The Bremen Center for Computational Materials Science (BCCMS) is an interdisciplinary research center at the University of Bremen (UB) located between the science and the engineering Faculties. It is chiefly concerned with the computer-aided theoretical materials research discipline "Computational Materials Science" in both basic as well as application-oriented topics.

Cross-scale methods ranging from the quantum mechanical-atomistic level, through simplified approaches, up to continuum theoretical description, make it possible to deal in particular with questions regarding the structural design of complex materials in order to develop new functional components and materials in close cooperation with scientific institutes and industrial partners.

The intelligent combination of mechanics, modern electrical engineering and information processing leads to innovative solutions and products that lend manufacturers a competitive edge on international markets. The “Bremen Center for Mechatronics�? is a powerful partner that effectively supports the regional economy in the development of innovative products. We would welcome the opportunity to talk to you, too, about how your enterprise could benefit from the ongoing trend of mechatronics. Just give us a call so we can provide you with information on new approaches being developed in the field of mechatronics. www.mechatronik-bcm.de

bias perceives its mission in the research and development of beam technology – especially laser beam technologies – and to open up applications for these useful innovations. For example: Our institute developed the welding processes used in aircraft manufacturing today. Besides aircraft manufacturing, our developments find application in aerospace, ship building as well as rail car engineering and car production etc.

As an important research institute, bias maintains close relations with the University of Bremen – among other things via the Collaborative Research Center 747 "Micro Cold Forming". Research and development, therefore, are not our sole tasks: We perceive a further important mission in education. The students in the Faculty “Production Engineering�? and “Physics and Electrical engineering�? gain greatly from our many years of experience.

The BIBA - Bremen Institute for Production and Logistics is an engineering research institute and was founded in 1981 as the first affiliated institute of the University of Bremen. Today around 150 people from various disciplines work here. They linked the research fields of production and logistics with the view of both the processes and the products and their entire life cycle.

In its field Information and Communication Applications in Production (IKAP), BIBA conducts research on entrepreneurial activity in dynamic, cooperative, interorganisational corporate networks, how it can be supported by ICT and what challenges it creates. The BIBA division Intelligent Production and Logistics Systems (IPS) primarily focuses on intra-company and cross-border production and logistics processes, especially in terms of their dynamics and complexity.

Organizationally and in terms of content, the BIBA is closely linked to the fields of Planning and Control of Production-Technical and Logistic Systems (PSPS) and Integrated Product Development (BIK) in the Faculty of Production Engineering. It works closely with the International Graduate School for Dynamics in Logistics (IGS) and the competence and service center LogDynamics Lab. Both are located in the BIBA and part of the research network LogDynamics of the University of Bremen, to which the BIBA belongs.

The Institute for Integrated Product Development (BIK) is an institute for engineering research. It is connected to the University of Bremen via the thematic field Integrated Product Development in the Faculty of Production Engineering-Mechanical Engineering and Process Engineering. The institute was founded in 1990 and is currently led by Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Klaus-Dieter Thoben. The areas covered by BIK encompass both basic as well as application-oriented research topics.

The thematic foci at BIK lie in product development in the areas of automation and light-weight construction, the development of energy and resource efficient production processes, product development as well as noise and vibration analysis in product development and manufacturing.

In addition, BIK hosts the competence center for handling technology as well as a laboratory for analysis of acoustic characteristics.

The institute’s scientific staff are also active in various networks, among others the Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Produktentwicklung (WiGeP), Researchsverband Windenergy (FVWE) as well as the Center for Wind Energy Research (ForWind).

The Bremen Institute for Metrology, Automation and Quality Science (BIMAQ) is an institute of engineering research embedded in the Faculty of Production Engineering at the University of Bremen. It was formed in 2007 through the merger of two formerly independent research institutes. The institute‘s central campus and Technology Park location reflects the broad spectrum of its activities.

Dedicated to knowledge transfer, the BIMAQ scientists work both in areas of basic research as well as in application-oriented projects: From the development of new production or metrology techniques up to optimization of manufacturing processes or the development of prototypes. BIMAQ’s cooperation partners include research establishments and enterprises around the globe.

