Bönnigheim The The Hohenstein Institutes, with a total of about 350 employees at the site in Bönnigheim and 150 employees in international contact offices, offer testing, certification and research on the topic of textiles.

Our core competencies exist in the application-oriented research and development of innovative products and processes, as well as in a wide range of textile tests and certifications, which are utilized by customers from trade and industry as a basis for making decisions on product development and marketing. The interdisciplinary cooperation between textile engineers, chemists, physicians, biologists and physicists enables the Hohenstein Institutes to fulfill the individual requirements of our customers by offering a customized, full range of services along the entire textile value chain and interlinked economic sectors from a single source – from advice on research and test orders to training and continuing education programs. In the context of publicly funded research projects, the institutes continue to work on scientific knowledge, linking this information to industrial capabilities.

Hohenstein Institute testing, certification and research services for the textile sector:

■ Textiles marketability in the EU, international testing
■ Early error recognition in the production process to avert complaints
■ Definition of customized minimum quality requirements
■ Development, assessment and certification of innovative, functional textiles
■ Provide marketing aids through the neutral documentation of advertised product properties

The Hohenstein Institutes special services include:

■ Functionalization of Textiles
■ Nanolayers/Nanocomposites
■ Testing and Certification
■ Studies on the effectiveness of equipment based on nanoparticles (dirt resistance) and possible biological risks
■ Quality Label for Nanotechnology: Testing the efficacy and safety of functionalized products.

www.hohenstein.de

Denkendorf The ITV Denkendorf sees itself as a stimulus for innovation of textile industry and textile-related branches. Trans-sectoral projects along the textile chain are designed and worked out in conjunction with industrial partners. At the ITV Denkendorf and the associated ITV-Produktservice GmbH about 220 members of staff are available for R&D projects. Half of them are scientific staff from the specialist field of textile technology, processing engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, chemistry, and biology. All common and special chemical, physical, and textile-technological tests with raw materials and textile intermediate and end products are carried out in the accredited test labs of the ITV Denkendorf. For all textile manufacturing processes machines on industrial scale are ready for operation on a pilot square of about 7.000 sqm.

The ITV Denkendorf deals with the following business fields: fiber and yarn technologies; fabric and structure technologies; functionalization of textiles and textile intermediate products; development of innovative materials and products; control and automation and modern industrial management; test methods, testing, quality assurance; technology consulting, education. Services in these fields are requested both from textile industry and processors and users of textile products and technologies.

The research works of the ITV Denkendorf are encouraged and accompanied by a scientific advisory board. Representants of the textile and fiber industry, textile machinery, associations, Stuttgart University, Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences, as well as of the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Baden-Württemberg belong to this board. Due to the personal link with the chair of Textile Technology (Prof. Dr.-Ing. H. Planck) there is a close connection with Stuttgart University. The ITV Denkendorf is integrated in the teaching activities of Stuttgart University. For professionals and executives in the textile industry scientific meet-ings (Denkendorfer Kolloquien) are regularly held.

The ITV Denkendorf is part of the German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf DITF Denkendorf – the biggest centre of applied textile research in Europe. The DITF Denkendorf was established in Reutlingen in 1921 as "Deutsches Forschungsinstitut für Textilindustrie" and is today a foundation under public law supervised by the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Baden-Württemberg. www.itv-denkendorf.de

Denkendorf The Center for Management Research (DITF-MR) , as part of the German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) (Europe's largest textile research center) addresses current topics in the areas of innovation, knowledge and production management and logistics, transferring exemplary solutions to enterprises and value networks within the textile industry and their business partners.

With its 15 employees, the DITF-MR's research activities cover the complete textile value chain from fiber production to marketing of the final product. The research focus is to develop concepts, methods and tools for strategic and operational management, as well as the development and testing of new organizational structures with business networks in textile and related sectors. Far-reaching organizational and procedural changes are necessary for multidisciplinary collaborations to gain textile firms as partners with significant value contributions, such as in the medical, automotive, aerospace, environmental technology and architecture sectors. The DITF-MR accompanies its clients in this area.

