Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems IVI
At the Advisory Board meeting on June 10, 2026, representatives from academia, industry, public transportation agencies, and government authorities, as well as the institute director and managers, gathered to discuss the development of Fraunhofer IVI.
In addition to reports on the status of the institute and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, as well as updates from the departments, this year’s meeting focused entirely on new topics and initiatives at Fraunhofer IVI. Dr. Christoph Steup presented selected results from the newly founded “Swarm Technologies” research group, which collaborates closely with Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg. Sebastian Pretzsch, head of the “Data Systems and Travel Assistance” group, explained in his presentation how model regions in autonomous public transportation create real-world testing environments, promote standardization, and enable scalable solutions.
The presentations by members of the Advisary Board offered particularly exciting perspectives. Chairman Nils Schmidt, Head of Yunex Traffic Germany, provided valuable feedback on the strategy process from an auditor’s perspective. Dr. Katharina Seifert, Head of Strategy and Steering Group R&D China at Volkswagen Group China, offered insights into how the Chinese innovation ecosystem functions.
We welcomed Dr. Ann-Kathrin Schatz, Head of the “Federal-State-Research Institutions” division at the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture, and Tourism (SMWK), and Prof. Dr. Meike Jipp, Divisional Board Member for Energy and Transport at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), as new members of the Board of Trustees.
We would like to thank all members of the Advisory Board for their commitment and willingness to actively support the development of our institution. The diverse perspectives of the experts on this board provide us with a valuable foundation for shaping the future of mobility together.