Cooperation with Fraunhofer
Within the framework of the Pact for Research and Innovation, the Max Planck Society and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft intend to continue and intensify their cooperation across research areas and disciplines. With its focus centred on application, the collaboration with Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is of particular interest to the Max Planck Society. Against this background, the two organizations have been engaged in talks since spring 2004 in order to identify and support collaboration opportunities at the interface of application oriented research and basic research. This includes meanwhile the fields of computer science, materials science / nanotechnology and biotechnology, as well as the area of regenerative energies and photonics. The aim of such a venture is to bring to application the knowledge resulting from collaborative efforts, thereby making a direct contribution to the development of new technologies.
ELYDIA – Plant-based protein production for antibiotics
The spread of multidrug-resistant pathogenic bacteria threatens global health. This issue has been further compounded by a shortage of novel conventional antibiotics. Consequently, virus-based therapies, including phage-derived endolysins, are gaining significant attention. These enzymes destroy the bacterial cell wall, thereby killing the pathogens. Due to their potent effect and low propensity to develop resistance endolysins represent exceptionally attractive, tailored antimicrobial agents. Unlike conventional antibiotics, endolysins can selectively eliminate pathogens without disrupting the gut flora or other health-critical bacterial communities, making them ideal for precision medicine and microbiome-sparing applications. The ELYDIA project aims to expand the suite of biotechnological tools used for discovering and industrially producing endolysins and other antibacterial biopharmaceuticals. The approach relies on the insight that phage genes encoding endolysins are transcribed with exceptional efficiency within tobacco plant chloroplasts, enabling the cost-effective production of remarkably high yields of endolysin proteins. By leveraging this chloroplast-based production platform, ELYDIA helps combat multidrug-resistant pathogens while opening up new applications across diverse technical and medical sectors, including dermatology, wound care, nasal germ reduction, food safety, veterinary medicine, and personal care.
Participating Institutes:
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology
Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME
Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB
Duration 2026 – 2030
GENIUS – New Generation of Sodium-Ion Batteries with Anode-Free Cell Structure Using Functional and Innovative Coating Concepts
Sodium-ion batteries could be significantly less expensive than lithium-ion batteries and could also more easily meet the growing demand for energy storage. This is because sodium can be extracted from seawater and is therefore much more readily available than lithium. However, sodium-ion batteries have so far only been able to achieve energy densities as high as those of lithium-ion batteries when they use elemental sodium as the negative electrode. Sodium, however, is highly flammable and reacts violently with even the slightest traces of water, such as that found in ambient humidity. Consequently, manufacturing batteries with pure sodium is complex and expensive. Anode-free sodium batteries offer a promising solution by eliminating metallic sodium from the initial cell and forming the sodium anode in situ during the first charging cycle. Their practical implementation, however, is hindered by non-uniform sodium deposition and parasitic interfacial reactions at the current collector, which compromise battery performance and cycling stability. In addition, the limited sodium inventory restricts the achievable storage capacity. The Genius project aims to address these challenges through two complementary strategies. First, the researchers will coat the current collector at the negative terminal with a protective two-dimensional polymer membrane containing ionizable groups that selectively transports sodium ions while regulating their deposition. Max Planck researchers will synthesize these novel crystalline two-dimensional polymer membranes using an on-water surface synthesis methodology developed by them. In parallel, the Fraunhofer team will develop cathodes containing sodium-containing sacrificial salts that provide an additional sodium reservoir. During the first charging cycle, sodium ions released from these salts will migrate through the membrane and deposit as metallic sodium at the negative current collector. Together, these approaches aim to enable controlled sodium-metal formation and increase the available sodium inventory, paving the way towards high-energy-density and durable anode-free sodium batteries.
Participating Institutes:
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE
Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics
Duration 2026 – 2030
SYNTHIA - Immunotherapy with synthetic immune cells
Cell-based immunotherapy has revolutionised the treatment of cancers and autoimmune diseases previously considered incurable. However, manufacturing all currently approved products remains costly and time-consuming. The SYNTHIA team is developing novel synthetic immune cells designed to enable scalable mass production of immunotherapies. To achieve this, mature red blood cells or platelets are harvested either from a donor or from the patient and undergo targeted synthetic surface modification, without altering their genetic material. Through this process, the cells acquire immune-like capabilities and can selectively activate so-called killer cells. These play a central role in host defence by selectively destroying malignant cells. In particular, activating killer cells in vivo represents a highly promising strategy, whether deployed as a standalone therapy or combined with established procedures. Specifically, red blood cells and platelets serve as biocompatible carriers for targeted therapies. Their lack of a cell nucleus prevents responses to environmental stimuli, thereby reducing adverse effects, while their high biocompatibility minimises the risk of unintended immune activation. Combined with their widespread availability in blood banks, these properties make them ideal candidates for developing next-generation immunotherapies. By utilising fully differentiated, enucleated blood components such as mature red blood cells, standardised, ready-to-use therapeutics can be developed that are suitable for large-scale manufacturing. SYNTHIA offers an alternative to current limitations in the production and application of immune cell therapies. The long-term objective is to harness artificially engineered synthetic cells to extend controlled immune cell activation into scalable, mass-produced immunotherapeutic applications.
