Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI

In the “HYPAT – H₂ POTENTIAL ATLAS”, which was led by Fraunhofer ISI, nine research institutions have examined the future role green hydrogen can play in transforming industry, the transport sector and the energy industry in the direction of greater sustainability and climate neutrality. The project identified possible partner countries for Germany that have the potential to deliver a secure and sustainable supply of hydrogen, determined the global supply and demand for hydrogen and its synthesis products, and developed ideas for possible import, funding and cooperation strategies. The final report has now been published.

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft will expand its activities in Heilbronn significantly with funding from the Dieter Schwarz Foundation. From 2025, a total of eight research and innovation centers will address research topics ranging from cybersecurity to quantum AI. This will provide an important impetus for innovation in Germany and strengthen the country’s competitiveness in these fields.

Food safety, sustainability and fairness are important, but not the only objectives which have to be attained in the agricultural and food systems. In the project MATS (Making Agricultural Trade Sustainable) Fraunhofer ISI has developed, together with European, African and South American partners, a model for sustainable agricultural trade in the year 2035 and a roadmap how to get there. The closing publication shows concrete measures, and a selection of examples gives further details.

Using electric vehicles to store energy and feed back into the grid could soon save Europe’s energy companies and motorists billions of euros a year, a new study finds. On behalf of Transport & Environment (T&E),  Fraunhofer ISI and Fraunhofer ISE have modelled the potential savings and identified reasons that still prevents Europe from tapping into the growing ‘free’ storage potential.

The following conclusion is drawn in a publication that has been taken up by a German media: “Overall, an alternative policy to keep existing NPPs in 2002 and build new ones would have halved spending and ensured Germany could meet its climate targets.“ 

The authors of this response are of the opinion that the underlying calculation is based on a fundamental methodological error, which leads to double counting most of the expenditure on renewable energies. The analysis conducted is therefore not scientifically tenable.

It is becoming increasingly more imperative for decision makers to understand the dynamics between innovation and transformation. Inspired by the 50th anniversary of Fraunhofer ISI, the institute's employees have compiled an anthology that looks at the development of important research fields over the past five decades. The publication entitled “Systems and Innovation Research in Transition – Research Questions and Trends in Historical Perspective” has now been published by Springer Verlag (Heidelberg).

In the MobilKULT project, we are investigating the connections between infrastructures, mobility habits, mobility culture and attitudes toward policy measures in the field of mobility such as the Deutschland-Ticket. The survey conducted in spring 2024 looks at how much people’s opinions about different mobility measures diverge. Our findings: Across different social groups, the responses show a high degree of similarity and continuous support for measures such as the Deutschland-Ticket – but there is also agreement that there is currently little support for the transformation of the transport sector.

The scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI annually publish more than 200 publications including research reports, books, working papers and scientific articles which together cover the broad spectrum of ISI's research. Every month, the latest Fraunhofer ISI specialist publications will be updated in an institute-wide list.