Research of practical utility lies at the heart of all activities pursued by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Founded in 1949, the research organization undertakes applied research that drives economic development and serves the wider benefit of society. Its services are solicited by customers and contractual partners in industry, the service sector and public administration. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is a recognized non-profit organization.
At present, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft maintains more than 80 research units in Germany, including 57 Fraunhofer Institutes. The majority of the 14,000 staff are qualified scientists and engineers, who work with an annual research budget of € 1.4 billion. Of this sum, more than € 1.2 billion is generated through contract research. Two thirds of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft´s contract research revenue is derived from contracts with industry and from publicly financed research projects. Only one third is contributed by the German federal and Länder governments in the form of base funding, enabling the institutes to work ahead on solutions to problems that will not become acutely relevant to industry and society until five or ten years from now.
With its clearly defined mission of application-oriented research and its focus on key technologies of relevance to the future, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft plays a prominent role in the German and European innovation process. Applied research has a knock-on effect that extends beyond the direct benefits perceived by the customer: Through their research and development work, the Fraunhofer Institutes help to reinforce the competitive strength of the economy in their local region, and throughout Germany and Europe. They do so by promoting innovation, strengthening the technological base, improving the acceptance of new technologies, and helping to train the urgently needed future generation of scientists and engineers.