About us

The Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP is a leading international research institute for processes and technologies in the fields of electron beam and plasma technology.

Fraunhofer FEP conducts research in close cooperation with industry and, together with its partners, transfers the results of basic research into a wide range of applications with a particular focus on our strategic fields of sustainability, life science/environmental technologies, digitalization and human-machine interaction.

We ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information for our own protection as well as that of our customers and partners.

Derived from our energy, quality, and information security management systems, we formulate strategic and operational goals for continuous improvement. With the help of material and human resources as well as the supporting activities of all areas of Fraunhofer FEP, we ensure that the efficient use of energy goes hand in hand with the guarantee of the highest quality standards.

Our focus is on upscaling technologies for vacuum coating and the treatment of surfaces, liquids and gases, as well as on developing resource-saving and efficient processes with high productivity. Our core competencies offer customized technological solutions for medical and biotechnological applications, smart building applications, and sustainable packaging, among others.

Our work includes technology transfer, for example through feasibility studies, process development, development of key components, prototyping, pilot production, and licensing.

We provide our customers with innovative solutions that give them a competitive edge in the market. We are constantly working to improve the service we provide to our customers and partners.

Compliance with legal requirements, confidentiality, occupational health and safety and energy efficiency are a matter of course for us.

The Fraunhofer FEP receives basic funding from public funds to finance preliminary research, strategic projects and investments. Due to the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft's focus on application-oriented research and development for industry, the acquisition, execution and successful conclusion of industrial contracts has top priority. The medium-term planning of the Fraunhofer FEP envisages the continuous improvement and further development of the technological basis and a sustainable increase in the share of industry in the financing.

Integrated Management

Fraunhofer FEP has an integrated management system that applies the standards for quality, energy, information security and occupational health and safety in order to meet our requirements and those of our customers and partners. The advantages of the integrated management system include increased efficiency through the systematic use of synergy effects, motivation and acceptance among our employees, bundled resources and lean documentation.

We are constantly developing and improving our integrated management system. The successful and profitable cooperation with academic partners and the use of the High Level Structure and the PDCA cycle enable us to operate our processes above and beyond the legal requirements.

Information security

For the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, information and the processes, IT systems and communication networks that support it are important business assets that must be adequately protected. For this reason, it was decided that an information security management system that is binding for all units should be established, implemented, maintained and continuously improved.

Occupational health and safety

Important success factors for the implementation of a management system for occupational health and safety are implemented at Fraunhofer FEP. The process-oriented approach of this management system enables us to integrate all issues relating to safety at work into our business processes. Legal obligations and other requirements can thus be complied with.

The active involvement of all employees enables us to design effective processes to identify hazards, control risks and exploit opportunities. The necessary resources are made available for this purpose.

Continuous performance evaluation provides a framework for improvement.

Quality management

The Fraunhofer FEP is internationally renowned and can look back on numerous successful projects with partners from industry and public institutions.
Defined and structured processes and procedures guarantee our customers and partners reproducible results of high quality. To ensure competitiveness and the continuous optimization of internal structures, processes and activities, we have established a quality management system in accordance with DIN ISO 9001:2015.

The certification results we have achieved demonstrate our compliance with high internal and external quality standards. This creates confidence in the quality of Fraunhofer FEP's processes and products.

Energy management

The Fraunhofer FEP takes its social responsibility as a research institute into account and promotes resource-conserving activities in research and development. This is a central aspect of our projects in order to meet the requirements of our customers.
In 2016, we introduced an energy management system in accordance with DIN ISO 50001 and certified it as an integrated management system (IMS) together with our existing quality management system in accordance with DIN ISO 9001. In this context, our IMS is monitored and recertified annually by external audits in order to maintain the high standards.

Current energy-reducing measures are:

For comparison: an average German single-person household consumes 3000 kWh annually. ^[1]

^[1] http://www.die-stromsparinitiative.de/stromkosten/stromverbrauch-pro-haushalt/

The external advisory board gives the Fraunhofer FEP management and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft advice on strategic matters. Representatives from industry and research and from a range of bodies, ministries, and funding organizations are invited to participate in the board by the President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. The advisory board meets once a year to get an overview of the activities and performance of the institute and to provide important strategic guidance for the future.

We collaborate with both national and international partners in order to improve the competitive position of our customers and our institute and to promote succesful development work.