Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Extreme weather, blackouts or major emergencies: When every second counts, public agencies and local governments must act as fast as possible. But how can decision-makers maintain situational awareness and make well-informed decisions? An AI-driven civil protection dashboard will help them do just that. Fraunhofer researchers are developing the system with partners in the RegioGuard-PRO project. The aim is to integrate data from a range of sources, provide for early identification of situational awareness and improve collaboration among crisis responders and security personnel.

Amid geopolitical turmoil, protecting critical maritime infrastructure is more important than ever. The Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE is working together with maritime security research partners to develop innovative solutions for underwater acoustic communication and robust networks.

Magnets are essential components in electric vehicles, wind turbines and electronics. However, their production depends on rare earth elements such as neodymium, about 90 percent of which is imported from China. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS are working with project partner TU Bergakademie Freiberg to develop a technology to recover these valuable raw materials in Germany for use in new products.

Enzymes have enormous potential to make industrial manufacturing more efficient and unlock new production methods. However, tailoring them to specific applications is a complex process. In the ZenBio project, Fraunhofer researchers in Potsdam are developing an automated platform to accelerate this work by combining cell-free protein synthesis with AI-assisted enzyme design. The platform will enable companies to develop suitable enzymes faster and more cost-effectively.