European Research Society for Thin Films

What European Research Society for Thin Films does

European Research Society for Thin Films (EFDS, legal name: Europäische Forschungsgesellschaft Dünne Schichten e.V.) is a German non-profit registered association (e.V., VR 1645, Dresden) founded in 2006 and headquartered at Gostritzer Straße 63, Dresden, in the center of the European semiconductor and vacuum technology cluster. The association operates as a community and project-coordination platform for thin-film technology, serving research institutions (universities, Fraunhofer institutes), industrial companies across vacuum, plasma, coating, automotive, aerospace, electronics and tooling sectors, and individual professionals working in surface engineering.

EFDS's core service portfolio comprises the organization of international conferences (the biennial PSE Plasma Surface Engineering conference attracting nearly 500 participants, the V-Conference series on vacuum/plasma/surface technology, and the annual ALD for Industry conference launched in 2016 with 100+ attendees), technical workshops and webinars on specialized topics (ALD, biosensors, PFAS, plasma diagnostics, characterization), facilitation of more than 20 expert committees, and the management of government-funded pre-competitive research projects under Germany's IGF (Industrial Collective Research) and CORNET frameworks administered via AiF. Underlying technical focus areas include PVD coating, Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), sputtering, plasma processes, and surface modification, supported by an ALD4EMO network and partnerships with organizations such as Plasma Germany, Silicon Saxony, BioSaxony, DECHEMA, SVC, and the Swiss Vacuum Society.

EFDS generates revenue from three principal streams: annual membership fees structured across research-institution, industry, and personal tiers per its Beitragsordnung; event registration and exhibition fees for conferences and workshops; and project management fees plus direct government funding (notably BMWK support, including the 2025 Innovation Project of the Year award for a battery-powder coating IGF project). The organization is governed by a Chairman (Uwe Heydenreich) and Managing Director (Prof. Dr. techn. Dipl.-Ing. Udo Klotzbach), employs 1–10 people, and operates without external investors or venture backing, consistent with its non-profit status.

Name

European Research Society for Thin Films

Legal name

Europäische Forschungsgesellschaft Dünne Schichten e.V.

Website

https://efds.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

EFDS is a Dresden-based German non-profit association that coordinates European thin-film technology research and industry networking through conferences (PSE, V-Conference, ALD for Industry), expert committees, and management of AiF-funded IGF and CORNET pre-competitive research projects for research institutions and industrial members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Society Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Nanotechnology (541713)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Thin-Film Deposition Materials (PVD/CVD/ALD Targets & Precursors) (HDAHAGAH)

Keywords

• Thin film research
• Surface engineering
• Vacuum technology
• Coating technologies
• Scientific society

Headquarters

HQ city

Dresden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from research institutions, industry companies, and individual members. The association provides networking benefits, access to expert committees, and participation in research projects in exchange for membership dues.
2. Event Organization and Participation Fees: Revenue from organizing conferences (V-Conference, PSE, ALD for Industry), workshops, webinars, and specialist events. Fees are charged for conference registration, exhibition participation, and workshop attendance.
3. Project Management Services: EFDS provides holistic management services for research projects, including IGF (Industrial Collective Research) and CORNET programs, likely receiving administrative funding or management fees for these coordination activities.
4. Project Funding: As a non-profit association, EFDS receives funding from government sources including BMWK (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action) for innovation projects such as the 2025 IGF project for coating battery powders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The European Research Society for Thin Films is a research society focused on thin film technologies. The specific products, services, and core activities of the society are not evidenced in the provided source material.

Product overview

EFDS (Europäische Forschungsgesellschaft Dünne Schichten e.V.) operates as a non-profit research society focused on thin-film technology. The organization does not offer a traditional software product but provides research coordination services including: organizing international conferences (V-Conference series, PSE conferences), conducting technical workshops and webinars on specialized thin-film topics (ALD, plasma technology, characterization), facilitating expert committees, coordinating industrial collaborative research (IGF projects), and maintaining a member network connecting industry and research institutions across Europe. The organization's activities are centered around thin-film technology applications including semiconductor industry, vacuum technology, surface engineering, and coating technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• EFDS won the Innovation Project of the Year 2025 - BMWK honored IGF project for coating battery powders