The work takes place in projects, currently together with more than 150 partners from the fields of industry, system development and service, as well as research. In terms of the European Union, the Center for Management Research assumes a leading role in the design and coordination of management research for the European textile industry. The institute developed the so-called "Innovation Management Service Kit" (IMS Kit) for "collaborative innovation management in networks" based on research findings that the DITF-MR gained from the community research project AVALON (www.avalon-eu.org). This software was named a "qualified product" by the "Initiative Mittelstand" as part of the "Innovationspreis-IT 2009" competition. www.ditf-mr-denkendorf.de

Reutlingen Founded in 1985, the NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen offers its customers application-oriented research at the interface of biotechnology and materials science, in the pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, biomedical engineering, surface and interface technology business areas. The NMI's range of services includes sub-projects and individual services, such as consulting, technology assessment, funding applications, application, conceptualization and/or coordination of projects. The NMI Technologietransfer GmbH (an institute spin-off) is active in the field of pharmaceutical services, in particular drug discovery and development. In addition, the NMI offers testing services in accredited and certified areas. A number of methods are available for the testing of materials and their surfaces according to DIN EN ISO / IEC 17025:2005. In turn, the NMI Technologietransfer GmbH offers testing for medicinal products and drugs.

The NMI has 170 employees (as of 2011) and maintains a variety of collaborations, including the Fraunhofer institutes IGB and IPA in Stuttgart, the Fraunhofer IWM in Freiburg, the KIT in Karlsruhe, the CNRS in Paris, the ITV and the DITF in Denkendorf, the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen and the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg.

The NMI aims to "build bridges between science and industry and between industry and research". For the past ten years now, the NMI was able to increase its yearly revenue by more than 20 percent (as of 2011). The institute managed to achieve a growth of 35 percent during the economic crisis in 2008 and 2009. The share of industrial products in the total budget is about 30%. Twelve companies were spun off from the NMI since 1996, which are directly related to NMI developments or that use the NMI or its high-tech laboratories as an incubator. The NMI is part of the Innovation Alliance Baden-Württemberg. www.nmi.de

Schwäbisch Gmünd The Research Institute of Precious Metals and Metals Chemistry FEM has been active as an independent, nonprofit institution in the fields of precious metals, metallurgy and surface technology for almost 90 years now. It is also part of the Innovation Alliance Baden-Württemberg. Since its inception in 1922, the FEM's mission is to provide a research infrastructure to small and medium-sized companies to help them meet the ever increasing demands for product quality and to help improve their competitiveness. The FEM sees itself as a "link between research and business." With its 68 employees, the institute conducts basic research, as well as applied research and development. Together with partners from industry and science, a number of current topics in the context of publicly funded research projects are addressed (e.g. nanotechnology in corrosion prevention, fuel cells, depositions in ionic liquids, jewelry casting simulation, wear and tear of hard materials and indium recycling). Financing is provided at national level (AIF, BMBF, DFG, DBU, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria) and by the European Union. In addition, the FEM provides services in these fields (development of new electrolytes, coating systems and alloys, tests using high resolution field emission scanning electron microscopes, FIB and GDOES, 3D computer tomography, X-ray fluorescence tests for composition and coating thickness determination, micro-structural tests using X-ray diffraction and reflectometry, metallographic and damage analysis). The FEM emphasizes its competence through accreditation according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 for approximately 200 test methods. In 2001, the FEM's floor space was augmented by 2,500 square meters of additional space for new laboratories, offices and conference rooms through the newly constructed technical school for applications. The new building offers new possibilities for the direct implementation of research results into industrial practice with its numerous multi functional laboratories. www.fem-online.de

Stuttgart Emanating from the Forschungsinstitut der Uhren- und Feingeräteindustrie in Baden-Württemberg, the 40 employees (as of 2010) at the Hahn-Schickard-Institute for Micro Assembly Technology (HSG-IMAT) have been active in research, develop and manufacturing in the fields of enclosure technology, structural-design and connection technology for micro-systems and miniaturized systems since 1998. In the process, system carriers based on injection-molded components (so-called Molded Interconnect Devices) play an important role here. Furthermore, HSG-IMAT uses its portfolio of new plastic-based structure technologies specifically for the development of innovative components and systems. HSG-IMAT tripled R&D business with the industries over the last 10 years and now finances nearly a third of its budget through industrial products.

