The Preliminary Research group was established in 2022 at the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems in cooperation with the Center for Microtechnologies at Chemnitz University of Technology. The task of the organizational structure is the academic further development of both institutes as well as the development of future research and application fields in a broader time horizon.
Against this background, the staff continuously gathers input from a wide variety of sources, including conferences, discussions with renowned basic researchers and industry representatives, publications, announcements, and political as well as economic information sources. Furthermore, Preliminary Research is in close exchange with the staff of Corperate Strategy, jointly identifying viable topics for the future. Focal points identified in this way are examined by the Preliminary Research group with regard to their feasibility with the possibilities of both institutes, preliminary work already carried out, potential funding sources (BMBF, DFG, EU, AIF, etc.), the search for internal and external consortium partners as well as the current positioning within the national and international research landscape. If necessary, feasibility studies or technological conceptual designs will be realized and published together with the business units, the departments or the research fields.
In addition to research and preliminary work, Preliminary Research deals with the organization and technical support of applications for large-scale research projects, e.g. SFB, priority programs, excellence initiatives, collaborative projects and research groups. To ensure scientific excellence, the staff continuously investigates the publication situation of both institutes and supports the production of high-quality publications with scientific quality assurance. With the successful submission of the project application within the identified topic, the work of the Preliminary Research department usually ends and within the subsequent basic research phase the basis for future innovations and applications is laid.