Fraunhofer UMSICHT in Profile

For sustainable energy and raw materials management

Fraunhofer UMSICHT is actively involved in shaping energy and raw materials management. As a pioneer for technical innovations within energy, processes, and products, we aim to drive forward sustainable management, environmentally-friendly technologies, and innovative behavior in order to improve the quality of life of people and promote the capacity for innovation within the local economy. We develop solutions that make a decisive contribution to a resource-conserving society and economy. 

The focus lies on achieving a balance between economically successful, socially just and environmentally compatible developments. For us, sustainability is a practice that we live by. We are happy to demonstrate the contribution our research makes to sustainable development.

Impulses for communication about our work

Communication about our work is important to us. We take a stand on socially relevant topics in position papers. In the publication series "UMSICHT-Diskurs", we look in detail at current topics within application-oriented research for scientific and social discourse.

As an institute within the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, we are globally networked and promote international cooperation.

Sites in Oberhausen, Sulzbach-Rosenberg and Willich

Fraunhofer UMSICHT has a site in Oberhausen, an institute branch in Sulzbach-Rosenberg and a plastics technical shop in Willich.

Facts and figures

Fraunhofer UMSICHT was founded in June 1990 as a non-profit technical and scientific institution with the non-material support of the city of Oberhausen and the local industry. The institute complex in Oberhausen comprises five buildings with office space, a data center, library, and a prestigious function room. Workshops, technical shops (3100 m²) and laboratories (1400 m²) form the technical infrastructure.

The institute is located in the immediate vicinity of the CentrO shopping and leisure center. Fraunhofer UMSICHT is committed to structural change in the city and region with new ideas, technology transfer, spin-offs and the formation of R&D networks.

Since July 1, 2012, Fraunhofer UMSICHT has been represented in the metropolitan region of Nuremberg by an institute branch in Sulzbach-Rosenberg. The institute branch currently has 88 employees. The annual turnover (as of December 31, 2021) amounted to EUR 10,6 million.

In 2021, 608 employees belonged to the staff of both sites – mostly with scientific and engineering training. Of these, 366 are permanent staff, 16 trainees and 226 students, pupils and interns. In 2021, the institute generated sales of more than EUR 57.8 million. Of this amount, EUR 18.5 million is industrial returns, EUR 23.3 million is public income, EUR 2.9 million is other income, EUR 6.1 million is basic funding and EUR 7 million is funding through internal programs.

International

We work with partners worldwide in order to exploit synergies in technology development and expand scientific value creation. Strategic collaborations exist in Kuwait, with the University of Alberta in Edmonton/Canada and with the University of Birmingham, UK.

Fraunhofer UMSICHT cooperates with partners in Europe and in the following non-European countries within the framework of industrial and start-up projects: India, Indonesia, Chile, Vietnam, Korea, China, Mozambique, and Colombia.

We have compiled examples of our cross-border project development under International.