The institute addresses the following topics that are of particular interest to enterprises:

■ Microplastic Components
(Construction, precision tool making, micro-injection molding, ultra-precision machining)
■ MID Technologies
(LPKF-LDS® technology, semi-additive laser-MID technology, 2K-MID technology, hot stamping, metallization)
■ Chip and SMD Assembly
■ Printed Microstructures
■ Optical and Capacitive sensors
(Rotary encoders, tilt sensors, touch sensors, pressure sensors)
■ Microdosing
(Micro valves, micro pumps)
■ Modeling and Reliability

The Institute cooperates inter alia with the Institut für Zeitmesstechnik, Fein- und Mikrotechnik of the University of Stuttgart, the HSG-IMIT as well as IMS Chips, to which it is connected through the top cluster project "PRONTO". Further collaborations in which the institute is involved in are the MicroTEC Südwest top cluster and innBW; furthermore, the HSG-IMAT is a member of the Research Association Molded Interconnect Devices 3-D MID e.V. The institute introduced a quality management system according to ISO 9001:2008. www.hsg-imat.de

Stuttgart Founded in 1983, the Institut für Mikroelektronik Stuttgart (IMS CHIPS) (Institute for Microelectronics Stuttgart)conducts research and produces small batches in the work areas Microchips and micro systems (ASICs und systems for industry, life science and aerospace), CMOS image sensors (complete solutions for applications in industrial, security, technology and medicine), nano-structuring (diffractive optical elements, stencil masks, replication masters) and silicon technology (CMOS production lines, add-on processes, chip assembly lines, wafer- and IC-testing systems).

With its qualified low-volume production of microchips, micro systems, diffractive optical elements, stencil masks and replication masters, IMS CHIPS is aimed in particular at corporate customers. In addition, IMS CHIPS offers: innovation consultancy in the fields of microelectronics, micro systems and nano-structuring; feasibility studies and assessments; contract research; sample production; process services (etching, sputtering, oxidation, coating, testing, inspection, etc.) as well as the coordination and implementation of joint research projects (states, Federation, EU). The IMS cooperates with the Robert Bosch GmbH (process development of ultra-thin chips), is engaged in contract research and manufacturing for the Carl Zeiss SMT AG (optical components) and cooperates with the Institute for Nano and Microelectronic Systems at the University of Stuttgart.

In the future, the IMS will expand the successful "mixed signal" ASIC platform "GATE FOREST ®" with integrated power electronics, i.e. ASICs with integrated power functions. With the initial operation in 2013 of one of the most powerful e-beam writers for the industrial production of nano-structures, IMS CHIPS will continue to expand its leading role in e-beam writing. Since 2010, the platform PRONTO results from the cooperation with the Hahn-Schickard-Institutes IMAT and IMIT to make innovative ideas in micro-system technology ready for production quickly and economically. In addition to the coordinated contract research and prototype development, the concept of MST production facilities and the compilation of MST manufacturing knowledge in companies are in the foreground.

99 employees (as of 7/2011) work at IMS CHIPS, whose budget is fed by over one third through industry funding. The IMS is ISO 9001 certified and it has the manufacturer and technology recognition in accordance with EN 100 114 (QC 001002-3:2005). www.ims-chips.de

Villingen-Schwenningen | Freiburg The Institute for Micro- and Information Technology of the Hahn-Schickard-Society for Applied Research e.V. (HSG-IMIT) is one of the leading research and development service providers for micro components and systems in Baden-Württemberg.

The institute's work and offers in the following fields are particularly interesting for enterprises:

■ Sensor Development
(Design & layout, simulation, manufacturing, testing & verification)
■ System Integration
(Actuator engineering, microdosing, energy harvesting, sensor fusion, low-power electronics, wireless communications, testing and inspection systems)
■ Sensor and System Assembly
(Silicon micro-machining, assembly and connection technology, process development, batch production according to DIN ISO 9001:2008)
■ Diagnostic Platforms
(Design & layout, assay development, plastics technologies)
■ Consulting and Advanced Training
(Technological services, feasibility studies)
■ Production of Prototypes and Small Series as well as Series Production

The institute was founded in 1988 and has 130 employees (as of 2010). Industrial means attribute to about 30% of HSG-IMIT financing through the orientation on economic demands. HSG-IMIT cooperates inter alia with HSG-IMAT, IMS Chips (where it is active in the „PRONTO" top cluster project), the Institute for Microsystems Technology at the University of Freiburg and the University of Furtwangen and is involved in the MicroTEC Southwest and innBW top clusters.

The institute operates a quality management system which is certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2008. It is also certified in the areas of risk management (DIN EN ISO 14971:2009) and usability (DIN EN 62366:2008) and was awarded with the Innovation Prize from the "Molded Interconnect Devices 3-D MID" research association. www.hsg-imit.de