What can foundations do in order to anchor sustainability even more securely in science and research? How can they contribute towards ensuring that sustainability goals become an innovation booster for the German economy? These were the key questions in a lively exchange between the participants at the event, which was jointly hosted by the Fraunhofer Future Foundation and the Fraunhofer WKI.

The venue, the Center for Light and Environmentally-Friendly Structures ZELUBA^®, was a source of inspiration. The Director of the Fraunhofer WKI, Professor Dr.-Ing. Bohumil Kasal, reported: “At our newly opened ZELUBA^®, scientists are working every day on the creation of high-performance materials and products from wood and other renewable raw resources. We provided an exclusive insight into current application examples for the use of wood and other renewable raw materials in the fields of construction and mobility.” The researchers demonstrated, amongst other items, a weaving machine which utilizes natural-fiber-reinforced lightweight materials in order to manufacture parts for vehicle components and wood and concrete reinforcements. Furthermore, visitors were able to observe how the core for a sustainable stand-up paddleboard is created from the balsa wood recovered from discarded wind-turbine rotor blades. In a live simulation, the guests experienced the testing of the vibration behavior of new construction systems with the aid of a shaking table. In the dynamic testing facility, individual components and entire constructions are examined with regard to their structural dynamic properties - to ensure maximum safety of buildings or vehicles against wind loads, earthquakes or vibrations.

For the Fraunhofer Future Foundation, the event served the clarification of the question as to which success factors are decisive for the promotion of sustainable research through foundations. “For us, sustainability means living in an ecologically intact, socially balanced and economically sustainable world. We firmly believe that research can contribute towards the positive transformation of our society. In order for this transformation to succeed, we need all participants involved in the innovation process. For this reason, we want to network foundations and research. With this event, we are bringing together the pivotal innovation drivers for an exchange which will hopefully have an impact that extends far beyond this day,” explained the Chairman of the Executive Board of the Fraunhofer Future Foundation, Professor Dr.-Ing. Hans-Jörg Bullinger.