Prof. Kieback to speak at IRL

Professor Kieback (right) is Director of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft - Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Applied Materials Research & Director of the Institute of Material Sciences, Technical University of Dresden.

The Fraunhofer Institute is a major global research company based in Germany, with over 17,000 staff. In 2009 it earned revenue of 1.6 billion Euros, of which 1.3 billion was from contract research. In that same year the Fraunhofer Institute invested 160 million Euros in capital plant and facilities. As a non-profit company, the Fraunhofer Institute is able to carry forward substantial cash and invested reserves.

Professor Bernd Kieback is an  expert on high-value manufacturing who specialises in titanium technologies, hydrogen storage and other advanced materials systems.

His presentation will feature:

• An overview of how the German Government funds R&D; an introduction to IFAM, including IFAM's structure, mission and strategic goals.
• An overview of the range of programmes managed at IFAM.
• An outline of how IFAM engages with industry to achieve a high level of commercial investment in its R&D programmes.
• Observations on the importance and value of titanium materials research and engineering and what particular activities IFAM is active in within the materials area.

The two institutes headed by Prof. Kieback are European leaders in powder metallurgy development and commercialisation.  Many former employees go on to lead successful powder metallurgy start-up companies spun-out of the institutes.

Prof. Keiback was awarded the prestigious Skaupy Prize in 2010 for extraordinary achievements in powder metallurgy. He is an elected Member of the International Institute for Science of Sintering, Chairman of the German Powder Metallurgy Committee, and a Member of the Advisory Board for Innovation Strategy, Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Directions to the MacDiarmid Centre will be available from IRL Reception - no RSVP required.