique experimental system of Fraunhofer FHR in Europe, was also a must. With his enormous dimension of a 47.5-meter diameter and his widely visible white cover, it is »an important landmark of the region that we are very proud of,« as Jörg Schmidt, Mayor of Wachtberg, emphasized during the tour of the two institutes‘ campus. Head of section Section Dr. Lars Fuhrmann explained to the guests the importance of radar for observing near-Earth space and the significance of the Fraunhofer radars TIRA and GESTRA for space security.