FORSCHUNGS- UND ENTWICKLUNGSZENTRUM FACHHOCHSCHULE KIEL GMBH

Their core work

FuE-Zentrum Fachhochschule Kiel is the applied research arm of Kiel University of Applied Sciences in northern Germany, bridging academic engineering and industrial application. Their core technical work is in power electronics — specifically SiC (silicon carbide) power semiconductors, inverter development, and the components that make eMobility and smart grid systems function reliably. They also bring electrical engineering expertise to offshore environments, as evidenced by their involvement in multi-use offshore platform development. As a Fachhochschule-linked research center, their work is applied by design: they test, validate, and demonstrate technology rather than doing early-stage basic research.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

With only two projects starting one year apart, a genuine temporal evolution is difficult to establish — both projects ran nearly simultaneously. That said, UNITED (2020) engaged them in offshore platform systems with no documented technical keywords, while TRANSFORM (2021) reveals a sharp technical focus on SiC semiconductors and power conversion for the energy transition. The direction this points to is a deepening specialization in green power electronics and the European semiconductor supply chain, rather than a broadening into new application domains.

They appear to be moving deeper into the European green electronics supply chain — specifically the SiC power semiconductor ecosystem that underpins EV drivetrains, renewable inverters, and industrial automation.

How they like to work

They have participated exclusively as consortium partners rather than coordinators, indicating they contribute focused technical expertise within programs led by others. Both projects were Innovation Actions with large consortia — 63 unique partners across just 2 projects — which places them firmly in the role of a specialist contributor embedded in broad, multi-stakeholder programs. This suggests they are well-suited to partnerships where they own a defined technical workpackage rather than driving the overall agenda.

63 unique consortium partners across 15 countries from just 2 projects, reflecting the large IA-type consortia typical of European industrial demonstrator programs. Their network spans the offshore energy and power semiconductor sectors across Europe.

What sets them apart

As a research center attached to a university of applied sciences in Kiel — Germany's major Baltic maritime hub — they occupy an unusual position: deep technical competence in power electronics combined with direct access to the offshore and maritime sectors. Few organizations combine SiC semiconductor expertise with demonstrated involvement in offshore energy platforms. For consortium builders, this makes them a viable bridge between the advanced electronics sector and the marine/offshore energy world.

Highlights from their portfolio

• UNITED
  Largest project by budget (EUR 1.6M EC funding), demonstrating multi-use offshore platform technology — an unusually applied, large-scale context for a university research center.
• TRANSFORM
  Directly addresses European strategic autonomy in SiC semiconductors — a critical supply chain gap exposed by the EV and renewable energy boom — with explicit eMobility and smart grid applications.