Fraunhofer IGD Wins 2025 BMFTR Validation Award for Outstanding Technology Transfer

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The Federal Ministry for Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) has awarded the 2025 Validation Prize to the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD. The award recognizes the outstanding transfer of excellent research results into economic and societal practice.

© BMFTR - Hans-Joachim Rickel
© BMFTR - Hans-Joachim Rickel
© BMFTR - Hans-Joachim Rickel

The award ceremony took place on July 10, 2025, in Berlin. The prize was accepted by Dr. Philipp Urban, head of the award-winning project Robust3D and head of the 3D Printing Technology Department. This marks only the second time since 2017 that a Fraunhofer institute has received the award—highlighting both the special impact of the project and the IGD’s consistent focus on real-world application.

Matthias Hauer, Member of Parliament and Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Research, Technology, and Space, emphasized the importance of practical transfer in his keynote speech:

“When the conditions are right, things can move quickly—from idea to innovation. And that impresses me.”

His conclusion:

“Transfer is key.” – a principle Fraunhofer actively embodies through its applied research.

The Robust3D project advanced a technology for the automated preparation of complex graphical 3D content for printing and successfully validated its reliability for printability. The method automatically corrects structural model errors such as holes, non-manifold edges, and overly thin geometries. As a result, manual corrections are only needed for semantic issues—an important step toward individualized mass production in 3D printing, even when input models contain flaws.

Following successful validation, the technology has been integrated into the Cuttlefish 3D printer driver and licensed globally—including to big tech companies, Hollywood studios, 3D printer manufacturers, game developers, and healthcare firms for producing aesthetic prosthetics such as eye and dental prostheses.

Key contributors to the project, in addition to Dr. Urban:

  • Dr. Alan Brunton
  • Johann Reinhard
  • Lubna Abu Rmaileh
  • Dr. Danwu Chen

A project film was presented at the award ceremony, illustrating the practical implementation and international commercialization of the technology.

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Also honored alongside Fraunhofer IGD were:

  • Next-Gen-Chlor (TU Berlin): Nanostructured electrodes for energy-efficient chlorine production; led to the founding of Nano Cats GmbH
  • BioCORE (TU Munich & Reverion GmbH): Reversible biogas solid oxide cell system with high efficiency and potential to generate negative CO₂ emissions

Our heartfelt congratulations to all the award winners!

Further information