The Center for Economics and Management of Technologies CEM will remain at the Halle (Saale) site as a new branch of Fraunhofer IKTS. The CEM combines technological and techno-economic expertise and focuses on the modeling of process and value chains as well as technology and regulatory impact assessment. Thanks to this portfolio of expertise and projects, all current project plans and obligations will continue to be met in full. In the future, the research activities will be expanded, with a particular focus on technology development and technology transfer in the chemical and process industry. A further focus will be placed on the development and evaluation of regional and site-related transfer concepts. CEM researchers will work closely with other Fraunhofer IKTS working groups on these projects. The common goal is to provide companies and organizations with intensive support in mastering transformation processes, improving innovation processes and successfully becoming active in new fields of technology.

„The integration of the Center for Economics and Management of Technologies CEM into Fraunhofer IKTS is a logical step from which our partners, our customers and not least the Halle site will also benefit. In line with the 'Strengthening strengths' approach, the CEM's expertise complements the Fraunhofer IKTS portfolio, creating a highly visible source of inspiration for customers and partners from the chemical and process industries,“ says Prof. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. “We have worked hard to achieve this integration quickly and unbureaucratically within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. I am therefore very pleased that this has been successful and that we can thus retain the expertise of the CEM in the Fraunhofer portfolio.“

The Center for Economics and Management of Technologies CEM remains a strong Fraunhofer research partner in Saxony-Anhalt

The integration of the Center for Economics and Management of Technologies CEM into the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS promotes strong networking between the southern Saxony-Anhalt region and the high-tech centers in Saxony (Dresden, Freiberg) and Thuringia (Jena, Hermsdorf and Erfurter Kreuz). This strategic connection enables an optimal combination of components and subsystems from Saxony and Thuringia with the plant and operator expertise in Saxony-Anhalt. The existing activities of Fraunhofer IKTS in Saxony-Anhalt, for example in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, will be raised to a new level as a result of this step. For the first time it will be possible to consider and implement chemical, energy and environmental technology systems holistically across all business areas – from materials to chemical plants. The Center for Economics and Management of Technologies CEM thus bridges the gap between identifying and supporting economically and ecologically relevant concepts and accelerating their transfer to commercial implementation. The role of Fraunhofer IKTS as a technological hub and industrial driving force in Central Germany will be decisively expanded in terms of infrastructure with the branch office in Saxony-Anhalt.

The integration was formally approved by the Executive Board of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft on July 1, 2024. Accordingly, the integration of CEM into Fraunhofer IKTS is planned for January 1, 2025.

Statements

Prof. Alexander Michaelis, Institute Director at Fraunhofer IKTS: “The CEM perfectly complements the activities of Fraunhofer IKTS in the field of energy and recycling technology. For example, our world-leading expertise in hydrogen technology can be integrated even better into complex plants or even entire sites with the CEM. This enables us to optimally serve the Central German chemical industry in particular, which is strongly anchored in Saxony-Anhalt.“

Dr. Daniela Pufky-Heinrich, Head of Center for Economics and Management of Technologies CEM: “The integration of CEM into Fraunhofer IKTS will significantly expand the existing research focus. The expertise of CEM researchers in the modeling of complex systems and entire sites will be complemented by our own implementation expertise in hardware under one roof.“

Prof. Michael Stelter, Deputy Institute Director at Fraunhofer IKTS, Marketing and Strategy: “By incorporating the CEM into Fraunhofer IKTS, we are taking a further step towards an integrated Central German research area that also includes future transformation technologies and creates docking points for supra-regional networks. From the point of view of Fraunhofer IKTS, CO₂ utilization, water technology and the bioeconomy should be mentioned here in particular. We are looking forward to the new opportunities in Saxony-Anhalt.“