Osram awarded prize for early technology recognition

The Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT) has distinguished Osram for its outstanding early identification of technology. Among more than 200 participants, Osram is one of five companies that received the prize in Vaals (Netherlands). "In a sector with innovation cycles shortened from decades to just months, the early detection of trends is an important key for success. This is a confirmation of both our technical expertise and our processes," commented Klaus Streubel, Head of Corporate Technology at Osram.

Osram did especially well in the "results" category. One example for this is thin film technology for LEDs. This has been implemented by the company since the nineties and is still today achieving competitive advantages with high-performance LEDs. Osram also identified and researched the topic of "adaptive front lighting for vehicles" earlier than other companies, which resulted in significantly more rapid development of laser light systems.

The Fraunhofer project, the framework for the awarding of the prizes, has been working since September 2013 on the theme of early technology recognition. Following the initial investigation of challenges by a consortium of experts, 207 companies participated in a written survey, and five winners were selected on the basis of extensive interviews, reviews and on-site analyses. The prize jury consisted of representatives from leading German technology companies.