On August 1, 2017 (local time), China National Chemical Equipment (CNCE) and Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (hereinafter referred to as IPA) under Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft inked an MOU for strategic cooperation in Munich. According to the MOU, the two sides will cooperate with each other in the fields of new chemical materials, intelligent manufacturing, automation and information technology, etc.
As the largest application-oriented research organization in Germany and the Europe, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has 69 research institutions, involving various industrial applications including new materials, communication and electronics, automation, computing science and environmental science, etc. In 2016, it had a budget of about 2.1 billion euros and 6,762 technological innovations. All of its research tasks take a lead in the world for a period of 3-5 years. In addition, it ranked amongst the top three research institutions in the latest Top Global 25 Most Innovative Government Research Institutions released by Thomson Reuters in 2016.
As one of the largest research institutions of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and an important participant to the German Industrial 4.0 Strategy, IPA boasts state-of-the-art technologies in the fields of smart factory solution, CPS physical information system, Internet of Things and intelligent robotic application, etc. By relying on its abundant research findings of and practical experience in intelligent manufacturing solutions based on personalized and large-scale customization, IPA can provide CNCE with strong support in terms of upgrading of intelligent equipment manufacturing.
According to the MOU, the two sides will carry out scientific research and technical innovation on the principles of “mutual benefit, stabilization, persistence, high efficiency and high quality”. Fraunhofer IPA plans to introduce more research institutions through the intranet of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and carry out more extensive cooperation with companies under ChemChina in the future.