2025 Annual Report

Dear Readers,

In discussions with our partners, I repeatedly encounter clear expectations: solutions are needed that combine additional functionalities with sustainability and economic efficiency. At Fraunhofer IAP the year 2025 was therefore once again shaped by a central question: How can high-performance materials be combined with climate protection, resource efficiency, and health-related requirements?

One impressive example is the development of our cellulose-based carbon fibers. We are systematically advancing their development by combining outstanding technical performance with an excellent sustainability and cost-efficiency profile, thereby enabling new fields of application. At the Carbon Lab Factory Lausitz, we will in the future systematically transfer the corresponding research results from the laboratory scale to pilot-scale production, thereby actively supporting structural change in the region.

Another key area of our work is advancing the circular economy. We initiate and facilitate dialogue between science, industry, and policymakers in order to establish new material cycles. Our goal is clear: reducing the consumption of fossil-based raw materials and lowering CO₂ emissions. In the 2025 “Industry Meets Fraunhofer CCPE” event series, innovative material concepts based on renewable carbon were in the spotlight. With the TexPHB feasibility study and the related policy paper, we also demonstrated how textile waste that is difficult to recycle can serve as a future feedstock for sustainable plastics and be integrated into regional value chains.

In addition, we achieved significant progress in numerous projects — for example, with a chemical process for the complete recycling of particleboard or novel types of PBS bioplastics that increase the economic attractiveness of sustainable materials for industrial applications. Our results demonstrate that the circular economy is already technologically feasible, scalable, and economically viable today.

We also provided important impetus in the field of health. A novel stent featuring a specially developed inner coating accelerates the regeneration of the vascular endothelium while reducing the risk of thrombosis. The research team received the senetics Innovation Award 2025 for developing the prototype.

These successess are only possible through close collaboration. My sincere thanks go to our employees, funding organizations, and our partners from industry, politics, and science. To translate innovations into viable solutions even more quickly in the future, from 2026 onward we will align our expertise even more closely with the needs of industry. Together with the entire Fraunhofer IAP team, I look forward to continuing to support you as a reliable partner for sustainable innovation and economic success.

Best regards,

Alexander Böker
Director of Fraunhofer IAP