Fraunhofer UMSICHT
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| Fraunhofer UMSICHT | |
|---|---|
| Name | Fraunhofer UMSICHT |
| Established | 1992 |
| Type | Applied research institute |
| Headquarters | Oberhausen, North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Parent | Fraunhofer Society |
| Director | Matthias Wessling |
| Staff | ~330 |
| Fields | Chemical engineering; environmental engineering; materials science; process engineering |
Fraunhofer UMSICHT is a German applied research institute specializing in sustainable materials, process engineering, and environmental technologies. Located in Oberhausen, the institute operates within the Fraunhofer Society network and collaborates with universities, industrial corporations, and public agencies across Europe. Its work intersects with fields represented by institutions such as RWTH Aachen University, Technische Universität München, Max Planck Society, Helmholtz Association, and companies like BASF, ThyssenKrupp, Siemens, Shell, and Covestro.
History
UMSICHT was founded in 1992 amid regional restructuring in the Ruhr area, linking to initiatives led by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research to revitalize industrial regions. Early cooperation involved partners such as Duisburg-Essen University, Ruhr University Bochum, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, and municipal stakeholders including Oberhausen and Essen. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s UMSICHT expanded collaborations with multinational firms like Evonik, Henkel, Volkswagen, Ford Motor Company, and Bayer, while engaging European programs including Horizon 2020, Framework Programme 5, and INTERREG. In the 2010s the institute aligned projects with agendas from United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, European Green Deal, and initiatives connected to Ellen MacArthur Foundation and World Economic Forum partners. Leadership transitions linked to figures from institutions such as Technische Universität Dortmund and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology influenced strategic orientation toward circular economy, electrification, and hydrogen technologies, coordinating with stakeholders like Linde plc, Air Liquide, Siemens Energy, and regional development agencies including NRW.BANK.
Research Areas and Technologies
Research streams combine chemical engineering, materials science, and process systems engineering with applied activities in circular economy and decarbonization. Projects address renewable feedstocks for chemical platforms in collaboration with BASF, Covestro, INEOS, TotalEnergies, and Neste. Work on hydrogen production and utilization intersects with Siemens Energy, Shell, Air Liquide, Linde plc, and research centers such as MPI für Kohlenforschung and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage efforts link to Equinor, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Sasol, and academic groups at University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and ETH Zurich. Materials recycling and polymer circularity projects engage with Dow Chemical Company, Veolia, SUEZ, Tomra Systems ASA, and universities including TU Delft and Chalmers University of Technology. Process intensification, electrochemical synthesis, and reactor design draw on methods from Fraunhofer IFAM, Fraunhofer ISE, Fraunhofer IKTS, KIT, and MPI für Eisenforschung, while digitalization and Industry 4.0 integration connect with SAP SE, Bosch, ABB Group, Microsoft, and Siemens AG.
Facilities and Infrastructure
UMSICHT maintains pilot plants and laboratories for chemical process development, materials testing, and waste treatment, alongside scale-up facilities used by partners such as BASF, Evonik Industries, ThyssenKrupp Steel, ArcelorMittal, and Salzgitter AG. The institute’s testbeds include membrane technology rigs, electrolysis stacks, and pyrolysis units comparable to facilities at DVGW, Fraunhofer ISE, and Fraunhofer UMSICHT-aligned pilot sites in North Rhine-Westphalia. Analytical capabilities are supported by instrumentation similar to that at Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Leibniz Institute for Catalysis, and university core facilities at RWTH Aachen University. Infrastructure for hydrogen handling complies with standards promoted by ISO, DIN, and European regulatory frameworks supported by European Committee for Standardization partners. Demonstration plants have been co-located with industrial partners such as Shell Deutschland and municipal utilities like Emscher Wassertechnik.
Industry Collaborations and Projects
UMSICHT participates in consortia funded by European Commission programs including Horizon Europe, national initiatives of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and regional funding via NRW Ministry for Economic Affairs. Notable industrial collaborations have included joint projects with BASF SE, Covestro AG, Evonik Industries AG, Siemens Energy AG, Linde plc, Air Liquide SA, and automotive firms such as Volkswagen Group, BMW Group, and Daimler AG. Research alliances have linked to academic consortia at Technical University of Denmark, Politecnico di Milano, KU Leuven, and Université Grenoble Alpes. UMSICHT contributes to pilots in circular plastics with partners like Plastic Bank, Circular Plastics Alliance, and NGOs including Greenpeace and WWF-affiliated programs. Energy transition projects coordinate with transmission system operators such as TenneT, 50Hertz, and public utilities including RWE and E.ON.
Organizational Structure and Leadership
UMSICHT is an institute within the Fraunhofer Society and is governed by an executive director and management team that liaise with advisory boards drawn from academia and industry, including members from RWTH Aachen University, University of Duisburg-Essen, TU Dortmund University, BASF, ThyssenKrupp, and Siemens. Scientific departments cooperate with other Fraunhofer institutes such as Fraunhofer ISC, Fraunhofer ICT, Fraunhofer IML, and Fraunhofer IPA. Governance frameworks interact with regional stakeholders including Land North Rhine-Westphalia ministries and municipal authorities from Oberhausen and Duisburg. Leadership has engaged in networks like Deutscher Wasserstoff- und Brennstoffzellen-Verband and advisory roles in consortia connected to European Technology and Innovation Platforms.
Education, Training, and Knowledge Transfer
UMSICHT supports graduate education through partnerships with universities such as Ruhr University Bochum, RWTH Aachen University, TU Dortmund, University of Duisburg-Essen, and international exchanges with Imperial College London and ETH Zurich. The institute offers postgraduate supervision, industry-apprenticeship programs linked to companies like BASF, Evonik, and ThyssenKrupp, and hosts workshops leveraging expertise from Fraunhofer Academy, VDE, and VDI. Knowledge transfer activities include standardization contributions to DIN, technology roadmapping with German Energy Agency (dena), and participation in public-private partnerships such as ZIM and Cluster.NRW to accelerate innovation uptake among SMEs including regional suppliers.
Awards and Impact
Research outputs from UMSICHT have contributed to awards and recognitions associated with collaborative partners and networks, including EU Horizon prizes, national innovation awards promoted by BMBF, prizes from Stifterverband, and technology transfer awards from Fraunhofer Society. Impact is measurable in deployed demonstration plants, patents filed with partners such as BASF and Evonik, and contributions to policy reports by entities like European Commission, IEA, IPCC, and Agora Energiewende. The institute’s work has influenced industrial practices at firms including Covestro, RWE, E.ON, Linde, and Siemens Energy and supported municipal climate strategies in cities like Oberhausen and Essen.