Kaiserslautern Performance Center: Simulation- and Software-Based Innovation Earns Full Score

Record Results in a Fraunhofer-Wide Comparison

September 02, 2026

30 out of 30 points: The Simulation and Software-Based Innovation Competence Center in Kaiserslautern took first place in the ranking of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft's 19 competence centers. This marks the first time a competence center has received a perfect score in the annual evaluation. The successful collaboration between university and non-university research in Kaiserslautern, as well as the outstanding transfer of results to industry and society, impressed the evaluators.

»This top rating proves once again that our collaborative approach is effective and confirms that Kaiserslautern is an important hub for innovation. The result also spurs us on to further accelerate the transfer of research into industrial applications and to continue consistently advancing key future technologies together with our partners«, said Dr. Nicolas Fröhlich, managing director of the Competence Center.

The High Performance Center brings together the research expertise of the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering (IESE), the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, and Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences. In addition, there is close collaboration with the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), the Leibniz Institute for Composite Materials (IVW), the Science and Innovation Alliance Kaiserslautern, and other local associations and initiatives.

Its Social Impact Is Also Compelling.

It wasn’t just the industrial transfer successes of the Simulation and Software-Based Innovation Center that impressed the evaluators. They also highlighted the center’s commitment to recruiting young talent, as well as its extensive measures for the internal and external training of employees.

The Center’s involvement in »42kaiserslautern« was rated as a particular success: »With this interactive meeting place in the heart of the city, the Center demonstrates that it is also purposefully expanding its social impact and actively contributing to the public’s acceptance of technology and openness to innovation. The more than 60 public events already held, attracting over 37,000 visitors, impressively demonstrate the impact achieved«, explains Simon Ammer, program director for the Centers of Excellence at the Fraunhofer Society.

The activity at »42kaiserslautern« as well as the Center’s scientific and economic influence prompted the evaluators to award the full 30 points for the first time in a performance evaluation.

In the German video, Dr. Nicolas Fröhlich, Managing Director of the Simulation and Software-Based Innovation Center, and Johannes Korz, Managing Director of 42kaiserslautern, talk about this extraordinary place and their collaboration.

Simulations for Software Development – With and for the Industry

The research work of the High Performance Center focuses on combining traditional engineering disciplines with modern methods from computer science and mathematics – ranging from simulation and modeling to data-driven software development. Building on this foundation, researchers are advancing applied IT, particularly in the areas of digital, hardware, software, and network-based technologies. To this end, the researchers utilize and develop methods such as Artificial Intelligence, Digital Twins, and Next Generation Computing.

Industry collaborations focus on sectors such as process engineering, mobility, manufacturing, biotechnology, and healthcare. The Center of Excellence’s more than 30 regional partners include BASF SE, Daimler Trucks, BioNTech, and John Deere, among others.

Research Priorities for Key Future Issues

New research priorities for researchers at the Simulation and Software-Based Innovation Center include, among other things, efficient and resilient drinking water supply. In the field of mobility, they are focusing on tire wear – which remains one of the largest sources of microplastics worldwide. In manufacturing, a key focus is the development of data rooms for the secure and reliable collection of data along the supply chain, for example for ESG reporting; and in the healthcare sector, researchers are working to integrate Artificial Intelligence into healthcare systems in a way that is safer, more trustworthy, and more transparent.

Background: Performance Centers at Fraunhofer and Evaluation Procedures

Performance centers are collaborative initiatives launched by Fraunhofer to further regional research priorities. Their goal is to increase the transfer of research projects to industry and society. To this end, universities, colleges, Fraunhofer Institutes, and other non-university research institutions collaborate with companies and societal stakeholders at a single location on specific topics. They bring together suitable partners and support ideas all the way to market.

The program for the current 19 performance centers is organized according to the so-called »omnibus model« – a competitive system that involves an annual performance evaluation by an internal Fraunhofer review committee. Each competitive cycle has a three-year term. Based on the cumulative results of the three annual performance evaluations, at least two centers of excellence must »exit« the program at the end of the term. The vacated spots are awarded to new consortia through a separate process. The second competitive cycle is currently underway and runs until 2027.

Dr. Nicolas Fröhlich and Johannes Korz — © 42kaiserlautern
Dr. Nicolas Fröhlich, Managing Director of the Simulation and Software-Based Innovation Center, and Johannes Korz, Managing Director of 42kaiserslautern, in the 42kaiserslautern Knowledge Atelier

Press Release

Kaiserslautern Performance Center: Simulation- and Software-Based Innovation Earns Full Score

Record Results in a Fraunhofer-Wide Comparison

More about the Performance Center

Its Social Impact Is Also Compelling.

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Simulations for Software Development – With and for the Industry

Research Priorities for Key Future Issues

Background: Performance Centers at Fraunhofer and Evaluation Procedures

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