Fraunhofer IIS
Fraunhofer IIS is a German applied research institute specializing in integrated circuits, sensor systems, and digital services, operating as one of 76 institutes within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft non-profit network of approximately 29,000 researchers serving industry, SMEs, and government.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1949
- HeadquartersErlangen, Germany
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Fraunhofer IIS does
Fraunhofer IIS (Fraunhofer-Institut für Integrierte Schaltungen) is one of the flagship institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Germany's largest applied research organization. Founded in 1985 and headquartered in Erlangen, Fraunhofer IIS specializes in integrated circuits, sensor systems, digital services, and image processing, and operates as part of a 76-institute network with approximately 29,000 researchers across Germany plus international offices in Brussels, Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Boston, São José dos Campos, and Stellenbosch. The institute is part of a broader portfolio that spans seven strategic research fields: bioeconomy, intelligent medicine, artificial intelligence, next-generation computing, quantum technologies, resource efficiency and climate technologies, and hydrogen technologies.
The underlying technology portfolio includes world-record technical achievements such as 31.6% efficiency for scalable perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells (Fraunhofer ISE), 15.8% efficiency for organic solar cells, the largest vanadium redox flow battery in Europe, and the International Data Spaces framework for sovereign data exchange. Fraunhofer IIS's core IP sits in microelectronics, audio coding (notably the mp3 codec legacy), communications, and sensor systems. Notable proprietary initiatives include the 39-institute Fraunhofer Hydrogen Network with approximately 750 FTE, the IBM commercial quantum computing partnership, and the Fraunhofer Match platform (match.fraunhofer.de) that channels inquiries across all 76 institutes.
The business model is a non-profit applied research model. Revenue streams comprise (1) base institutional funding from German federal and state governments, (2) industry-funded contract research and technology transfer, and (3) technology licensing of patents and know-how. Pricing is project-based and quote-based; no public catalog pricing exists. Go-to-market is direct-to-client through bilateral research collaborations, regional Leistungszentren (performance centers), and the Fraunhofer Academy for professional training. Customer segments are diversified across industrial companies, SMEs, and government/public sector entities, with named flagship clients including thyssenkrupp, Salzgitter AG, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Airbus, and Hafenbetrieb Rotterdam.
Fraunhofer IIS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fraunhofer IIS
- Legal name
- Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e. V.
- Website
- https://fraunhofer.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1949
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Fraunhofer IIS is a German applied research institute specializing in integrated circuits, sensor systems, and digital services, operating as one of 76 institutes within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft non-profit network of approximately 29,000 researchers serving industry, SMEs, and government.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fraunhofer IIS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Applied Research Services
- NAICS
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Research and Development in Nanotechnology (541713), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Machine Vision & Optical Sensing (Cameras, 3D vision, LiDAR, illumination) (IMAGAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Test, Measurement & Calibration Equipment Manufacturing Services (ATE, DAQ, metrology electronics) (IMAGAGAH), Embedded & HMI Electronics Manufacturing (Industrial PCs, HMIs, Panel PCs) (IMAGAGAD)
Keywords
Where Fraunhofer IIS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Erlangen
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices16 records
Markets served
Fraunhofer IIS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Public Funding (Base Funding): Core funding from German federal and state governments as a mission-oriented applied research organization
- Contract Research: Industry-funded R&D projects, technology transfer services, and contract research for commercial clients
- Technology Licensing: Licensing of developed technologies, patents, and know-how to industry partners
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Fraunhofer IIS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fraunhofer IIS conducts applied research on microelectronic and IT system solutions including audio, communications, sensing, and imaging technologies. It delivers contract research, technology transfer, and licensing of patents and know-how to industrial companies, SMEs, and government clients across Germany and internationally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Fraunhofer IIS: Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits - specializes in electronic components, sensor systems, digital services, and image processing.
- Fraunhofer ISE
Products and services
- Contract Research and Applied R&D Services Industry-funded R&D projects, technology transfer services, and contract research collaborations addressing applied research needs across audio, communications, sensing, imaging, and microelectronics for industrial and government clients.
- Technology Licensing and Patent Exploitation Licensing of developed technologies, patents, and know-how to commercial industry partners, enabling technology transfer from research to commercial application.
- Fraunhofer Academy Training Programs Professional education and training programs including hydrogen technology certifications and other specialized continuing education for industry professionals and researchers.
- Fraunhofer Match Platform Services Central digital platform (match.fraunhofer.de) connecting research inquiries from clients with appropriate institute expertise across 76 Fraunhofer institutes, serving as the gateway to Fraunhofer's research capabilities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 31.6% efficiency achieved for scalable perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells (world record)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Fraunhofer IIS
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Fraunhofer IIS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Fraunhofer IIS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.
- IBMcoreFraunhofer brought together with IBM to establish the first commercial quantum computer as an open research platform in Europe, advancing applied quantum computing research in Germany
- thyssenkruppcoreJoint coordination of Carbon2Chem project using CO2/H2 or CO/CO2/H2 mixtures for methanol production, demonstrating industrial carbon capture utilization
- Salzgitter AGcoreCollaboration on hydrogen-based crude steel production (SALCOS project) to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 95% compared to conventional blast furnace route
- Hafenbetrieb RotterdamstrategicLetter of Intent signed for hydrogen import logistics from Australia via Rotterdam port to Germany
- BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)coreGovernment funding partner for hydrogen flagship projects including H2Mare, H2Giga, TransHyDE with combined funding exceeding hundreds of millions of euros
- BMWK (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action)coreGovernment partner for Plattform Industrie 4.0 and industrial AI standardization initiatives
- AirbuscoreLOKI-PED project investigating safety risks of portable electronic devices in aircraft cabins
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy ConversionstrategicJoint Carbon2Chem research consortium on sustainable methanol production from industrial gases
- Nationaler Wasserstoffrat (National Hydrogen Council)strategicCommissioned for hydrogen metastudy and strategic agenda development for European hydrogen economy
- International Energy Agency (IEA)strategicParticipation in TCP Hydrogen technology collaboration program
- Texulting GmbHminorHyTrA project partner for Hydrogen Tryout Areal in South Africa
- CAURUS Technologies GmbHminorJoint development of learning systems for precision wildfire fighting from air
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Fraunhofer IIS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CSIC (Spanish National Research Council): Spain's largest public research institution, the third-largest in Europe. Comparable in operating model and size to Fraunhofer, with overlapping focus on materials, energy, and applied sciences, and similar reliance on national and EU project funding.
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finland's applied research center with ~2,300 staff operating under a contract-research and licensing model. Comparable in scale and structure to a single large Fraunhofer institute, with overlapping focus on energy, materials, and digital technologies.
- Battelle Memorial Institute: US-based non-profit applied science and technology organization with ~30,000 staff and ~$10B in annual R&D spend. Closest US analog to Fraunhofer: contract research, technology licensing, and large-scale government/industry R&D partnerships across energy, defense, and life sciences.
- Helmholtz Association: Germany's largest scientific organization with 18 research centers and ~46,000 staff focused on big-science and energy research. Direct overlap with Fraunhofer on hydrogen, energy systems, and quantum, and both compete for the same BMBF/BMWK project funding.
- CEA (Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission): France's largest public applied research organization with ~20,000 staff. Direct peer in microelectronics, energy (hydrogen, solar), quantum, and defense research, and a key European competitor for industrial R&D mandates and EU funding.
- Leibniz Association: German non-profit research organization with 97 institutes covering natural, engineering, and social sciences. Comparable non-profit, publicly funded structure and institute-based operating model to Fraunhofer, with overlap on materials, photonics, and applied research.
- Max Planck Society: Germany's largest basic research organization with ~30,000 staff across 86 institutes. While Max Planck is more basic-research-oriented and Fraunhofer is more applied, they share the same non-profit, publicly funded German research model and compete for the same pool of scientific talent and federal ministry support.
- SRI International: US non-profit applied research institute with roots in Stanford. Operates a contract-research and licensing model similar to Fraunhofer, serving defense, healthcare, and industrial clients with technology development and IP commercialization.
- TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): Dutch applied research organization with ~3,500 staff focused on contract research for industry and government. Direct European peer in applied science with similar revenue model (public base funding + contract research + IP) and similar client base in semiconductors, energy, and defense.
Emerging players
- MIT Lincoln Laboratory: US federally funded R&D center operated by MIT, focused on sensor systems, communications, and signal processing. Highly comparable to Fraunhofer IIS specifically in microelectronics, sensing, and imaging research with both government and commercial clients.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Fraunhofer IIS social profiles
Digital presenceFraunhofer IIS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fraunhofer IIS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Fraunhofer IIS subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries25 records
Fraunhofer IIS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Fraunhofer IIS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fraunhofer IIS
What does Fraunhofer IIS do?
Fraunhofer IIS conducts applied research on microelectronic and IT system solutions including audio, communications, sensing, and imaging technologies. It delivers contract research, technology transfer, and licensing of patents and know-how to industrial companies, SMEs, and government clients across Germany and internationally.
Is Fraunhofer IIS a public or private company?
Fraunhofer IIS is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Fraunhofer IIS founded?
Fraunhofer IIS was founded in 1949.
Where is Fraunhofer IIS based?
Fraunhofer IIS is headquartered in Erlangen, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Fraunhofer IIS make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Public Funding (Base Funding) is the primary driver. The others are contract Research and technology Licensing.
Who are Fraunhofer IIS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CSIC (Spanish National Research Council), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Battelle Memorial Institute, Helmholtz Association, CEA (Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), Leibniz Association, Max Planck Society, SRI International and TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research). MIT Lincoln Laboratory is listed as an emerging player.
Does Fraunhofer IIS have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fraunhofer IIS.
What industry is Fraunhofer IIS in?
Fraunhofer IIS's product category is Applied Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAFAB, Machine Vision & Optical Sensing (Cameras, 3D vision, LiDAR, illumination), with a secondary code of IMAGAGAH, Test, Measurement & Calibration Equipment Manufacturing Services (ATE, DAQ, metrology electronics). Its NAICS code is 33451 and its SIC code is 8731.