Public/Private Partnerships
Engines for Innovation in Transportation
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II. Examples of Public/Private Partnerships in Transportation
D. The Fraunhofer Society in America: How Germany Manages Public/Private Partnerships
The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (Fraunhofer Society) was established in 1949 in then West Germany at the inspiration of the Bavarian Secretary of State for Economic Affairs as a non-profit organization to promote the development and deployment of advanced technologies within that nation. Its name was chosen to honor the famous German scientist and entrepreneur Joseph von Fraunhofer (1787-1826). From its headquarters in Munich, the Society coordinates the activities of 59 separate Fraunhofer Institutes and affiliated organizations within Germany. Each of these facilities has a specific technical focus within the Society's eight research fields, to which each institute agrees to limit its activities. (See Figure 5).
Figure 5: Fraunhofer Society Research Areas
| 1. Materials and Components
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