Press Releases

From light pollution measurement devices to quantum technology and AI-based quality control: On September 15, young researchers were honored with the Applied Photonics Award 2026 for their contributions to cutting-edge topics in applied photonics. The award recognizes outstanding scientific theses and is organized annually by Fraunhofer IOF.

Friedrich Schiller University Jena, non-university research institutes and the Free State of Thuringia are joining forces to test new ways of working across institutional boundaries. The jETZT project will explore how Jena’s research and innovation ecosystem can share expertise, infrastructure and talent more effectively – helping promising ideas move faster from research into practical and commercial applications.

When the ESA Earth observation mission FLEX launches into space on September 15, 2026, as scheduled, it will carry high-precision optical components from Jena, Germany. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF have developed and manufactured a silicon-based double-slit assembly as well as two high-precision mirrors for the spectrometer on board the satellite. The spectrometer is designed to detect the fluorescence of plants excited by sunlight from Earth’s orbit. The data is expected to provide new insights into the photosynthetic activity, health, and stress levels of vegetation.

What is quantum communication, and how secure is it really? A two-day “Quantum Hackathon” held last week in Jena, Germany addressed this question. Together with researchers from the Fraunhofer Institutes IOF and ISI, around twenty international participants explored the limits of quantum communication systems—to gain a better understanding of this complex, cutting-edge technology. The event also marked the upcoming closing of the collaborative project O-PEN, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR). The online knowledge platform Quanten-Kompass, and the online game Eve on a Mission—developed as part of the project as well—are now permanently available free of charge for research, teaching, and anyone interested.

In the project “Photonically Integrated Polarisation Analysis Module with Single-Photon Processing (PIC-PAM),” six partners from the Thuringian photonics network OptoNet e.V., including the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, aim to more closely integrate Thuringia’s competences in optics and photonics with those in microelectronics and sensor technology.

As a new research and deployment project in the EuroQCI initiative, TransEuroOGS aims to establish a network of interoperable optical ground stations for satellite-based quantum-secure communication across four EU Member States: Germany, Greece, Ireland and Luxembourg. With a budget of approximately €18 million, co-funded by the European Union and national governments, the project has now officially been kicked off with a consortium meeting in Berlin and Jena.

With conventional methods, high-precision nanostructures on photonic components can currently only be produced up to a size of 30 centimeters. Researchers in Thuringia are now working on the development of a new machine that will be able to create nanostructures spanning up to one square meter in the future—with a positioning accuracy smaller than an atom. The underlying research project, funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) with four million euros, will launch with a kickoff event on May 6 in Erfurt as part of the Quantum Photonics trade fair.

Until June 30, students and doctoral candidates can once again apply for the Applied Photonics Award, organized by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF. The prize for young talent honors theses that deal with innovative optical technologies for society and industry. It is endowed with up to €3,000 in prize money.

Dr. Christopher Spiess has been awarded the first place of the prestigious Hugo Geiger Prize for a novel synchronization method for quantum communication networks. The award ceremony took place on March 18 as part of the Fraunhofer Symposium “Netzwert” in Munich. The method developed by Spiess does not require additional synchronization lasers or expensive atomic clocks and opens up application possibilities that extend far beyond quantum communication.

Dr. Anne-Sophie Munser has been awarded third place in the Hugo Geiger Prize. She was recognized for her development of a highly sensitive light scattering measurement method that allows microorganisms, bacteria, and antibiotic resistance to be analyzed significantly faster than with conventional methods. The technology opens up promising prospects, including infection research. The prize was awarded on March 18 during the Fraunhofer Symposium “Netzwert” in Munich.