Participating Institutes:
Max Planck Institute for Medical Research
Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI
Duration 2026 – 2029
Interferometry-based field-resolved spectroscopy (iFRS)
Infections, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases alter the composition of blood and exhaled air. Being able to identify these characteristic molecular traces quickly and reliably would significantly improve the diagnosis of these diseases and enable more successful therapies. In the iFRS project, the partners will develop a method capable of detecting molecular fingerprints using laser spectroscopy in both liquid samples, such as blood plasma, and gaseous media, such as exhaled breath. The technique could be used, for example, to analyse the breath of mechanically ventilated patients for infection markers, allowing treatment to be initiated at an early stage if necessary. To achieve this, researchers are relying on field-resolved infrared spectroscopy. Unlike conventional spectroscopic studies that measure intensity, this approach analyses the electric field of light emitted by a sample following laser irradiation. This technique makes it possible to detect substances present in a sample at very low concentrations that emit only very weak signals. A limiting factor for sensitivity is the strong background noise caused by the incident laser pulse. The researchers' aim in this project is to drastically reduce this background through interferometric cancellation, subsequently amplifying the background-free sample signal using a laser. In this way, the research team aims to increase the sensitivity of the spectroscopic analysis by a factor of 1,000 to 10,000.
Participating Institutes:
Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM
Duration 2025 – 2029
NEONHET – novel electrosynthesis for safe and sustainable access to technically relevant nitrogen heterocycles
Synthesising active pharmaceutical ingredients and crop protection agents is often chemically challenging. Among other structural features, many contain ring-shaped chemical building blocks that include nitrogen alongside the main constituents, carbon and hydrogen – so-called nitrogen heterocycles. To date, these have frequently been manufactured from highly toxic starting materials. However, using electricity in a process known as electrosynthesis, several of these compounds can also be obtained from less hazardous substances. Furthermore, this approach may enable the synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles that cannot be produced by any other means. In doing so, electrosynthesis also reduces the carbon dioxide emissions of the process. In the NEONHET project, researchers are investigating which nitrogen heterocycles can be generated using electricity and under what conditions. For the substances that prove particularly suitable for electrosynthesis, the team will then develop processes that are suitable for industrial-scale production.
Participating Institutes:
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion
Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB
Duration 2025 – 2028
TritiumStopp – permeation-resistant coatings as tritium barriers in fusion applications
Tritium, a particularly heavy hydrogen isotope, is intended for use as fuel in several promising fusion power plant concepts. Because tritium is virtually non-existent in nature, it is to be bred by reacting lithium with neutrons produced during nuclear fusion. Like ordinary hydrogen, radioactive tritium easily permeates most materials and is lost. To prevent tritium loss as well as its release into the environment, the TritiumStopp team is developing coatings to retain tritium. The researchers are investigating metal oxides (such as silicon dioxide), nitrides (such as titanium nitride), diamond-like carbon, and carbon compounds, firstly to determine how effectively they prevent permeation, the penetration of tritium. Secondly, they are testing the materials' resistance to irradiation by high-energy ions. In this way, they are simulating the neutron exposure that takes place in fusion reactors. Complex neutron irradiation experiments are planned following TritiumStopp to qualify the most promising coatings identified in this project for reactor deployment. Beyond systematic measurements on potential materials, the team is further developing physical vapour deposition (PVD), the process used to produce these coatings. In doing so, the researchers are examining how the interior of pipes can be coated on an industrial scale to ensure a closed-loop tritium cycle in fusion reactors. Both the coating process and the materials themselves could prove valuable not only for fusion reactors, but also for hydrogen storage and transport in a hydrogen-based energy economy.
