The future is intertwined with innovation – the ever-new challenges it poses also offers new technological prospects. Many innovators everywhere, as well as the scientists of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, are continuously working to develop new ideas and technologies for solutions that will contribute to solving a wide variety of problems in the near as well as more distant future, and to applying innovations to create tomorrow’s  products.

The trade journal DESIGN&ELEKTRONIK reports daily on the latest advances and results, and on innovators from the world over. Once again this year, it has called on its readers to vote for the "Innovator of the Year". More than 1,100 readers voted for the organizations with the most innovative ideas. Successful products combining IP, design, and manufacturing only become possible through this impetus for innovative. The DESIGN&ELEKTRONIK editorial team wants to use the vote to recognize and honor the stars that developed the advanced technologies behind the products.

With its research on biodegradable electronics, the Fraunhofer "bioElektron - biodegradable electronics for active implants" joint project under its market-oriented prospective research program MAVO (funding number MAVO 831 301) headed by the Fraunhofer FEP was recognized as "Innovator of the Year". With the award as Outstanding Location in the Land of Ideas (Ausgezeichneter Ort im Land der Ideen), this is now the 2^nd award for the project. Electronic components that are completely degraded in a biological environment after a pre-defined functional period open up both new applications as well as pathways for reducing the ecological footprint. As a novel application field, active medical implants are resorbed by the tissue at the end of their functional period, thus saving the patient a second surgical intervention.

With the Fraunhofer FEP as project manager, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is developing the essential components for biodegradable electronic components through the internal "bioElektron" joint project. Specifically, this involves biodegradable conductive traces and electrodes for electrical signal conduction and stimulation, thin-film transistors, and circuits. One of the possible fields of application is active medical implants. The developments can also be applied in the field of smart farming and disposable diagnostic devices.

Claudia Keibler-Willner, head of department at the Fraunhofer FEP, accepted the award in Munich on October 25, 2018 on behalf of all the scientists in the project. "We would like to thank the readers of DESIGN&ELEKTRONIK for their votes and the award. After we had already been named Outstanding Location in the Land of Ideas (Ausgezeichneter Ort im Land der Ideen) this year, the scientists in the project consortium are very pleased about this repeat award for their work on biodegradable electronics for active implants. The recognition of our ideas and current solutions always gives our motivation renewed impetus for continuing along these sometimes difficult or protracted paths, in the hope that in 10 years at the latest we will be producing real biodegradable active implants.”

In order to take into account the different areas of development that are regularly covered in the magazine, DESIGN&ELEKTRONIK proposed the best companies and institutions in the categories of medical engineering, digital technology and IP, chip fabrication, analog engineering and power electronics, measurement technology, system design, electromechanical engineering, passive components, research & open source, and development kits. The "bioElektron" joint project received the award in the category of Medical Engineering.

Partners in the "bioElektron" project:

Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS

Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT

Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC

Fraunhofer Project Group Material Cycles and Resource Strategy IWKS

Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP