FORSCHUNGSINSTITUT FUER WAERMESCHUTZ EINGETRAGENER VEREIN MUENCHEN

Their core work

FIW München (Forschungsinstitut für Wärmeschutz) is Germany's dedicated research institute for thermal protection and building insulation — one of the few organizations in Europe whose core mission is specifically the testing, characterization, and development of insulation materials. In EU projects they contribute laboratory measurement capabilities, thermal performance modeling, and standardization know-how to push insulation technology from lab toward market. Their work sits at the intersection of materials science and construction practice, translating new material properties into real-world energy savings in buildings. Beyond pure research, they carry recognized authority in defining performance standards that shape how insulation products are certified and adopted across Europe.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (2016–2020), FIW München was squarely focused on a single high-performance technology: vacuum insulation panels, with keywords spanning VIPs, superinsulation, and transmission heat loss — highly specialized and product-specific. By their second project (2019–2023), the keyword landscape shifted toward advanced ceramics, prefabricated elements, predictive modelling, and open collaboration — signaling a move from one niche product toward a broader advanced materials ecosystem for construction. The trend points to FIW leveraging their insulation thermal expertise as a bridge into adjacent high-performance material classes, while also engaging more in knowledge transfer and standardization activities rather than pure material development.

FIW München is expanding from a narrow VIP specialist toward a broader thermal performance authority across multiple advanced construction material classes, making them increasingly relevant for any consortium tackling next-generation building envelopes.

How they like to work

FIW München has taken both the coordinator role (INNOVIP) and the partner role (LightCoce), showing they can lead when the topic falls squarely in their wheelhouse and join larger consortia when the scope broadens. Despite only two projects, they have built a network of 39 partners across 13 countries, suggesting they are active and well-connected rather than isolated. Working with them likely means accessing a combination of specialized lab measurement infrastructure and standardization expertise that is difficult to replicate elsewhere in a consortium.

FIW München has collaborated with 39 unique partners spread across 13 countries — a notably broad network for an organization with only two H2020 projects. Their partnerships span the EU construction and materials research landscape, with no obvious single-country concentration.

What sets them apart

FIW München is one of Europe's only standalone research institutes whose entire mission is thermal insulation — not a university group pursuing it as one of many topics, but an institute where it is the core mandate. This means they bring accredited testing infrastructure, long-term measurement data, and deep standardization relationships that a university lab or industrial R&D team typically cannot match. For any consortium building an energy-efficiency or advanced materials project that needs credible, measurable thermal performance claims, FIW München adds a validation and certification dimension that strengthens both the science and the market pathway.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INNOVIP
  FIW München served as coordinator on this Innovation Action developing multifunctional vacuum insulation panels — their only leadership role in H2020, directly in their core specialty.
• LightCoce
  The largest project by EC funding (€787,512) and the one that demonstrates FIW's ability to contribute thermal expertise to a broader advanced materials consortium beyond their VIP niche.