Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam
Director of Fraunhofer FEP
The year 2025 presented Fraunhofer FEP with a wide range of challenges, shaped by a dynamic geopolitical and economic environment. Yet it is precisely in times like these that difficult conditions often provide the most fertile ground for new ideas and innovations. Over the past twelve months, we have further refined our strategic focus and made targeted investments in our infrastructure and in expanding the institute’s expertise – with the clear goal of setting the course for successful and future-oriented development and continuing to meet the needs of our partners and customers.
In 2025, we aligned the topics from the strategy process audited in 2023 with the direction of new research policy agendas, such as the High-Tech Agenda for Germany and the 10th EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation. As a result, we have grouped our core competencies into overarching pillars:
- Decarbonization, climate-neutral energy, and mobility
- Biotechnology, biomedicine, and the circular economy
- Microelectronics
- Security and resilience, aerospace
In this issue, we present the scientific highlights from these new research areas. We demonstrate how microstructured polymer films can be used to fully integrate photovoltaic modules into building façades.
The versatility of low-energy electron beam technology is demonstrated in the articles on the antiviral functionalization of environmentally sustainable nonwoven fabrics for respiratory masks, our new hybrid technology in the form of bioreactors with built-in low-energy electron beam sources, and innovative approaches to the synchronized pulsing of electron beams and atmospheric-pressure plasma. The range of topics is rounded out by our newly developed mushroom-shaped source for seed treatment.
In the field of microelectronics, we showcase the digitization of complex coating processes to increase efficiency in transferring laboratory results to the market. In the article on sputter epitaxy, we highlight the sustainable, large-scale production of epitaxial sputtered nitride layers for power electronics.
Finally, we present innovative coating solutions for corrosion protection, conductivity, and shielding for the aerospace and defense industries.
For us, 2025 was also marked by international networking and new forms of cooperation. Internationally, we were represented at events including InterBattery in Seoul and, once again, at Manufacturing World in Tokyo. My participation in a K-FAST delegation trip to South Korea and the expansion of our memorandum of understanding with the Korean Technology Promotion Agency (TIPA) underscore our commitment to sustainable, international collaborations.
We also made our mark on the national level: My presentation at the Saxon Innovation Conference, our participation in the Saxon Transfer Award, and our contribution to the Day of German Aerospace Regions demonstrate the breadth of our expertise – from sustainable coatings to solutions for the mobility of the future.
A highlight of the year was the continuation of our own “pro flex” conference in May, through which we successfully created a platform for exchange between science and industry for the eighth time.
With the new “Innovation Week” format, we gave companies and research institutions the opportunity to work with us to further develop forward-looking ideas directly within an industrial research environment. The positive response and the resulting collaborations confirm the value of this approach.
A special highlight was the 25th anniversary of our MAXI inline vacuum coating system, which we celebrated as part of the V2025 tutorial. Here, we impressively demonstrated how sustainability can be implemented in surface technology.
I would like to thank all our employees, partners, and supporters for their tremendous dedication. We now look forward with confidence to the developments ahead and are excited to shape the future together with you.
Prof. Dr. Elizabeth von Hauff
Director of Fraunhofer FEP
