A new research consortium involving htw saar, Saarland University, and Fraunhofer IZFP is strengthening technology transfer in the Saarland with support from the Transformation Fund. The focus is on AI, sensor technology, and new applications for business and society.
Digital technologies are already changing the way we live, work, get around, and receive medical care. In the future, intelligent sensor systems, adaptive assistance solutions, and connected infrastructures are expected to help make everyday life safer, more efficient, and more resilient—from care and healthcare to mobility and critical infrastructure. At the same time, this creates new opportunities for innovation, economic development, and high-quality jobs.
This is precisely where the new “SaarNex” research consortium comes in, through which the Saarland is making targeted investments in new future technologies and the transfer of research into practical applications. The project, a collaboration between htw saar, Saarland University, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Non-Destructive Testing (IZFP), was presented today at htw saar’s technical center. A total of approximately 29.5 million euros has been allocated to SaarNex through 2032.
SaarNex brings together expertise in artificial intelligence, sensor technology, neurotechnology, decentralization, communication, and data management to develop new applications for health, care, mobility, and critical infrastructure. The focus is on intelligent sensor systems, autonomous assistance solutions, and energy-efficient AI technologies for a resilient and digitally connected society.
At the same time, the research consortium aims to help open up new fields of the future for the Saarland region. Together with companies, the partners want to translate technological developments into concrete applications more quickly and thereby generate new innovative momentum, additional value creation, and high-quality jobs.
Minister of Science Jakob von Weizsäcker explains: “The Transformation Fund is intended to help the Saarland build new economic strength through innovation, research, and technological development. That is exactly what SaarNex stands for. The project combines scientific excellence with concrete applications for business and society—from smart healthcare to resilient infrastructure. It is crucial that research leads more quickly to new products, new business models, and good jobs. SaarNex demonstrates how the Saarland is actively shaping technological change and developing new prospects for the future from it.”
htw saar is taking the lead in the consortium. Participants include professors from all four faculties of the university of applied sciences as well as researchers from Saarland University.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter Leonhard,President of htw saar, emphasizes: “SaarNex exemplifies the strength of applied research in the Saarland. Together with our partners from academia and research, we are creating a consortium that combines excellent research with societal and economic benefits. For htw saar, this project is an important step toward further expanding our expertise in future-oriented fields and technologies, thereby strengthening the Saarland as a hub for innovation.”
The research network focuses in particular on two future-oriented fields with high growth potential: health and critical infrastructure. Topics such as intelligent sensor networks, human-machine interaction, autonomous systems, data-driven assistance solutions, and neuromorphic AI are at the center of this effort. The project builds on the Saarland’s existing strengths in AI, sensor technology, computer science, and applied research, and more closely links these with businesses and practical applications.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Horst Wieker,project leader and head of the Transportation Telematics research group, explains: “With SaarNex, we are developing intelligent sensor and AI systems that capture, understand, and make use of information from our environment in real time. In doing so, we are laying the foundation for safe mobility, resilient infrastructure, and new digital services. Close collaboration among the participating disciplines is crucial: only in this way can technological innovations be transformed into practical solutions for the challenges of tomorrow.”
Prof. Dr. Dr. Daniel Strauss,Head of the Systems Neuroscience & Neurotechnology Unit: “We want to develop technologies that put people at the center. By combining neurotechnology, smart sensors, and artificial intelligence, we’re opening up entirely new possibilities for healthcare, nursing care, and assistive systems. SaarNex offers the opportunity to translate scientific findings more quickly into applications that can improve the quality of life for many people.”
A particular focus is on transferring scientific findings into concrete commercial applications. Particularly relevant is the approach of making the principles of biological information processing technically usable: For example, the human brain achieves its energy efficiency not by comprehensively processing all signals, but through selective attention processes that amplify relevant information and actively suppress interference. SaarNex is working with companies to translate such neuro-inspired mechanisms into energy-efficient applications for smart infrastructure monitoring, autonomous assistance systems, digital healthcare, sensor technology, and AI-supported data processing. Several partners have announced plans to launch new research and development activities or to expand existing areas in a targeted manner.
The participating companies see particular potential in areas such as smart infrastructure monitoring, autonomous assistance systems, digital healthcare, sensor technology, and AI-supported data processing. Several partners have already announced plans to launch new research and development activities or to expand existing areas.
Prof. Dr. Mana Mojadadr, Founder & Director of Trust it, explains: “The success of SaarNex will be measured by how quickly research finds its way into practical application. That is why we want to involve companies—especially small and medium-sized enterprises—at an early stage and jointly develop innovations that create new value, strengthen competitiveness, and sustainably advance Saarland as a technology hub.”
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernd Valeske, Director of Fraunhofer IZFP, adds: “With the ‘SaarNex’ research network, we are creating a collaboration among the most research-active professors at htw saar, UkS, and Fraunhofer IZFP. We are addressing the challenges and transformation needs of Saarland’s rapidly changing society and economy. A total of 17 research groups have joined forces to pool their expertise in the technology fields of ‘monitoring and assistance in socially relevant application areas using decentralized cognitive sensor systems and autonomous agents.’ In these research applications, solutions are being developed to meet people’s everyday needs using the technologies of tomorrow. This research network is intended to enable young researchers in the newly emerging groups of excellence to make a seamless transition from htw saar to a permanent research home at Fraunhofer.”
SaarNex is designed for long-term impact: In addition to new technological solutions, the network aims to foster the creation of additional research groups, technology transfer structures, and innovation partnerships. In this way, the Saarland is set to gradually become a prominent hub for intelligent, human-centered technologies of the future.