Press Releases

Thursday, March 12, is the big day: A research rocket from the REXUS program launched into the stratosphere from the Esrange Space Center in Sweden, carrying the THRIVE module with components of the cell-based StellarHeal wound care material from Würzburg, Hanover, and Dresden. Preparations for the current rocket launch have been underway since last November, and now it's time to keep our fingers crossed that the experiments yield good results.

The right choice of materials and a commitment to sustainability are enabling advances in baking technology that not only reduce the impact on the environment but also bring economic benefits to small craft businesses. A textile, PFAS-free, and reusable baking mat reduces waste, lowers energy consumption, and simplifies operational processes in areas that matter most to bakers every day. The team behind the BakeTex research project has been awarded this year's Seifriz Transfer Prize and has been invited to present the project at the special show "Innovation Wins" at the International Craft Fair in Munich from March 4 to 8, 2026.

What will happen in the future to used batteries from electric vehicles? How can their valuable materials be recycled efficiently to create a genuine cycle for lithium-based batteries? With its research and development activities, the Fraunhofer R&D Center for Electromobility (FZEB) is conducting research and development into efficient and sustainable solutions for battery recycling in Germany. Now, another joint project by battery researchers and industry has been launched for the direct recycling of battery materials: ProBatman, which aims to optimize the process steps along the entire recycling process chain in terms of purity and yield.

To reduce dependence on rising electricity prices, German households are in-creasingly turning to stationary battery storage systems combined with photo-voltaic systems. These systems provide solar energy around the clock, relieving the burden on power grids. But what happens in ten to fifteen years when these storage systems reach the end of their service life? The answer is direct recycling.

From February 3 to 5, 2026, the 2nd Conference on Battery Direct Recycling brought together international experts from research, industry, and politics at the Congress Centrum Würzburg. The event, organized for the second time by the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC, demonstrated how the field of research into the direct recycling of battery materials has developed in just one and a half years.

Würzburg/ Freiburg. The automotive supplier Brose is planning to enter the space and satellite sector. In October, the family-owened company formed strategic partnerships with Fraunhofer-Institute for High-Speed-Dynamics EMI, Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC and the BERLIN SPACE Consortium (BERLIN SPACE). The goal is to develop small satellites, key components for space technology, and highly efficient electric drive systems together, and to manufacture them in industrial series production.

The Fraunhofer Translation Center for Regenerative Therapies (TLC-RT) is taking over the epiCS® technology from Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, thereby ensuring the continued availability of internationally standardized epidermis models. These OECD-validated tissue models offer a reliable alternative for evaluating the skin reactions of chemical substances and contribute to the safety of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Sustainable and high-quality conductive additives for lithium-ion batteries are one of the keys to e-mobility in Europe. In view of the increasing demand for rechargeable batteries due to the transition to electric vehicles and renewable energies, the development of innovative and environmentally friendly materials is of central importance. The HiQ-CARB joint project, funded by the European Union/EIT RawMaterials, has taken a major step forward in this key technology for reducing CO2 emissions over the last four years.

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) are considered the next generation of batteries com-pared to conventional Li-ion batteries. Despite significant research efforts, very few SSBs are market-ready. In recent years, various promising materials have been introduced, but one of the main challenges persists: the combination of these materials into a stable cell. The project consortium of FUNCY-SSB (pro-nounced "funky-ssb") with partners from Germany, Slovenia, and Norway aims to change this over the next three years.

After approximately three years, the battery project IDcycLIB, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with around 7 million euros, has successfully concluded in December 2024. During the final project meeting at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg, the outstanding results of the project were presented.