Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

The heads of the CDU, CSU and SPD political parties unveiled their coalition agreement on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. With an eye to the German science, research and innovation system, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft believes the agreement contains important measures that can help bolster Germany’s innovative strength and competitiveness. The President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Holger Hanselka, welcomes key points of the agreement, which is to be approved in the weeks to come.

Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI have developed a technology that makes it possible to reclaim continuous carbon fibers from composite materials — without diminishing material quality. High-power lasers are used for local degradation of the matrix of multi-layered fiber-reinforced plastics at high temperatures. This method offers not only ecological benefits but also considerable economic potential.

One attack, many responses — organizations use various solutions to ward off online attacks. The playbooks that outline countermeasures also vary in their specifics. In the CyberGuard project, Fraunhofer researchers are working on standardized playbooks to help companies optimize their security strategies and align them with each other. The playbooks are generated by large language models and support the automation of IT security.

Every year, some 5.6 million metric tons of plastic packaging winds up in household waste in Germany after being used just once. So far, less than a third of it can be recycled. Working in partnership with Hochschule Bremen — City University of Applied Sciences, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM aims to transform this waste into high-quality 3D-printed products.