Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Wissenschaften e.V. (Fraunhofer) is Europe’s largest application-oriented research organization with over 70 institutes in Germany and several international research centres, with a total annual research budget of some 2.6 B€. All Fraunhofer institutes perform contract research and development work for industry and public funders. The majority of more than 28,000 staff are highly trained scientists and engineers. The Fraunhofer Group for Microelectronics collaborates with two Leibniz Institutes as the “Research Fab Microelectronics Germany” (FMD). As a one-stop shop, the FMD integrates the scientifically excellent technologies, applications, and system solutions of the cooperating institutes into a combined offering in the field of micro and nanoelectronics. The activities of the Fraunhofer Group for Microelectronics and FMD are coordinated by a joint office in Berlin. Its employees serve as points of contact for representatives from research, industry, and politics, as well as for cooperation partners. The office team is also responsible for developing cross-institute R&D concepts, acquiring and coordinating selected cross-institute projects, and public relations. In addition, the FMD acts as the implementing body for the APECS-pilot line.
