Projects

RE.build is a pioneering project for circular construction in the Recklinghausen district. The initiative combines the new construction of the Kreishanderwerkschaft (district craftsmen association) as a real-world laboratory, a physical building materials warehouse, a digital platform and educational and governance components. The goal is to create a transferable system that closes local material loops and strengthens the circular economy in the construction sector.

The Baden-Württemberg port strategy strengthens the role of inland ports on the Rhine, Neckar, and Main rivers in climate-neutral freight transport and responds to declining transport volumes on waterways in the 2040 federal transport forecast. The topic page outlines the approach, work packages, freight flow analyses, and transformation paths for politics, the port industry, and logistics companies, and brings together in-depth information on the project.

SHIELD is researching harmonic radar at 61/122 GHz as an interference-resistant real-time localization system for intralogistics. Seven partners are developing compact tags and sensor networks that locate autonomous guided vehicles and small load carriers with millimeter precision—even in metal-rich, dynamic warehouse environments. The technology combines accuracy, reliability, and cost-effectiveness in a single sensor system.

GreenComplAI is revolutionizing product compliance through AI-supported data validation and blockchain technology. The platform offers companies sustainable supply chain transparency, automated plausibility checks, and tamper-proof evidence. This makes compliance with EU regulations more efficient and easier.

6GEM and 6GEM+ are research hubs developing 6G communication systems for the connected digital industry, mobility and emergency response. While 6GEM lays the groundwork for open, secure and efficient 6G mobile communication systems, 6GEM+ translates these approaches into industrial applications. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML) validates 6G mobile communications, 5G Advanced, Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN), cloud-edge computing and the Industrial Metaverse in realistic intralogistics test environments using robot swarms, motion capture and cloud-edge infrastructure.

Starting in 2027, manufacturers in the EU will be required to provide a Digital Product Passport for certain products. The EmpowerDPP research project develops data management concepts and identifies service opportunities. It supports companies in meeting regulatory requirements while simultaneously exploring new value-creation opportunities.

StöSi is investigating how a modular toolkit can strengthen continuity management in ports. The IHATEC project analyzes processes, disruption scenarios, and baseline data in inland ports. It defines a reference dataset, tests visualizations and training concepts, and evaluates the project’s transferability at Westhafen Berlin.

SiMBA is an AI-based open-source solution developed by Fraunhofer IML. Through dynamic pricing, it enables the flexible and cost-efficient use of shared machine capacities. Elastic pricing is based on current demand and improves resource utilization and sustainability. This reduces energy costs, optimizes processes, and strengthens small and medium-sized enterprises.

The SKALA project stands for scalable AI and blockchain solutions for automation and autonomization in value networks. The goal is to create an open, decentralized ecosystem that enables companies to design processes in production, logistics, and supply chain management in a secure, transparent, and efficient manner.

The STARFAB project is developing an orbital automated warehouse as infrastructure for ISOS. Researchers are transferring logistics and automation technologies to orbit and advancing in-space manufacturing, the circular economy in space, and in-space assembly.