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Flexible electronics enable more comfortable sensor patches, smarter packaging, and adaptable human-machine interfaces. In the CFP project, chip foil packages less than 150 micrometers thick are being developed to reliably protect electronic functions and enable resource-efficient production in high volumes. This paves the way for the widespread industrial use of flexible electronics.

More than 500 participants from over 200 companies, including ASML, Bosch, Intel, Infineon, GlobalFoundries, and TRUMPF, gathered in Berlin on September 30 and October 1, 2026, for the inaugural edition of FIRST by FMD. The new European forum focused on key trends in microelectronics brought together decision-makers from industry, policy, and research who are actively shaping the future of microelectronics in Europe. A central focus was the APECS pilot line, a key building block of the EU Chips Act.

A major success for technology transfer from applied research: At the end of July 2026, Fraunhofer IZM, Fraunhofer ENAS, and WIKA Alexander Wiegand SE & Co. KG signed a comprehensive agreement to commercialize the ASTROSE® overhead line monitoring technology. Under the licensing agreement, WIKA will take over the industrialization, production, and global marketing of the system. At the same time, the partners agreed on a five-year research and development collaboration to jointly advance the technology and open up new international markets.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM, the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Microsystems and Solid State Technologies EMFT, Kumamoto University, and Yamagata University are pooling their expertise. On September 15, 2026, the four institutions signed a memorandum of understanding in Kumamoto to promote international cooperation in research, education, and workforce development. The partnership focuses on semiconductor packaging, system integration, and printed electronics.

Automated Guided Vehicles that can sense and process their environment in all three dimensions: that is the result of a collaborative project funded by the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology, and Space. A radar platform for industrial applications helps improve safety while enabling the flexible distribution of AI workloads across multiple vehicles.

Europe has invested billions in its semiconductor industry. The decisive question now is how the pilot lines established under the EU Chips Act can create industrial value creation. Leading representatives from industry, research, and policymaking will discuss this at FIRST by FMD on September 30 and October 1, 2026, at the EUREF Campus in Berlin.

Working with partners from across Europe, Fraunhofer IZM has helped create highly integrated and flexible brain implants as a new, minimally invasive method for treating neurological disorders like Parkinson’s Disease.Patients can benefit from a more comfortable experience and less invasive surgery.

Fraunhofer IZM and quantum tech company Nomad Atomics are teaming up on QuoGkA, a research project developing a compact atom gravimeter that will, in the future, measure gravitational fields from the air. The goal is to shrink measurement systems that have always been confined to the lab down to a size that fits comfortably on a drone. The breakthrough making this possible is a highly integrated glass bench developed at Fraunhofer IZM, which combines key optical components and a rubidium gas cell into a single unit. The result is precision gravity measurement that can finally leave the lab, opening up new possibilities in mining, environmental monitoring, and research.

In the European research project SUSTRONICS (SUStainable elecTRONICS), researchers from Fraunhofer IZM, together with 45 partners from research and industry and under the coordination of Philips Nederland B.V., are investigating how electronics for the healthcare sector and the automotive industry can be made more resource-efficient across their entire life cycle. The results show that alternative materials, optimized designs, and early-stage life cycle assessments can significantly reduce CO₂ emissions and resource consumption as early as the development phase. With its extensive expertise in life cycle analysis and environmental assessment, Fraunhofer IZM is making a particular contribution to the development of sustainable medical and diagnostic electronics.

Artificial intelligence promises to read and interpret medical data more efficiently and precisely. A sensor system for monitoring cardiological conditions, developed at Fraunhofer IZM, can become a powerful tool in the cardiologist’s arsenal with the power of AI.