About us

Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT in Sulzbach-Rosenberg Germany is a Pioneer of the energy and raw material revolution. We contribute to a sustainable energy and raw material supply through business-oriented innovations and research in energy and plant technology, biological process engineering and recycling management.

The institute focuses on the development of processes and plants for the conversion of biogenic residues into valuable, storable products (e.g. synthetic fuels, biochar and gas), for the recycling of composite materials (e.g. electronic scrap or CFRP) and for waste management concepts for municipalities and countries. Our Centre of Energy Storage focuses on digital innovations in decentralised energy conversion and storage systems.

Our researchers accompany clients from industry and the public sector from the process idea to the pilot plant and the finished product.

Facts and Figures

The Sulzbach-Rosenberg branch of the institute in the Nuremberg metropolitan region employs over 100 people and has a budget of more than EUR 10 million. The institute has been a member of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft since July 1, 2012.

Fraunhofer UMSICHT Oberhausen

Fraunhofer UMSICHT in Oberhausen was founded in 1990 and develops technical innovations in the fields of environmental, materials, process and energy technology. The aim of the institute is to promote sustainable management, environmentally friendly technologies and innovative behavior in order to improve people's quality of life and promote the innovative capacity of the economy.

In 2023, the workforce at both sites comprised 596 employees, most of whom were trained in natural sciences and engineering. Of these, 376 are permanent staff, plus 20 trainees and 200 students, pupils and interns.

In 2023, the institute generated a turnover of more than EUR 53 million. 

Fraunhofer Society

Founded in 1949, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft currently operates 76 institutes and research units throughout Germany. Its nearly 32,000 employees, predominantly scientists and engineers, work with an annual business volume of 3.4 billion euros; 3.0 billion euros of this stems from contract research, which is divided into three funding pillars. Fraunhofer generates a share of this from industry and license-fee revenue, totaling 836 million euros. This high proportion of industrial revenue is Fraunhofer's unique selling point in the German research landscape. Another share of contract research revenue comes from publicly funded research projects. The final share is base funding supplied by the German federal and state governments and enables our institutes to develop solutions now that will become relevant to the private sector and society in a few years.