The institute performs interdisciplinary research at the interface of technology, economy and science. By analysis of promising technologies, development of research priorities and monitoring of technology policy programmes, ISI assists decision-making processes in the public and in private sectors. This work is mainly contract research.

Research topics:

· Evaluation of national and international technology and innovation policies;

· Assessment of levels of techno-economic performance and international competitiveness in promising fields of technology, technology foresight;

· Trends, chances, applications, economic and societal impacts of new information, communication and production systems and biotechnology;

· Opportunities for a more effective use of natural resources (energy, raw materials, water, environment), sustainability aspects;

· Innovation strategies in enterprises and their internal organisation.

The Fraunhofer ISI has been a pioneer for many years especially in the area of policy evaluation and internationalization of research policies, utilizing a broad spectrum of methods and taking advantage of its broad thematic spectrum and context knowledge. Currently, the institute establishes the "Regional key figures" (RKF) database which allows to study regional innovation policies in Europe and the European influence on regions on a broad empirical basis. Within the ProINNO Europe context, ISI also takes part in the InnoAppraisal project, which analyses and compares evaluation practices of innovation policies across Europe. The ISI has a permanent staff of 130 employees, among them are 75 scientists. The budget of the institute is amounted to 11.3 million EUR in 2005, the largest proportion of which is based on contract research. The main clients are the German government, the European Commission, German States, regional and local authorities, other countries' governments, firms and industrial associations.

Dr. Susanne Bührer

Studied political science, sociology and history at the University of Stuttgart. After receiving her M.A., she worked at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research in a research project on the subject "Migration Potentials".

Current research activities:

Gender aspects in research, Programme evaluations, Monitoring evaluation of institutional promotional measures, Analysis of communication and cooperation structures, Social network research, Conception and evaluation of (national and international) research and technology policy, Studies on University Medicine

Stephanie Daimer, M.A.

Studied political science, law and economics at the University of Passau, the Università degli Studi di Verona (Italy) and the Washington University in St. Louis (USA), her doctoral thesis is about legislative bargaining in the EU Council of Ministers. Research Fellow at the University of Konstanz and the German Research Institute for Public Administration Speyer in the project "Domestic Structures and European Integration (DOSEI)" (5th Research Framework Programme of the EU) about EU treaty negotiations, their ratification and referenda; worked also on EU legislation, in particular the services directive. Worked as a student research assistant at the Center for Applied Policy Research (C.A.P.) Munich, and completed several trainings as a journalist. Since March 2008 Research Fellow at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) in Karlsruhe.

Social Scientist (Dipl. Soc.) Edelgard Gruber

Many years of research experience on energy issues. Research fields: energy conservation behaviour and use of renewable energy technologies, related innovation processes and investment decisions. Chances, barriers and success factors for efficient energy use, especially in small and medium enterprises, households and in the public sector. Design and evaluation of political strategies for the promotion of energy conservation, especially training and consultation programmes as well as energy service concepts and demonstration projects. Policy measures in the framework of energy and environmental concepts. Extensive experience with qualitative and quantitative methods of empirical social research.

Dr. Bärbel Hüsing

studied biology at the University of Hanover; 1986 Diplom; 1991 PhD at the University of Dusseldorf; 1987-1990 junior scientist at the Institute of Microbiology, University of Hanover, and at the Institute of Biotechnology, Research Centre Julich GmbH; since 1991 senior scientist and project manager at Fraunhofer ISI; 1996-2007 deputy head or head (2006-2007) of the Department „Innovations in Biotechnology“ and the Competence Centre „Emerging Technologies“, respectively. Since 2008 coordinator of the Business Unit Biotechnology and Life Sciences. 2001-2003 mentor in the Fraunhofer Society mentoring programme for female junior scientists. Focus of research: Innovation analysis and foresight studies, scientific policy and strategy advice in Life Sciences and biotechnology, evaluations, numerous projects in the areas medicine/pharma, food, environment, industrial biotechnology.

Dr. Axel Thielmann

Dr. Axel Thielmann studied physics at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg ( Germany) and at the University of Cantabria (Santander, Spain) from 1996 to 2001. In 2001 he received his diploma in physics from the Univerity of Erlangen. From 2002 to 2005 he worked as a research assistant in the field of solid state physics with a focus on Nanoelectronics at the Institute for Nanotechnology of the Research Center Karlsruhe (Germany). In 2005 he received his PhD in physics from the University of Karlsruhe. He worked as postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Functional Nanostructures in Karlsruhe and at the University of Karlsruhe in 2005 and 2006. From 2006 to 2007 he worked as patent engineer in the field of intellectual property at the firm Dr. Gassner & Partner in Erlangen.

Since 2007 Dr. Axel Thielmann is working as a researcher and project leader in the Competence Center "Emerging Technologies" at Fraunhofer ISI. He coordinates activities in the field of Nanotechnology. His research areas are scientific technological developments in emerging technologies such as nanotechnology, analysis of their market potentials, socio-economic and environmental impacts, technological innovations in knowledge intensive industrial sectors, technology foresight and assessment.

Ines Schulze

Academic Education:
2002-2007: studies in bioengineering and biotechnology

Work Experience:
diploma thesis in molecular biology;
since February 2008 scientific empoyee at the Fraunhofer ISI , department for New Technologies

Recent research areas:
synthetic biology,
medicine,
health

Projects:
Towards a European strategy for synthetic biology (TESSY);
Foresight-Studie: Gesundheitsforschung und Medizin

GenderChancen

Ute Weißfloch

Studied business chemistry at the University of Ulm. Since February 2008 she has been working as a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research in the Competence Center "Industrial and Service Innovations". The main focus of her research are socio-economic effects of technical innovations, non-technical innovation processes of different branches (amongst others chemical industry and the design and evaluation of sustainable new business models.