New Minister of Economic Affairs visits Sustainability Center Freiburg

08/23/2016

Left to right: Dr. Michael Kunzer, Dr. Ralf Ostendorf, Prof. Dr. Gunther Neuhaus, Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Dr. Dieter Salomon, Prof. Dr. Stefan Hiermaier und Prof. Dr. Oliver Ambacher.

A lot of attention for the new research topics of the Sustainability Center Freiburg

The Minister welcomes the Fraunhofer coordinator of the Sustainability Center, Prof. Stefan Hiermaier.

The coordinators of the Sustainability Center Freiburg, Professor Stefan Hiermaier and Professor Gunther Neuhaus, present its mission. It is a strategic alliance between the University of Freiburg, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and the industry in order to advance interdisciplinary research and teaching for sustainable development and new, sustainable products and services.

The new Minister of Economic Affairs of Baden-Württemberg Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut stopped by for a visit at the Sustainability Center Freiburg last Wednesday. The coordinators of the Sustainability Center, Prof. Hiermaier (Director of Fraunhofer EMI) and Prof. Neuhaus (Vice-Rector of the University of Freiburg), welcomed the distinguished visitor from Stuttgart. Even Freiburg’s Mayor Dr. Dieter Salomon was present and underlined the pioneering role of Freiburg in sustainable technologies research.

In the laboratories of Fraunhofer IAF, which works on the pilot project "Suslight" (Sustainable LED Lightning), the Minister experienced first-hand research. The host and Director of IAF, Prof. Oliver Ambacher, presents the project in which scientists and researchers at Fraunhofer IAF and colleagues from the Institute for Microsystems Technology at the University of Freiburg are developing technical measures for the further improvement of LED lamp efficiency, such as low-power control electronics. In addition, the team investigates how acceptance and market penetration of LED technology can be increased.

During the laboratory visit, the Minister shows her colors concerning the role of sustainability in politically green Southwest Germany: "Sustainability is a central political theme of the new state government. At the same time, we put the innovative capacity of Baden-Württemberg in the center of our policy. With the Sustainability Center Freiburg, we have established a center that combines both technological, ecological and economic expertise and deep knowledge of societal correlations and thus will decisively advance the industrial research on relevant issues of the future. "

In the Sustainability Center’s twelve pilot projects funded with around 6.5 million euros by the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft until 2018, interdisciplinary teams of the Fraunhofer institutes and the University of Freiburg are conducting research on the development of sustainable solutions.