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INATECH: develop sustainable technologies for the future, today

Five Fraunhofer institutes, the University of Freiburg and a common goal: to establish sustainability as the guiding principle in the development of technical systems.

Engineering science for sustainability

The Institute for Sustainable Systems Engineering (INATECH) researches and develops engineering solutions as driven by current sustainability challenges. Sustainable materials, energy systems and resilience stand at the center of the program.

Today’s needs and future generations are the focus

Together with partners and interest groups from the private and public sectors, INATECH is involved in interdisciplinary research projects: develops methods, models, materials, technologies, demonstrators, and technical systems that will meet the needs of today’s and future generations.

From fundamental research to industrial solutions

INATECH is an equal partnership between the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg and the five Freiburger Fraunhofer institutes. This foundation is unique in the research field, a structure that covers the entire spectrum from fundamental research to industrial application.

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INATECH in numbers




Leading sustainability experts
Appointed by the German government to the "Expert Council for Climate Issues":

Prof. Dr. Hans-Martin Henning
(since 2020, 5 members in total)
Appointed by the German government to the "Expert Commission on the Energy Transition-Monitoring":

Prof. Dr. Anke Weidlich
(since 2022, 4 members in total)

News

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Dec 19th 2022
Lester F. Eastman Award for Prof. Oliver Ambacher

Professor Ambacher has been awarded with the Lester F. Eastman Award for his pioneering and continuing research and development on high-power gallium nitride devices.




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Oct 19th 2022
Young Scientists Awards for INATECH scientists

Three INATECH-theses were awarded for their excellence with the Young Scientists Award. The award is sponsored by the Eva Mayer Stihl Foundation and honors outstanding research. (Photo: Patrick Seeger / University of Freiburg)



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Oct 4th 2022
Prof. Anke Weidlich is appointed to the Federal Government's Expert Commission on Monitoring the Energy Transition

Germany's Federal Cabinet approved Robert Habeck's appointment of four scientists for four years (July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2026). Prof. Weidlich from INATECH is a new member. She conducts research on energy systems, distributed energy supply, system integration, flexibility and smart grids.

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Studying engineering science sustainably

Master's and Bachelor's degree programs: INATECH combines technology with sustainability and educates engineers who will change the world!

Research examples

Current research at INATECH

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Sustainable power electronics
Improving the energy efficiency of power electronic systems. Developing new ways and architectures for data transfer and data transmission. Establishing material life cycles for microelectronic devices.
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Photovoltaic technology
Improving efficiency and reducing production costs. Developing new solar cell concepts and investigating new photovoltaic absorber materials.

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Sustainable Materials
Replacement of conventional materials with renewable raw materials and reuse. Increasing the time to replacement of the system. Optimizing the performance of the systems.
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Circularity Engineering
Developing the scientific basic principles for new engineering methods, processes and tools that can be integrated into all traditional engineering disciplines.

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Sustainable energy systems
Evaluating energy systems holistically. Developing renewable energy technologies and optimize the whole product lifecycle. Deriving strategies for integrating fluctuating renewable electricity supply.
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Resilience
Developing engineering technologies for critical infrastructure to enhance resistance against short-term detrimental effects and long-term changes (e.g. natural disasters or climate change).

Chairs

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Prof. Dr. Dr.
Oliver Ambacher

Dean of Studies,
Gips Schüle Chair for Power Electronics (PEL)



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Prof. Dr.
Frank Balle

Walter and Ingeborg Herrmann Chair for Engineering of Functional Materials (EFM)


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Prof. Dr.
Oana Cojocaru-Mirédin

Chair for Cross-scale Material Characterization (CMC)



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Prof. Dr.
Stefan Glunz

Director INATECH,
Photovoltaic Energy Conversion (PEC)



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Prof. Dr.
Hans-Martin Henning

Solar Energy Systems (SES)





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Prof. Dr.- Ing. habil.
Stefan Hiermaier

Gips Schüle Chair for Sustainable Systems Engineering (SSE)



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Prof. Dr.
Rüdiger Quay

Fritz Hüttinger Chair for Energy-Efficient High-Frequency Electronics (EEH)



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Prof. Dr.
Alexander Reiterer

Monitoring of Large-Scale Structures (MLS)




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Prof. Dr.-Ing.
Alexander Stolz

Resilience Engineering for Technical Systems (RTS)




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Prof. Dr.
Anke Weidlich

Control and Integration of Grids (CIG)




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