2026 Press Releases and News

The new section 42c of the Energy Industry Act operationalizes energy sharing in Germany as of June 1, 2026. For the first time, it establishes regulatory standards that will even enable local and industrial energy communities to use renewable energies jointly. In the FlexBIT research project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF is developing specific digital solutions to transfer these new capabilities for the automated manufacturer of tomorrow into industrial practice.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF and Rolls-Royce Solutions Magdeburg GmbH have successfully completed a joint automation project. The objective of the project was to automate a process of cleaning connecting rods for reuse in fully overhauled engines. The project is a prime example of needs-driven technology transfer against the backdrop of industry’s transformation into a circular economy.

The European research project RoboSAPIENS is reaching its first important milestone. The consortium funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe program is developing self-adapting software for robots with the objective of enabling robots to respond flexibly to changing environments while guaranteeing safe and trustworthy collaboration with humans. Fraunhofer IFF’s case study is now available.

Pests that spread as a result of climate change pose an increasing threat to fruit farming and viticulture in Germany. Fraunhofer researchers are working with partners to develop methods for the early identification of infestations in grapevines and in apricot, apple and pear trees so as to enable timely counter-measures to be taken. A mobile lab, the PhenoTruck®, supports rapid and relia-ble identification of harmful organisms directly on site. The platform provides a highly mobile system for analyzing disease symptoms, combining machine-learning methods, drone-based multispectral sensing, hyperspectral sensing and molecular biological tests.