Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems

The Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems, or FOKUS, is an organization of the Fraunhofer Society.^[1] Headquartered in Berlin (Charlottenburg), the institute is engaged in applied research and development in the field of Information and Communications Technology.^[2] The institute is jointly led by Prof. Manfred Hauswirth and Prof. Ina Schieferdecker. Manfred Hauswirth also holds a chair in at the Technische Universität Berlin.^[3] In addition to her position at Fraunhofer Institute FOKUS, Ina Schieferdecker is also a professor for Model-based Development and Quality Assurance of Software-based Systems at Freie Universität Berlin. Gerd Schürmann is the institute’s deputy director.^[4]

History

FOKUS was founded in 1988 as a research establishment for Open Communication Systems and an institute of the former Gesellschaft für Mathematik und Datenverarbeitung GmbH (GMD). Since the merger of GMD with Fraunhofer in July 2001, FOKUS has been an institute of the Fraunhofer Society. In 2012, the three ICT institutes FOKUS, FIRST and ISST Berlin were brought together under the name of Fraunhofer FOKUS.^[5]

In October 2014, Prof. Dr. Manfred Hauswirth was appointed Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems FOKUS in Berlin.^[6] On 1 January 2015 Prof. Dr. Ina Schieferdecker was appointed to the institute's board.

Main research areas

Fraunhofer FOKUS develops vendor-neutral solutions for ICT systems. The institute evaluates how information and communication systems can contribute to making life in society more comfortable and more secure. It also carries out research into some of the key challenges to social development and the smart cities of the future, such as access to information, the sustainable and efficient use of resources, networked mobility and a modern public administration system. Research activities focus on interoperable, user-centered domain- and inter-organizational solutions. Fraunhofer FOKUS studies both technical infrastructures and the development of practice-oriented concepts, prototypes and applications in the precompetitive environment. The research undertaken by Fraunhofer FOKUS builds bridges between companies, the public sector, users and citizens. The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), for example, which has become the standard for Voice over IP and Internet telephony, was originally developed at Fraunhofer FOKUS. Fraunhofer FOKUS also played a significant role in the introduction of the new ID card in Germany in 2010.^[7][8]

Competence centers

The success of the institute is based on an organization comprising twelve competence centers (CCs).

• Automotive Services and Communication Technologies (ASCT)

The design and development of software and ICT systems for the automotive industry, with a particular emphasis on Car2X communication.

• Platforms and Solutions for Connected Healthcare (E-HEALTH)

Development of interoperable ICT systems and solutions for the entire healthcare information chain including, for example, telematics, telerehabilitation and telemedicine.

• Electronic Safety and Security Systems for the Public and Industries (ESPRI)

The design and development of logistics information technologies for civil protection, disaster control and public safety and security.

• Electronic Government and Applications (ELAN)

Consulting, design and development of eGovernment solutions for politics, administration and business, together with the implementation of architectures and standards.

• Future Applications and Media (FAME)

The development of interactive web technologies, with an emphasis on cross-platform applications, smart media, IPTV and personalized entertainment.

• Smart Metering & Energy Management (IT4ENERGY)

Concepts and technologies for the efficient utilization, storage and distribution of the alternative energy resources of the future.

• System Quality Center (SQC)

Methods, processes and tools for the development and quality assurance of software-intense systems that often perform business-critical or security- and safety-relevant functions in urban infrastructures.

• Next Generation Network Infrastructures (NGNI)

The investigation of open service platforms based on the convergence of heterogeneous network technologies such as wireless and fixed networks and the Internet.

• Public Information Technology (ÖFIT)

Independent strategic advisory services in the field of public ICT, such as eGovernment, network policy, architectures, secure identities, standards and interoperability.

• Network Research (NET) - formerly Resource Optimized Networks (RESCON)

Technology enabling the rapid, reliable and cost-effective provision of communication links via wireless networks, from sensors to satellites.

• Visual Computing (VISCOM)

The development of real-time capable algorithms for the visualization, tracking, data fusion and interaction in intuitive assistance systems and user interfaces.

FOKUS labs

In order to test technologies and applications under practical conditions for interoperability and compliance with other products, Fraunhofer FOKUS currently bundles the institute's existing infrastructure (networks, platforms, application software, test environments, etc.) into 16 test and development environments (test labs) organized by technology and market sector.

• Automotive Interoperability Lab
• Common Criteria Certification Lab
• Conformance and Interoperability Test Lab
• eGov-Lab
• eHealth Interoperability Lab
• Future Internet Lab
• FUSECO Playground
• Future Applications and Media Lab
• Graphic Lab
• Hardware & Sensor Lab
• IPv6 Test Lab
• Open IMS Playground
• Open SOA Telco Playground
• Secure eIdentity-Lab
• Smart Metering Lab
• SOA-Lab

Innovation centers

Staff at the Fraunhofer FOKUS innovation centers work closely with partners and customers to develop solutions that create a bridge between applied research and both industry and the public sector.

• Center for Interoperability
• Innovation Center for ICT in Smart Cities
• Innovation Center for Public Safety and Security
• Innovation Center for Cost-effective System Quality

Infrastructure

At the start of 2013, 507 staff from more than 30 countries worked at the institute, including 136 researchers. The average age is 35. Twenty-five percent of research staff are women. The total budget in 2013 was EUR 34.2 million. A third of this comes from basic funding, 90 percent of which is provided by the government. External funding accounted for approximately 70 percent of the total. This comes from contract research, project-specific funding from the federal and state governments, and funds provided by the European Union.^[9]

References

External links

• Official website of Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS)
• Official website of Fraunhofer Society