Fraunhofer looks to the future
A center for urban eco-development is to be established in Yangpu District by German research organization Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and Shanghai Jiao Tong University to work out solutions to realize a sustainable and eco-friendly future for cities.
The center will mainly focus on research into the ecological environment, smart cities, green buildings and urban governance with high-quality resources from the innovative construction industry in Shanghai and the other areas of the Yangtze River Delta, according to officials.
It will promote the transfer and application of research results to facilitate the growth of related industries.
The center, a bridge for cooperation between China and Germany as well as China and Europe, will host Fraunhofer's Science and Technology Week as a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the organization's cooperation with China. It will be a display center for the science and technology of Germany's green city construction and a demonstration base for the science and technology used in green and smart buildings.
"I think that international cooperation is very important for Fraunhofer. Fraunhofer has been doing a lot of research in this area for a long time and the international cooperation will make it more efficient," said Dr Lucie Merkle, chief representative of the State of Bavaria's China Office.
Thomas Dickert, Fraunhofer’s international business development director, quoted the World Bank as saying that by the year 2030, 70 percent of China’s population will be living in big cities. "What will be happening here in China will be seen in other places," he said. Issues such as taking care of the environment, traffic and living in smart cities will be topics for their research and he believes the new center will be the perfect tool for developing new solutions.
Christoph Mitterer, chief engineer with Fraunhofer, said there will be separate research groups focusing on building and urban planning.