Fraunhofer IGD presented the guest with pioneering technologies from the automotive and manufacturing sectors, which significantly increase efficiency in engineering and production quality through visually interactive solutions. In geoinformation management, it was demonstrated how artificial intelligence and urban digital twins help accelerate planning processes in municipal environments. In the field of health and care, a world-first innovation was also showcased: ocular prostheses produced using 3D printing, which will replace the previously purely manual production of customized prostheses and thus revolutionize an entire industry.

Another focus of the visit was ATHENE, the National Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity and the largest and most successful cybersecurity research center in Europe. Here, technologies for the visual analysis of cyberattacks and secure biometric systems were presented, which play a key role in both sovereign and commercial applications.

In addition, the Center for Applied Quantum Computing was introduced, along with the latest developments in this field, which have the potential to bring solutions and practical applications closer for questions and problems that even the most powerful computers fail to solve. Both ATHENE and the Center for Applied Quantum Computing are funded by the State of Hesse.

Finally, Minister Gremmels took part in an impressive demonstration on the digitization of cultural heritage and 3D printing technology. Under the motto “From reality to the virtual world and back again,” it was demonstrated how cultural assets can be digitally captured and reproduced true to the original using state-of-the-art 3D printing techniques, opening up new possibilities for the preservation and restoration of cultural artifacts. “For me as Science Minister, who is also responsible for art and culture, this example impressively illustrates the wide range of opportunities that applied research opens up in different areas of life,” said the Minister.