Participating Institutes:
Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics
Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS
Duration 2025 – 2027
OptoQuant – CMOS-integrated, micro-optoelectronic room-temperature quantum sensing for high-sensitivity magnetic field imagings
Highly sensitive sensors that measure magnetic fields in fine detail are vital not only for physics research, but also in biomedicine – for instance, as brain-computer interfaces or as monitors for nerve and heart function. The OptoQuant team is developing a portable device based on this type of sensor to measure extremely small magnetic fields. To achieve this, the researchers are using nitrogen-vacancy centres in synthetic diamonds. An NV centre – NV standing for nitrogen-vacancy – consists of a single nitrogen atom coupled with a vacancy in the electron structure. Thanks to an unpaired electron, such an NV centre has its own tiny magnetic moment, which responds to external magnetic fields and can be measured via the light it emits. It can function as a minuscule magnetic sensor on the one hand, and as a detector for tiny electric currents – such as those passing through neural pathways – on the other. Despite the microscopic size of the nitrogen-vacancy centre itself, the apparatus currently required for magnetic field measurements using such defects remains large. These setups require light sources, photodetectors and, depending on the application, a microwave radiation source. The OptoQuant team aims to integrate all of these components onto a single chip. To achieve this, the team is combining complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors (CMOS) – already well established in chip technology – with organic materials used in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).
Participating Institutes:
Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids
Duration 2024 – 2027
CONDOR – Superconducting spintronic devices for cryogenic electronics
Quantum computers could tackle two major challenges of classical computing at once: handling tasks far beyond the reach of today's systems while generating virtually no heat, eliminating the thermal bottleneck that hinders the further miniaturisation of electronic components. Because quantum computers operate at cryogenic temperatures – and, in several architectures, rely on superconducting components – there are as yet no memory devices or switching elements capable of operating under these extreme conditions. The CONDOR team aims to address this gap. On the one hand, they are developing superconducting switches based on a phenomenon discovered at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics: the superconductivity of a wire can be controlled by applying a voltage via a gate electrode. On the other hand, the researchers are optimising magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM) storage elements for low-temperature operation, building on the magnetic tunnel junctions developed in the joint Max Planck–Fraunhofer RASCAL project. Ultimately, these superconducting switches and cryogenic memory components will be integrated into a single device. Beyond quantum information processing, these components could find application in space flight, high-speed communications, and highly efficient wind turbines.
Participating Institutes:
Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS
Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics
Duration 2024 – 2026
MaRS – Critical-material-lean magnets by recycling and substitution
Strong permanent magnets are vital components in technologies such as wind turbine generators and electric motors. However, some of the materials with the best-known magnetic properties contain rare earth metals – predominantly neodymium and samarium – which are mined almost exclusively in China. To reduce the reliance of EU member states on rare earth imports, the MaRS team is taking a two-pronged approach: searching for permanent magnets free from these metals on the one hand and making the recycling of end-of-life permanent magnets more efficient on the other. In their search for alternative permanent magnets, the researchers are focusing on materials with promising magnetic properties, such as iron phosphide and iron nitride, as well as specific crystal structures of iron–nickel and manganese–aluminium alloys. For iron phosphides and nitrides, the primary challenge lies in optimising these magnetic properties, which must then be realised through industrially viable processes. For manganese–aluminium magnets, the team is also investigating a technically feasible manufacturing method. To recycle old permanent magnets, the MaRS team is developing methods that reduce harmful oxygen contamination of the magnetic material, lower carbon dioxide emissions, and decrease chemical consumption. Specifically, they aim to treat dismantled and shredded permanent magnets with hydrogen plasma. In this process, the material is melted for further processing and converted back into its elemental metals. Furthermore, rare earth oxide by-products – an inevitable outcome of magnet manufacturing, yet useless for magnets themselves – will be recovered. This process takes place in an electric arc furnace, a widely used industrial technology, making it straightforward to implement in practice.
Participating Institutes:
Fraunhofer Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKS
Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials GmbH
Duration 2024 – 2026
SMARTIES – smart integrated electronic sensors are miniature atmospheric monitoring devices and potential disaster-response tools
As part of the SMARTIES project, researchers are developing miniaturised probes known as SMARTIES to provide real-time data on the dispersion of particles such as volcanic ash, dust and microplastics in the atmosphere. They will help close an observational gap concerning atmospheric processes occurring at altitudes between 100 metres and 50 kilometres. In an initial trial, more than 100 SMARTIES are expected to be carried into the atmosphere, for example by weather balloons, and released there. The measuring devices will drift with the air currents while recording temperature, pressure and humidity. The data will be transmitted in real time to a network of ground stations. In addition, tracking the devices will make it possible to trace atmospheric transport. SMARTIES could be used in a wide range of applications. For example, they could help monitor air quality in urban areas. They could also support responses to natural or environmental disasters by analysing the dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere. The probes are likewise suitable for investigating mixing processes, for example during chemical reactions or cloud formation. They could even be useful for optimising wind farms, as they enable airflow analysis – providing a cost-effective alternative to expensive laser-based measurement systems.
