Bionic revolution in surface treatment
Fusion Bionic Spin-off Wins Fraunhofer Founder Award 2024
On February 19, 2025, the Fraunhofer Founder Award, endowed with 50,000 euros, was presented to the spin-off Fusion Bionic GmbH. The spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS impressed with its bio-inspired laser technology, creating a new standard in ultrafast surface processing for a wide range of industrial applications.
Surface technology is a driver of future innovation and crucial to the sustainability of products and processes, the reduction of negative environmental impacts and the promotion of resource efficiency. The high-tech start-up Fusion Bionic applies bio-inspired principles such as the lotus effect to technical surfaces using an ultra-fast laser process. The resulting bionic effects are based on extremely fine micro- and nanotextures that significantly improve the performance of surfaces and open up a wide range of innovative approaches in industries such as semiconductor technology, photovoltaics and glass.
Disruption through efficiency and precision
Fusion Bionic's laser technology integrates seamlessly into existing manufacturing processes and brings nature-inspired structural designs directly onto surfaces. Surface engineering can make a decisive difference in performance for users: Photovoltaic modules, for example, gain self-cleaning properties, heat exchangers become more energy-efficient and PFAS-free textiles become water-repellent. Costly or environmentally problematic processes such as chemical etching, sandblasting or plasma can increasingly be replaced by Fusion Bionic's innovative laser technology. As a result, companies can significantly increase their energy efficiency, reduce CO2 emissions and avoid environmentally harmful emissions.
Leading-edge research as an asset on the global market Fusion Bionic's
solutions are based on direct laser interference patterning (DLIP), a highspeed laser technology up to 100 times faster than established methods. Fusion Bionic offers services spanning application development, technology training and contract manufacturing, as well as hardware solutions based on DLIP technology. In April 2021, Bionic GmbH was spun off from Fraunhofer IWS with a team of researchers led by Tim Kunze and experts from industry. It was supported by Fraunhofer Venture and Fraunhofer AHEAD in all phases of the founding process.
Just two months after its founding, the start-up was selected for the renowned Heraeus Accelerator program. Fusion Bionic's customers now include well-known global companies, mainly from the glass and photovoltaic industries, semiconductor and medical technology as well as the automotive industry. In 2022, Fusion Bionic was awarded the Ray of Hope Prize by the US Biomimicry Institute as one of the best nature-inspired start-ups worldwide. In the same year, it received further recognition in the form of the Saxon Start-up Award and 2nd place in the Innovation Award Laser Technology, jointly organized by AKL Arbeitskreis Lasertechnik e. V. and European Laser Institute ELI e. V.
Technology transfer as a symbiosis of research and progress
“Spin-offs offer the ideal opportunity for building a vibrant ecosystem centered on the research institute, from which start-ups and Fraunhofer will benefit in the long term. We are proud of our Fraunhofer roots and grateful for the support we have received from Fraunhofer IWS. The Founder Award motivates us more than ever to push forward with our vision: to work together in setting new standards for innovative surfaces and to develop completely new technological possibilities for companies. We very much look forward to continuing down this path with great energy,” says Dr. Tim Kunze, CEO and co-founder of Fusion Bionic GmbH.
After the award ceremony, Thomas Doppelberger, Head of Spin-offs and Shareholdings (Fraunhofer Venture), emphasized the close connection between research and commercialization: “The team of Fusion Bionic has clearly demonstrated how leadingedge research can turn into effective innovations for German and international industry in a short period of time. Merely a few years after its spin-off, Fusion Bionic is already setting new standards in surface technology, demonstrating the immense potential of technology transfer from research.”
“As a driver of innovation, Fraunhofer serves as an ideal catalyst for outstanding tech start-ups in Germany. Founders from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft benefit from strong start-up and financing conditions, which are made possible by the close partnership between HTGF and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft,” adds Dr. Alex von Frankenberg, Managing Director of High-Tech Gründerfonds.
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