Named customers19 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt) / ProjekttraegercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDLR Project Träger provides administrative support for EFDS research project management, including IGF and CORNET programs, enabling efficient coordination of collaborative research funding
• PLASMA GERMANYcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPLASMA GERMANY is a competence network for plasma technology. EFDS members can participate in this network, expanding access to plasma technology expertise and collaboration opportunities
• ALD4EMOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean network focused on Atomic Layer Deposition for environmental monitoring and energy applications. EFDS collaborates on strategy workshops and joint events
• BioSaxonysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSaxon biotech and bioscience network. Partnership supports cross-disciplinary collaboration between thin-film technology and life sciences applications
• DECHEMAsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDECHEMA (Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology) collaborates on research topics bridging chemical engineering and surface technology
• Silicon SaxonysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSaxon semiconductor and microsystems cluster. Partnership connects thin-film technology with semiconductor industry ecosystem in the Dresden region
• FEM (Forschungsinstitut für Fertigungswissenschaften)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufacturing research institute contributing to EFDS expert committees and collaborative research projects
• GFE (Gesellschaft für Fertigungstechnik) SchmalkaldensecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufacturing technology society hosting expert committee meetings and contributing to tribological systems research
• EJC/PISE (European Joint Committee on Plasma and Ion Surface Engineering)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint committee organizing the PSE conference series together with EFDS. PSE is a leading international forum for plasma and ion surface modification technologies
• AiF (Arbeitsgemeinschaft industrieller Forschungsvereinigungen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman industrial research association administering IGF (Industrial Collective Research) funding programs that EFDS coordinates for thin-film technology projects
• DFO (Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft für Oberflächenbehandlung)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman surface treatment research society collaborating on surface engineering topics and expert committee activities
• INPLAS (Industrieverband für Plasmatechnik)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial association for plasma technology supporting industry collaboration and knowledge transfer in plasma-assisted surface processes
• DGO (Deutsche Gesellschaft fürgalvanische Oberflächenbehandlung)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman society for galvanic surface treatment contributing expertise in electroplating and related surface coating processes
• Swiss Vacuum SocietysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss vacuum technology professional organization supporting international collaboration in vacuum science and technology
• HZwo (Antrieb für Sachsen)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSaxon hydrogen technology cluster exploring applications of thin-film technology in hydrogen production and storage
• DVG (Deutsche Vakuumgesellschaft)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman vacuum society collaborating on vacuum technology topics relevant to thin-film processes
• SVC (Society of Vacuum Coaters)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational society for vacuum coating technology providing global perspective and networking opportunities for EFDS members
• TACT (Taiwan Association for Chemical Thin Film Technology)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaiwanese thin-film technology association supporting international cooperation in chemical vapor deposition and related processes
• GalvanotechniksecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerTrade journal partnership providing media coverage and extended visibility for EFDS events and member companies in surface technology
• Oberfläche (Journal and Online)secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership with German surface technology trade journal reaching professionals in coating and surface treatment industries
• JOT (Oberflächen Tribologie)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrade journal covering surface tribology topics with editorial coverage of EFDS activities and events
• IST (International Surface Technology)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational surface technology journal providing editorial visibility and advertising opportunities for EFDS community
• mikroProduktionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMicro manufacturing trade journal covering thin-film applications in microelectronics and precision engineering
• WOMag (Wotech Technical Media)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnical media partner covering surface engineering and thin-film technology topics for industrial audience
• Hydrogeit VerlagminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublisher specializing in hydrogen technology, supporting EFDS workshops on hydrogen applications of thin-film technology

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Swiss Vacuum Society: Swiss professional society for vacuum technology, an existing EFDS partner. Comparable membership-driven non-profit serving a related but national audience; serves as a regional peer illustrating how similar associations operate in neighboring markets.
• TACT (Taiwan Association for Chemical Thin Film Technology): Taiwanese non-profit association for chemical thin-film technology, an existing EFDS partner. Regional peer serving a related CVD/ALD-oriented audience in Asia-Pacific; mirrors EFDS's conference- and membership-led model in a different geography.

Emerging players

• Silicon Saxony: Saxon semiconductor and microsystems industry cluster network, an existing EFDS partner. Comparable as a regional industry-networking non-profit but focused on the semiconductor value chain rather than thin-film process technology specifically; useful peer for benchmarking regional cluster models.

Broad incumbents

• DECHEMA (Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology): Large German non-profit society for chemical engineering and biotechnology with broader scope than EFDS but overlapping on surface, materials, and process technology topics. Existing EFDS partner; comparable as a membership-based event and research-coordination organization but at significantly larger scale.
• IUVSTA (International Union for Vacuum Science, Technology and Applications): Global non-profit umbrella federation of national vacuum societies with scientific committees spanning thin films, surface science, and vacuum technology. Larger-scope peer; comparable in mission but operates at a supranational, scientific-policy level rather than SME-industry networking.

Direct peers

• AVS (American Vacuum Society): International non-profit scientific society advancing vacuum science, surface science, and thin-film technology through conferences (e.g., AVS Symposium) and publications. Directly comparable to EFDS in mission, governance, and revenue model (membership, events, publications) for the thin-film/vacuum community.
• Society of Vacuum Coaters (SVC): US-based non-profit association for vacuum coating technology that organizes the annual SVC TechCon and is an existing EFDS partner. Highly comparable as a membership-driven society running conferences, education, and networking for the same thin-film/coating audience, but with North American geographic focus.
• DGO (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Galvanische Oberflächenbehandlung): German society for electroplating and galvanic surface treatment, an existing EFDS partner. Comparable in form (non-profit association, expert committees, events) and closely adjacent in technical scope (surface coatings), with overlapping member base in the German Mittelstand.
• DFO (Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft für Oberflächenbehandlung): German research association for surface treatment that organizes events, expert committees, and collaborative research. Direct peer — also an AiF IGF coordinator, existing EFDS partner, and competing for overlapping members in the surface-technology space.
• INPLAS (Industrieverband für Plasmatechnik): German industrial association for plasma technology representing companies and institutes in plasma-assisted surface processes. Direct peer — covers an overlapping technology subdomain with EFDS, organizes its own networking and events, and is already an EFDS partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/efdsev

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about European Research Society for Thin Films