Participating Institutes:
Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS
Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization
Duration 2024 – 2026
MaxwellSuits – ultra-lightweight support clothing for robot-based assistance
Around 60 years ago, researchers developed the first wearable robot that works with the body rather than replacing it. The aim was to combine mechanical power and precision with human versatility in order to support people in heavy physical work, in old age, or during rehabilitation after an injury. Wearable robots – now mostly known as exoskeletons – consist of rigid limbs and mechanical joints. They are increasingly being used, for example in clinical rehabilitation. However, they are rigid, heavy, bulky, and expensive, which limits both their acceptance and functionality. This is why so-called exosuits are gaining in importance: soft, clothing-like robots. They use flexible materials, are lighter, more adaptable, and more comfortable than exoskeletons, do not impair mobility, and can be worn discreetly under clothing. The “MaxwellSuits” project aims to launch the next generation of exosuits: they are to be lighter, softer, safer, and more powerful. MaxwellSuits combines the expertise of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation in the development of exoskeletons using simulations with the research of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems on soft actuators. Actuators convert electrical impulses into mechanical motion. In the MaxwellSuits actuators, an external electric field is applied to oil-filled pockets consisting of thin plastic films. The resulting Maxwell voltage causes the pockets to deform, leading to a muscle-like contraction. The MaxwellSuits team wants to develop exosuits that preventively stabilize the torso and provide motor support for the ankle joint. They also plan to create a structured development process for exosuits that can be reliably repeated with the help of simulations and real-world tests.
Participating Institutes:
Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA
Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems
Duration 2023 – 2027
SAPs4Tissue – Self-assembling biologically active peptide nanofibrils for the biomimetic design of functional cell niches in human tissue models
Artificial organs and tissues could reduce the number of animal experiments required in the development of new drugs. The artificial cell structures are generated from human induced pluripotent stem cells on extracellular matrices (ECM) that are specific to the respective organs and significantly determine their development, functionality, and regenerative capacity. The SAPs4Tissue team uses biologically active self-assembling peptide nanofibrils (SAP) for the ECM, which self-organize into larger structures. With the help of these SAPs, organ development could be better controlled than with the ECMs used today, because their physical and biochemical properties can be specifically adjusted by varying their chemical composition and structure. In this project, the researchers aim to identify biologically active SAPs in an automated screening process and elucidate their effect on the development of specific organs, ultimately creating a library of SAPs for organ cultivation. Based on these findings, the team will use SAP to generate intestinal epithelial cells from induced pluripotent stem cells and investigate their suitability for research into intestinal diseases and the testing of pharmaceutical agents.
Participating Institutes:
Fraunhofer Translational Center Regenerative Therapies TLC-RT
Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research
Duration 2023 – 2026
RICIMER – Roman-inspired concrete innovation by multi-analytical enhanced Research
A building material from ancient Rome continues to set the benchmark to this very day. The Romans used self-healing, earthquake-proof concrete to build structures such as the dome of the Pantheon by mixing in volcanic ash rather than Portland cement. This method generates far fewer CO2 emissions than the concrete produced today. The Ricimer team now wants to re-discover the formula for this building material, which was lost in the Middle Ages. One reason for this is that volcanic ash is similar to the melt products from municipal incineration ashes, which could be turned into a useful product in concrete production. By developing alternative building materials, the researchers want to help establish a sustainable closed-loop economy and reduce global CO2 emissions. To successfully use the slag from incineration plants to replace cement, the researchers will first take a closer look at the complex microstructure of Roman concrete and investigate which factors influence the structure and give the concrete its self-healing and other properties. This research should then provide an insight into how slag needs to be processed to create concrete similar to the building material used in ancient times.
Participating Institutes:
Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics – IBP
Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research
Duration 2022 – 2026
GT-4-ET – Glass technologies for the Einstein telescope
The detection of gravitational waves in 2015 opened up a whole new world of sensory impressions in astronomy. While it was previously only possible to explore visible cosmic processes, events can now, in a sense, also be heard through tiny distortions in spacetime. This includes phenomena that are otherwise invisible. But it takes very keen ears to pick up these extremely weak gravitational waves. The researchers from the GT-4-ET project want to help significantly improve the hearing of the planned Einstein Telescope in comparison to current gravitational wave detectors. One approach is to cushion the detector even better against vibrations in the ground. To achieve this goal, the team is developing sensors that will provide extremely precise measurements of the movements of the suspended, roughly 200-kilogram, glass mirror. These movements will then be actively suppressed. What's more, GT-4-ET is targeting a new method for measuring tiny fluctuations in laser power and directly compensating for these fluctuations in an integrated system. This will allow the researchers to reduce the noise generated by the detector, which can currently only detect particularly strong signals. Both the motion sensors and noise suppression require the use of new technologies to manufacture the sensors as well as other elements. These technologies could then have applications beyond gravitational wave astronomy in other areas that demand extremely high precision, such as in other fields of astronomy as well as drilling equipment in mining or quantum communication.
Participating Institutes:
Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, IOF
Duration: 2022 – 2026