Endress+Hauser, a Swiss group specializing in measurement technology, has recently opened its new premises at the Freiburg Innovation Center FRIZ. The center serves as an innovation cluster where more than 70 employees are dedicated to the development of cutting-edge sensor technologies and software solutions. By consolidating various teams in one location, Endress+Hauser aims to foster collaboration and create an environment conducive to innovation by bringing together research institutes, start-ups, and other companies.
The FRIZ is situated within the Technical Faculty of the University of Freiburg in Germany. Completed in 2022 after a two-year construction period, the facility offers over 12,000 square meters of space, housing modern and flexible offices, as well as laboratories. Endress+Hauser is the largest tenant, occupying approximately 2,400 square meters of office space on two floors, along with an additional 1,000 square meters on the ground floor dedicated to chemical and biological laboratories and clean rooms.
The company has consolidated six previously dispersed units within the FRIZ, encompassing a wide range of disciplines and technologies. One team focuses on solutions for the Industrial Internet of Things, developing intelligent connections between software and sensor technology. Another team specializes in optical analysis technology, which is utilized to monitor fermentation processes and other applications. Additionally, a team is dedicated to exploring the future of sensor and measurement technology, including advancements that could potentially replace the human sense of smell.
Among the units present at the FRIZ is Jobst Technologies, a subsidiary of Innovative Sensor Technology IST, which develops and sells biosensors. Another noteworthy unit is Endress+Hauser BioSense, a joint venture with Hahn-Schickard-Gesellschaft, a nonprofit research association. This venture focuses on rapid on-site molecular analyses, with applications in industries such as food and beverage. To safeguard their innovations against imitators, Endress+Hauser also has a team of patent specialists on campus.
CEO Matthias Altendorf envisions the new location as a breeding ground for the measurement technology of tomorrow. By bringing together diverse disciplines and encouraging collaboration with research partners, Altendorf believes that the FRIZ will stimulate innovation. He recognizes that innovation often occurs at the interfaces where scientific and industrial collaborations take place, and by establishing connections with the university, research institutes, spin-offs, and other companies, Endress+Hauser aims to enhance these opportunities.
The inauguration of the new innovation cluster was celebrated by Endress+Hauser with the presence of guests, employees, representatives from the shareholder family, and the Group. The FRIZ’s new premises will be adorned with a work of art by glass artist Britta Schmidhauser, symbolically representing the various fields of activity within Endress+Hauser in Freiburg. The event was concluded with a summer party, providing a relaxed atmosphere for attendees, accompanied by live music from the campus band Transistors.