BIMAQ has around 40 employees. They are engaged in national research and industrial projects as well as large-scale EU projects. BIMAQ is also centrally involved in a Bremen collaborative research center funded by the German Research Foundation. BIMAQ’s core competence lies in metrology, but also in areas of automation, quality science, and energy systems.

The Bremen Institute for Mechanical Engineering (bime) is an inner-university institute. It was formed in 2008 through merging the three thematic fields of Production Facilities, Engineering Mechanics – Structural Mechanics and Production Design in the Faculty of Production Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Process Engineering.

bime scientists conduct research in national and international projects as well as in collaborative research centers, working in the areas of basic research and industrial research cooperation. Research activities at bime are concerned with the development and operation of production facilities, from their basic mechanical design, through mechatronic components and control engineering, up to plant operation and production logistics.

The Institute for Aerospace Systems analyzes and evaluates technical, economic and socio-political aspects of complex aerospace systems. It develops concepts for innovative aerospace missions with high visibility on both national as well as international levels. DLR has the task to develop aerospace-aided applications for scientific, commercial and security-relevant systems, all of which are implemented in cooperative projects with other research establishments and industry. DLR activities support political decision-making on both national as well as international aerospace strategy, contributing towards lending the Federal Republic of Germany more weight in the international aerospace arena. Based on its independent research in the area of aerospace systems engineering and in cooperation with universities, DLR strengthens education in the field of systems engineering.

The Bremen FIBRE Institute is a highly successful research institute for the development of high-performance composite materials, manufacturing technologies, fibre development, quality assurance as well as materials development and characterization. With such a combination of core competences, FIBRE has no match on the German research landscape. Over the past 20 years, the institute has developed this USP through its continual and successful application-oriented and basic research.

In the last five years, the institute has successfully gained new industrial and research partners for mutual research projects, in particular in the areas of aviation, automotives, and wind energy. Its international orientation means that FIBRE is also strongly connected to international networks comprising different industrial partners, research institutes and universities. Its research activity is supported by close links to the University of Bremen through a cooperation agreement going back to 1989. In the context of this agreement, FIBRE also undertakes tasks in the University’s areas of teaching and research. The campus location ensures closest possible contact to other institutes and students.

Fraunhofer IFAM is Europe’s most important independent research institution in the field of “Shaping and Functional Materials�? as well as “Bonding Technologies and Surfaces�?. The main focus is on research and development activities with the aim to provide our customers with reliable and application oriented solutions. Products and technologies address especially branches of particular importance for future sustainability: Aviation, automotives, energy and the environment as well as medical technology and life sciences. Other solutions developed by the institute find application in other branches of the economy like machine and plant construction, electronics and electrical engineering as well as the building of ships and rail cars or the packing and construction industry.

These tasks are realized by some 600 highly qualified personnel working together on the various projects and research topics. The spectrum of offers ranges from materials to shaping and joining technology up to the functionalization of surfaces and the development of complete assemblies or complex systems. The Fraunhofer IFAM therefore covers the entire value-added chain from materials development, through product design, up to and including integration in industrial production – including pilot production and targeted measures for qualifying personnel in new technologies.

Our core competences

Fraunhofer IFAM is a research institute specialized in materials sciences, especially in the areas of metallic and polymeric materials. Its considerable technological and scientific expertise is bundled in seven core competences. These core competences – singly and in interaction with one another – account for IFAM’s strong position on the research market and form the basis for future oriented developments in:

- Powder technology
- Metallic sintering, composite, and cellular materials
- Bonding technology
- Surface engineering
- Foundry technology
- Electrical components and systems
- Fiber composites

The Institute Technology and Education (ITB) at the University of Bremen has been intensively involved in the area of vocational education research for 25 years. With currently around 60 employees, it ranks among the largest independent institutions in this area of research.

ITB’s research activities revolve around vocational education research dealing with the configuration of work, engineering, and education. It aims at achieving closer links between reform of vocational education and innovation in the area of work and engineering. This calls not only for an interdisciplinary approach, but also – in times of globalization – an international approach to research. ITB therefore brings together educationalists and occupational researchers, engineers, sociologists and scholars of cultural studies, psychologists, economists and ergonomists whose research is often performed in the context of research networks.

