Second Fraunhofer Working Group starts up in Regensburg
Regensburg is meanwhile a prominent centre for sensory technology in Germany and headquarters of the Bavarian Sensor Technology Cluster. The construction of the Fraunhofer Group in BioPark Regensburg in immediIate vicinity to colleges and also to Strategische Partnerschaft Sensorik(Strategic Partnership for Sensor Technology) and Sensorik Bayern GmbH in the Biopark should use and further develop synergistic effects on site. The working group “Sensormaterialien”, founded in September 2009 from Fraunhofer ITM in Munich and funded by the Bavarian Ministry for Finance, aims to develop new chemo- and biosensors, thereby contributing to the further strengthening of sensory technology, a focal point in Regensburg.
According to press information at the launch event with Ms Katja Hessel, State Secretary at the Bavarian Ministry for Finance, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology and Mr Hans Schaidinger, Lord Mayor of the City of Regensburg, the working group has the goal of driving application-oriented research, creating new innovative product ideas and supporting the industry in transforming products for use on the market.
The thematic fields are broad : functional dyes and polymers for chemo- and biosensory technology, fluorescent nanoparticles for the detection of ions and biomolecules in living cells, tissues and microorganisms, as well as conjugated oligomers / polymers and fluid crystal materials with receptor functionalities for analysis. These sensors find application for example in the diagnosis of diseases via testing of air expired from the breath, or the control of wound healing, and the testing of the freshness of foodstuffs.
Being located in the BioPark offers ideal opportunities to further link up this interdisciplinary technology with the fields of biotechnology, medicine, pharmacy and medical technology. Furthermore the working group addresses industrial cooperation in the automobile industry, environmental analysis, product control and the theme of security. Through close cooperation and physical proximity to the University and Polytechnic in Regensburg and to the Bavarian Sensor Technology Cluster, the new working group has exceptional access to active-minded and competent ideas and to a pool of specialists in the BioPark. This creates the prerequisite for an efficient transfer of university research findings into industrial application.