Fraunhofer IOSB progress report 2025/2026

Turning Ideas into Impact

Ideas and innovations are widely regarded as Germany’s most important resource. Unlike other economies, our country cannot rely on abundant raw materials or a large supply of low-cost labor. Its prosperity, resilience and future viability depend to a significant extent on the ability to transform knowledge into tangible economic and societal benefit. Yet, while ideas are plentiful, their translation into impact is anything but automatic.

In recent years, the gap between technological potential and real-world effect has become increasingly visible. Economic growth is faltering, transformation processes are gaining urgency, and the contribution of science and technology to addressing these challenges is coming into sharper focus. In this context, excellence in research alone is no longer sufficient. What matters is whether new approaches, methods and technologies find their way into practice—robustly, responsibly and at scale. Transfer, in this sense, is not an optional add-on, but a prerequisite for relevance.

This understanding lies at the core of the Fraunhofer model. Positioned between fundamental research and application, Fraunhofer is tasked with systematically translating scientific insight into impact—in close interaction with industry, public authorities and society. The intended balance between industry revenue and competitively awarded public funding is not merely a financing mechanism; it is a structural commitment to measurable benefit. Fraunhofer’s 2025 motto “Transfer for our future” reflects this mandate and underscores its continued importance.

Impact, however, extends beyond immediate economic returns. It also encompasses contributions to security, sustainability, resilience, and the ability of institutions and infrastructures to act under changing conditions. At Fraunhofer IOSB, this broader understanding of impact shapes our work. Our research addresses complex socio-technical systems in which technologies interact with physical environments, organizational structures and human decision-making. Creating impact in such contexts requires more than technological innovation; it requires integration, validation and a deep understanding of application domains.

Turning ideas into impact is therefore a process—one that begins long before deployment and continues well beyond it. This Progress Report highlights how we contribute to this process: by developing technologies, methods and systems that enable ideas to mature, to be tested in realistic settings and ultimately to unfold their effect in practice.

We invite you to browse through our annual report online, download a pdf or order a printed copy. You will find the relevant links in the boxes on the right or below (in the mobile view). If you would like to be kept up to date on our work at a somewhat higher frequency - approx. 3 times a year - you are welcome to subscribe to our visIT brochure and the InfOSB newsletter.