ITB’s activities cover a broad range of research and development projects on regional, national and international levels. Research projects are mostly carried out in cooperation with enterprises in the sectors of industry, service providers or craft trades as well as institutions of vocational education. ITB also cooperates closely with other relevant organizations in Europe, the USA, China, Japan, Malaysia and other Asian, African and South American countries.

The Institute for Environmental Process Engineering is occupied with the development and implementation of processes and measures designed to achieve sustainable processes and products.

In this context, the area of teaching in the Faculty of Production Engineering offers an ideal possibility to pass the latest insights gained from research and industrial practice on to the next generation and to integrate such knowledge into teaching projects at an early stage.

The department of environmental process engineering at the Institute for Environmental Process Engineering is embedded in the Center for Environmental Research and Sustainable Technologies (UFT) at the University of Bremen. The institute is concerned with the development of process strategies and solutions in the areas: Biotechnology processes, bioprocess engineering, chemical processes & products, porous media and reaction engineering.

IWT (Institute of Materials Engineering) develops future technologies of metal processing right up to their industrial maturity and is occupied with the comprehensive know-how and exclusive technical equipment required to provide customized solutions in respect of metal processing.

Having its roots in the tradition-steeped Institute Of Hardening Technology, IWT can look back over a more then fifty-year history. It is concerned with complex research in the area of metal processing. The only institute of its kind in Germany, IWT combines the three specialist disciplines of materials, process and production engineering as equal ranking main departments under one roof. Technological problems facing enterprises in the sector of metal processing can thus be solved on the interdisciplinary level with no need for time-consuming coordination discussions. Located on the campus of the University of Bremen, IWT’s knowledge basis is complemented by its close association with the University’s Faculty of Production Engineering.

Process Engineering: The Process Engineering department is one of the three central research units belonging to the Foundation Institute of Materials Engineering: Along with the thematic field Mechanical Process Engineering at the University of Bremen, it is headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Lutz Mädler. The department’s central research concentration lies in the production, processing, modeling and characterization of particles in the gas phase.

Production Engineering: The underlying aim pursued by researchers in this department is determination of cause effect relationships in processes involving cutting techniques (machining) and forming processes.

Materials Engineering: Among the activities pursued by the materials engineering department are the organization of science-related events as well as comprehensive experimental and theoretical investigations in the areas: Heat treatment of metals, surface technology, the characterization of materials structure, mechanical materials properties, and optimization of materials properties for operational use.

The Laboratory for Precision Machining (LFM) at the University of Bremen is a research and development center in the Faculty of Production Engineering. Since it was founded in 1992, its research has been centered on the practice-oriented further development of ultra-precise mechanical production processes. It works n close cooperation with the Foundation Institute of Materials Engineering (IWT). LFM develops solutions for industrial enterprises and research institutes in respect of producing the sophisticated optical and mechanical components that today play a key role in numerous innovation areas from medical technology to astronomical research. In the context of university education, the institute trains aspiring engineers for future careers in industry and science. www.lfm.uni-bremen.de

The Bremen Institute for Materials Testing provides services in the area of damage analysis and the testing of new materials and materials used in construction. Our strength lies above all in the close cooperation maintained with all departments involved in solving materials-related problem issues. MPA Bremen is a department within the Foundation Institute of Materials Engineering (IWT). It is overseen by the Bremen Senator for Construction and the Environment as well as Senator for Education and Science.

Products and technologies for a healthy environment are the main foci of the Center for Environmental Research and Sustainable Technologies (UFT), one of the University of Bremen’s Central Research Units.

The interdisciplinary team of biologists, chemists and production engineers bundle their basic and applied research activities in the shared research concentration “Environmentally friendly Nanomaterials�?. In the university area of academic teaching, UFT also integrates its activities in research-based learning for students and doctoral candidates pursuing interdisciplinary studies in a productive and friendly working atmosphere.

The wide range of topics encompassed by UFT research groups makes it possible to apply a broad spectrum of methods – from materials production and characterization, through methods of analyzing structure activity, up to biological and technical testing systems. The overriding objective of our research activities is to conserve resources and minimize risks for humans and the environment.