Press Releases

As the crow flies, the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF is 1.7 kilometers away from the Stadtwerke Jena (engl.: public utilities Jena). Over this distance, the institute is using a test link to research the exchange of quantum keys via free beams, i. e. through the air. With the help of this technology, our communication should become highly secure in the future. During the "Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften" (engl.: Long Night of Sciences Jena) on November 25, guests can experience the test link live in action.

Researchers from Europe and Canada want to jointly create the basis for an intercontinental network for quantum communication. The HYPERSPACE project will focus on the investigation of the distribution of entangled photons via satellite. The research project has now started its three-year term.

Bioanalytics, mobile communication, weather research - this year, the winners of the "Applied Photonics Award" have once again demonstrated how broad the fields of application of photonics research are. The young researcher award of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF was presented to the five award winners of 2022 on October 5 as part of the "Photonics Days Jena".

In a joint research project with car manufacturer BMW, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF have developed a miniaturized wide-angle 3D camera system. In the future, the camera will monitor the interior of autonomously driving vehicles using 3D sensors, thus ensuring greater safety on the roads of the future. The system will be presented at the K trade fair in Düsseldorf from October 19 to 26.

Researchers and entrepreneurs from Jena are winning hearts – literally. Together with the start-up NovaPump from Jena and the Jena University Hospital, the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF has developed innovative heart valves and pumps. On the occasion of World Heart Day on September 29, we look back on the history of a long-standing and cordial cooperation.

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding a new regional research alliance in Thuringia with approximately twelve million euros: QUANTIFISENS. The aim is to develop an innovative sensor platform based on fiber-optic and quantum technology processes. The Free State of Thuringia will thus be further strengthened to become the leading center for special optical fiber technologies. With a kickoff on September 27 in Jena QUANTIFISENS has now entered its three-year research phase.

The Thuringian Ministry of Science has provided eleven million euros in funding for developing an infrastructure for quantum communication networks in the Free State Thuringia, Germany. This includes a fiber-based test route between Jena and Erfurt. Partners of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF have now successfully exchanged quantum keys on the 75 km route for the first time.

30 years ago, the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF was founded in Jena. The institute celebrated three decades of optics and photonics research with an anniversary celebration on July 7. Among the guests were representatives of state and federal politics as well as the Fraunhofer Executive Board. They also celebrated the topping-out ceremony for the institute's newest research building. In the future, especially quantum research will be advanced here.

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has funded the "Quantum Photonics Labs" at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF with 8.5 million euros since 2019. The project aimed to develop instruments for controlling quantum systems and thus developing key components for the challenges of the second quantum revolution. Now the project results are available.

New hope in the fight against cancer: A research team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF has worked closely with Varian Medical Systems (Fraunhofer IOF’s industrial partner) to develop a novel system for tumor radiotherapy, which improves cancer patients’ chances of recovery. The scientists behind the project were awarded the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize for the overall system, which is ready for production.