Groundbreaking ceremony for the new Fraunhofer FIT building in Bayreuth

Groundbreaking ceremony for the new building of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT in Bayreuth. In future, this will be home to its Business Informatics department. The new building, located in the immediate vicinity of the Fraunhofer IPA and the University of Bayreuth, strengthens the position of Fraunhofer FIT as a research partner for the Upper Franconian economy. At the same time, the project sends a strong signal for Bavaria's digital, social, economic and ecological transformation through the use of digitalisation and artificial intelligence.

Guests of honour at the ceremony included Parliamentary State Secretary Dr Silke Launert, Minister of State Hubert Aiwanger, Mayor of Bayreuth Thomas Ebersberger, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Upper Franconia Foundation Florian Luderschmid, University President Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Stefan Leible and Dr.-Ing. Sophie Hippmann, Director of Transfer and Innovation Management at the Fraunhofer Society.

Investment in a sustainable partnership and a sustainable building

The impact is already evident: following numerous joint projects, Fraunhofer IPA is currently forming the Fraunhofer Twin Transformation Research Campus, which is funded by the Upper Franconia Foundation. The aim is to support companies in the region as a platform for knowledge transfer and project development in sustainable digital transformation in order to strengthen competitiveness in Upper Franconia in the long term.

The new building itself is a commitment to this goal: a four-storey institute building is being constructed on a gross floor area of around 3,000 square metres using a resource-saving hybrid timber construction method. Thanks to heat pumps and façade PV systems, the building will be fossil-free. In addition to modern office and laboratory space, open transfer and meeting areas create space for direct exchange between science and industry. The investment is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy. In addition, the institute itself is contributing part of the financing from its own resources.

Fraunhofer as an important factor for Germany and Bavaria as business locations

As a driver of innovation, Fraunhofer significantly strengthens the competitiveness of Germany and Bavaria in particular as business locations. ‘Fraunhofer's goal is to translate research results, i.e. inventions, into innovations with strong partners, thereby creating sustainable added value for the economy and society,’ says Dr Sophie Hippmann, Director of Transfer and Innovation Management at the Fraunhofer Society.

Cross-institutional cooperation as a driver of local innovation

The new Fraunhofer FIT building, located in the immediate vicinity of Fraunhofer IPA and the University of Bayreuth, creates a concentrated source of innovation for Upper Franconia and the city of Bayreuth. This benefits not only research, but also industry in particular. In recent years, solutions developed here have already been successfully transferred to industry, creating concrete added value for the economy.

In addition, the new building also underscores the further strengthening of the successful cross-institutional cooperation within the research landscape in Bayreuth. ‘The new Fraunhofer FIT building will further intensify cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institutes already located in Bayreuth and with the University of Bayreuth. This will consolidate and sustainably strengthen the existing successful cooperation across institutional boundaries,’ said University President Prof. Dr. Leible.

This is also emphasised by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Frank Döpper, head of the Process Innovation project group at Fraunhofer IPA and chair holder for Environmentally Friendly Production Technology: "We have been working very well with our colleagues at Fraunhofer FIT for many years. We are therefore delighted that this successful cooperation is now also becoming a neighbourhood, enabling our employees to work even more effectively together in future on solutions for the economy that can only be successful through a combination of economics, computer science and engineering."

Fraunhofer FIT trains the innovators of tomorrow

‘For several decades, Fraunhofer FIT has been designing solutions for digital self-determination, productive value creation and a fair and sustainable society. Our particular strength lies in transferring cutting-edge applied research into practice. I am delighted that the new building will anchor FIT even more firmly in Bavaria,’ emphasises Prof. Dr. Stefan Decker, Director of Fraunhofer FIT. This strength is also evident in the Business Informatics department of the institute, which is based in Bayreuth and has been closely linked to the Upper Franconian economy and regional research institutions for many years. This collaboration has resulted in successful projects, sustainable partnerships and a wide range of opportunities for promoting young talent – from students to young scientists and researchers.

"Thanks to excellent conditions and the close connection between science and practice, we are able to identify and develop talent at an early stage. The new building will play a decisive role in creating an inspiring environment in close cooperation with the University of Bayreuth, where young talents can be involved in practice-oriented research at an early stage and trained for science and practice," expects Prof. Dr. Maximilian Röglinger, Deputy Director of Fraunhofer FIT and Chair of Business Informatics at the University of Bayreuth.