Ansgar Pudenz

Artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization are driving rapidly growing demand for ever-faster and more powerful data connections. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a 3D printing process that enables tiny optical components used for data transmission to be connected with high precision and efficiency. The process enables the automated mass production of optical transmitters and receivers. For this innovation, the researchers were nominated for the German President’s Zukunftspreis on September 16, 2026.

KIT; KU Leuven

Two early-career researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have been successful in the latest call for Starting Grants from the European Research Council (ERC): In the COOLWEAVE project, Dr. Jingyuan Xu is developing a climate-friendly cooling technology. In the DATAARK project, Dr. Maryia Rusak is investigating how a classification system for building information developed across Europe after the Second World War and influenced major architectural projects. The two five-year projects will each receive EUR 1.5 million in funding.

Holger Röhm, KIT

Tausende Materialvarianten systematisch untersuchen, bewerten und gezielt weiterentwickeln – das ermöglicht die neue Energy Materials Acceleration Platform (E-MAP) am Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT). Sie verbindet automatisierte Experimente mit präziser Materialcharakterisierung und schafft damit die Grundlage für eine beschleunigte Entwicklung von Energiematerialien.

IAM-WK, KIT

Our group head Dr.-Ing. Jens Gibmeier (Structure and Stress Analysis) chaired the recent international symposium on "Residual Stress in Materials Science and Engineering (RSMSE 2026)", together with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Niendorf, University of Kassel.

DGM

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Heilmaier, member of IAM-WK's directorate board, has been awarded the Heyn Commemorative Medal 2026 by the German Society for Materials Science (DGM). This, the DGM’s highest honour, recognises outstanding achievements in the field of materials science & engineering. In particular, it may be awarded in recognition of the lifetime scientific achievements of an outstanding individual.

Magali Hauser, KIT

Franziska Brantner, Federal Chair of Alliance 90/The Greens and Member of the German Bundestag, visited Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) on Thursday, July 23, 2026. Together with other representatives of her party, she sought information about promising research results from photreon, a KIT spin-off project based at the Institute for Micro Process Engineering (IMVT). The founding team has developed a technology that makes it possible to produce green hydrogen using nothing more than sunlight and water.

Amadeus Bramsiepe, KIT

Rapid, straightforward, and precise diagnosis of highly contagious pathogens, such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, is crucial for preventing the spread of diseases. This helps minimize both fatalities and economic damage. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now developed a solution that makes medical diagnostic plates, known as assays, significantly more sensitive.

Marvin Dorn, KIT

The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is expanding the Energy Lab – Europe’s leading research infrastructure for renewable energy systems – with a sodium-ion battery storage system. Researchers will investigate this emerging energy storage technology under realistic operating conditions, further strengthening KIT’s research into safe, sustainable, and high-performance storage technologies for tomorrow’s energy supply.

Markus Breig, KIT

Research data is the basis of scientific knowledge, but it is often underused after projects end. The National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) sets standards and creates services that make research data easier to find, share, and reuse across disciplines. To support this effort, the German federal and state governments are providing around EUR 71 million in funding for the ten consortia of the second NFDI funding round through 2028.

Ruth Schwartländer

The Stallwächterparty, the political summer festival hosted by the Baden-Württemberg State Representation in Berlin, was held this year under the theme “Export Hits: From THE LÄND to the Whole World.” Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) showcased Kamedi GmbH, a spin-off company that has achieved international success with its smart insect bite treatment device, “heat it.”

Cheng Zeng, SINANO

Directed rotational motion is widespread in nature and technology. At small scales, however, it is difficult to generate. Researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and partners in China are now presenting a mechanism in which flows at a water surface alone can cause a floating object to rotate controllably in a single direction.Using this mechanism, they assembled ultrathin fibers into structured bundles – for example to produce low-loss high-frequency transmission lines or surgical suture.

Markus Breig, KIT

Professor Mario Ruben, chemist and expert for molecular quantum materials at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) receives an Advanced Grant awarded by the European Research Council (ERC) for his “Hilbert Molecules” project that focuses on the development of multi-state qubits, called qudits, which are generated by the nuclear spins of molecules. The aim of his research is to improve the scalability and controllability of quantum mechanics devices. This marks an essential step toward the Quantum Internet. The ERC is funding the project with roughly EUR 2.5 million over five years.

Simon Bode, KIT

The resistance of material against mechanical loads is a decisive factor for component safety – such as in aircraft. Working in an international team, researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have found a previously unknown damage mechanism in metals: Contamination in the form of stiff particles can make the volume of voids grow up to sixfold when exposed to deformation by shear loading. The results of the study are particularly relevant to the ductility and safety of materials in recycling processes.

Paul Greule, KIT

Targeted control of individual quantum states is considered a key requirement for future quantum computers and other quantum technologies. Researchers of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now found a new way to precisely control the quantum-mechanical state, called spin, of single magnetic molecules on a surface by means of electric voltage. The results open up new possibilities for the development of efficient quantum computers and electrically controlled quantum operations.

KIT

At Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), scientists have been conducting research for more than four decades on the chemistry of actinides, which include plutonium. These elements play an important role in the safe disposal of radioactive waste. In a joint study with the Joint Research Center Karlsruhe, KIT researchers have now made significant progress in investigating plutonium(VI), a chemical state of plutonium.

Alexander Diercks, KIT

Solar energy is a cornerstone of the energy transition. Tandem solar cells made of perovskite and silicon can achieve higher efficiencies than conventional silicon cells, but their industrial manufacturing remains a challenge. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Valencia have now jointly further developed a fast, solvent-free vacuum process that uniformly deposits perovskite layers at high throughput, even on textured silicon surfaces.

Sharmada Nagarajan, @sharmada.nagarajan

Vortices in superconductors have so far been considered a disruption, as they can impair the superconducting properties. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) proved now in experiment that magnetic vortices can be used as controllable quantum systems in certain materials. This means that a previously unwanted phenomenon is becoming a potential resource in quantum technologies, opening up new avenues for the development of quantum computers, highly sensitive sensor systems, and innovative approaches in materials research.

Fan Nan, KIT

Until now, it has been technically nearly impossible to rotate highly sensitive samples in all directions under a microscope without making contact. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a new laser-based technique that allows microscopic samples such as cells to be rotated contact-free in all three spatial directions. The laser creates tiny temperature differences in the liquid, which trigger gentle fluid flows that move the sample. This protects delicate samples and enables more accurate three-dimensional images—an important step for basic medical research.

Stephen T. Liddle/University of Manchester

As part of an international team, researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have synthesized an extraordinary aromatic cycle. Consisting of three metal atoms, it is the heaviest example of this type of molecule: A triangle made from three bismuth atoms is held between two metal complexes in a structure known as “inverse‑sandwich” complex. This discovery contributes to a better understanding of aromaticity in heavy elements. In addition, the study might pave the way for new functional materials.

Moumita Majumdar

An international research team with the participation of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has achieved a previously unattained goal in chemistry: It produced the first triply positively-charged molecule based on atoms of the semimetal antimony. Such highly-charged molecules normally decay quickly because charges repel each other. The open structure is also special: metal atoms are rarely arranged in this way, as ring-shaped structures are typically more stable. To date, researchers had only been able to identify related molecules with a single positive charge.

TippaPatt – stock.adobe.com

In the first round of the competition for funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in February, KIT was exceptionally successful, securing 5.8 million euros. Now, two additional KIT projects are being supported with approximately 500,000 euros each from the EU program for prototype development funding for innovative technologies.