Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOFJena / July 19, 2024
Jena research project SpeeD receives federal funding in the millions
Project on spectral detection among the top 20 of the BMBF's DATIpilot funding line
With their joint project SpeeD, the University of Applied Sciences Jena, Fraunhofer IOF and the SpectroNet innovation cluster aim to promote the transfer of expert knowledge and research results into application. The project was selected as one of only 20 initiatives to receive funding from the BMBF's DATIpilot funding line out of 480 projects submitted. The funding amounts to up to five million euros over a period of four years. Dr. Anna Christmann (Bündnis 90/ DIE GRÜNEN), Member of the Bundestag on the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment, visited Jena today to find out more about the project and the partners involved.
With their project SpeeD (Spectral Detection for Socially Relevant Applications), the University of Applied Sciences Jena (EAH Jena), the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF and the SpectroNet innovation cluster have prevailed against numerous competitors in a complex three-stage selection and evaluation process with an application for a so-called “ Innovationscommunity”.
After being awarded the contract for Erfurt as the headquarters of the German Agency for Transfer and Innovation (DATI), Jena has now made the leap into an important DATI funding line of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) at the first attempt. The funding commitment is valid for an initial period of four years and amounts to up to five million euros.
The partners in the SpeeD project together with Dr. Anna Christmann.
Member of the German Federal Parliament visits Jena
Member of the German Parliament Dr. Anna Christmann visits Jena.
Example from agriculture: A microspectrometer array developed at Fraunhofer IOF can be used to determine the health status of plants in the field.
Dr. Anna Christmann (Bündnis 90/ DIE GRÜNEN), member of the German Federal Parliament's Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment, visited Jena yesterday (Thursday) to find out more about the upcoming project and the expertise of Jena researchers in the field of spectroscopy. On this occasion, Christmann also recalled when she first encountered the topic of spectroscopy: “The first time I came into contact with hyperspectral data was in connection with the EnMAP satellite - the large German climate satellite,” she said. At the mention of EnMAP, a smile ran through the ranks of the Jena scientists, because: “Various optics on board the satellite were manufactured at the Fraunhofer IOF,” as Dr. Henrik von Lukowicz, Head of the Department of Optical and Mechanical System Design at the Fraunhofer Institute, emphasized. “We’ve come full circle,” said the Member of Parliament.
EnMAP is designed to analyze the health of our planet and bodies of water from space and thus make the consequences of climate change visible. The example shows: Spectroscopy has become an indispensable tool for analyzing the chemical composition of a wide range of substances. Today, it is impossible to imagine modern research, laboratories, industrial quality assurance or even space research without it. In addition to collecting data on plant health in forestry and agriculture, the technology is also used in medical diagnostics, tissue analysis and therapy monitoring.
SpeeD: Spectral detection for socially relevant applications
Dr. Henrik von Lukowicz from Fraunhofer IOF explains the potential applications of spectral sensor technology using the example of a microspectrometer array.
Despite this enormous application potential, the possibilities of spectral sensor technology are not yet fully utilized in many areas. The “ Innovationscommunities” funding instrument was therefore introduced by the BMBF to accelerate the transfer process of scientific know-how from the academic sector into socially relevant applications. The Jena research community is now pursuing precisely this vision with the SpeeD project in the field of spectroscopy.
One of SpeeD's declared aims is to establish a cross-industry platform for technology testing and the exchange of experience. In order to bring technology innovators and users together and to identify future application-specific transfer opportunities and implement corresponding solutions, “OpenLabs”, for example, are to be offered in the coming years. Here, direct users, such as Thuringian farmers, will be able to discover new technologies and their potential for their day-to-day work. Workshops with pitches are also planned. The best project ideas will be selected from these and supported with DATI project funds.
Transferring high technology into practical applications
The two departments for Optical and Mechanical System Design and for Imaging and Sensor Technology at Fraunhofer IOF support the “Innovationscommunity” with their expertise in miniaturized spectral and spectral-imaging sensor systems, which are developed at the institute. Thanks to their compact and robust design, they are ideally suited to being adapted and optimized for specific application scenarios with minimal development effort. In this way, it will be possible to develop customized and cost-effective sensor solutions in the future.
With these approaches, SpeeD aims to lower the transition threshold from high technology to widespread application and thus fully exploit the given potential that spectral sensor technology offers for a resource-efficient economy of the future. A first planned community project is intended to enable the transfer of a high-resolution, spectral measuring and imaging sensor system to support diagnostics of skin diseases.