Fraunhofer Society

Fraunhofer Society
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e. V.
Formation26 March 1949 (75 years ago) (26 March 1949)
TypeApplied research
Location
Key people
Holger Hanselka (President)
Budget
€3.0 billion (2022)
Staff30,800 (2022)
Websitewww.fraunhofer.de

The Fraunhofer Society (German: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e. V., lit. 'Fraunhofer Society for the Advancement of Applied Research'[note 1]) is a German publicly-owned research organization with 76 institutes spread throughout Germany, each focusing on different fields of applied science (as opposed to the Max Planck Society, which works primarily on basic science). With some 30,800 employees, mainly scientists and engineers, and with an annual research budget of about €3.0 billion,[1] it is the biggest organization for applied research and development services in Europe. It is named after Joseph von Fraunhofer who, as a scientist, an engineer, and an entrepreneur, is said to have superbly exemplified the goals of the society.

Some basic funding for the Fraunhofer Society is provided by the state (the German public, through the federal government together with the states or Länder, "owns" the Fraunhofer Society), but more than 70% of the funding is earned through contract work, either for government-sponsored projects or from industry.[1]

Since the 1990s the organization has also internationalized, establishing various centers in the United States, Asia and other European countries.[2] In October 2010, Fraunhofer announced that it would open its first research center in South America.[3] Fraunhofer UK Research Ltd was established as a legally independent affiliate along with its Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics, in Glasgow, Scotland, in March 2012.[4]


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  1. ^ a b "Facts and Figures". Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.
  2. ^ Staff (March 2006). "Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: International Locations". Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft organizational web site. Archived from the original on 17 November 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2006.
  3. ^ Staff (October 2010). "Fraunhofer in Chile". Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft organizational web site. Archived from the original on 28 October 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  4. ^ "Photonics leaders gather for launch of Fraunhofer UK Research".