Innovation Hubs

ZEISS research sites Research of today for the applications of tomorrow

A unique location in the middle of growing innovation ecosystems: that's what makes the ZEISS Innovation Hubs so special. Here, employees are able to develop strong ideas, explore approaches and optimize them through feasibility studies. The result: highly innovative solutions that are used in ZEISS' own business units or help customers make the impossible possible.

The sites in figures

  • 2

    Research locations in Karlsruhe (KIT) and Dresden (DD) with ambitious teams.

  • > 27

    Employees who continuously develop ideas and evaluate the latest trends and future technologies

  • > 50

    Student works supervised since 2020

  • 8

    KIT start-ups in the Innovation Hub Karlsruhe

  • 4

    Main research areas:

      

    Integrated photonics and miniaturized sensors
    Medical robotics and assistance systems
    Engineered biology &
    Sustainability and circular economy.

Main research areas

More about the two hubs and their focus areas

This is what the team in Karlsruhe is researching

Micro- and nanofabrication allows many electronic and photonic components to be on a single chip. The scope of application for this integrated optoelectronic approach such for compact sensor systems is being explored at KIT. This also includes medical robotics and assistance systems, sustainability and the circular economy.

This is what the team in Dresden is researching

Genetic engineering to combat hereditary diseases, 3D-printed tissue as a substitute for donor transplants, living sensors: the Innovation Hub in Dresden focuses primarily on organoids (complex 3D tissue models) for pharmaceutical research,bespoke and regenerative medicine.

The input comes from globally recognized academic research and innovative start-ups.

The guiding principle – and its meaning

Today's research

Today's research

Technologies with Technology Readyness Level (TRL) of 4-6 form the starting point. They offer growth opportunities that transcend the current business area roadmaps.

digital fingerprint

into the applications of tomorrow

The innovations have the potential to shape the next 10 to 20 years. We think big, but start small so that we can foresee market successes in good time.

hands on transparent screen

transferred

ZEISS keeps its eye on all markets and therefore knows which solutions are in demand. But before these can be developed, their feasibility and profitability are first assessed.

Hands together

– together.

To find and develop ideas, diverse partners are essential for the teams in Karlsruhe and Dresden.

A team with ambitions

From student to revolutionary

Sophia, Innovation Scout

After her studies at KIT, Sophia decided to do a PhD: "It blew my mind to think that my research could impact the future of medicine." In her doctoral thesis, she carried out the groundwork to developa bonding agent between implant and bone.

From butterfly wings to his own start-up

Guillaume, Materials Researcher

"I was blown away when I heard about the high amount of light a butterfly can absorb and the many nanoholes in its wings," Guillaume reveals. Hisobjective is to adapt this phenomenon in science and harness the genius of nature to benefit science.

  • Leonie, R&D Engineer Ophthalmic Surgery

    Leonie, R&D Engineer Ophthalmic Surgery

    From student to employee at MED

  • Anne, Innovation Manager

    Anne, Innovation Manager

    From researcher to innovation manager

  • Carolin, Robotics Applications Researcher

    Carolin, Robotics Applications Researcher

    From physicist to developer

  • Marius, Doctoral Student:

    Marius, Doctoral Student:

    From Master's Thesis to PhD

  • Adrián, Optics Ophthalmology Researcher

    Adrián, Optics Ophthalmology Researcher

    From graduate to hub employee

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Sites

Innovation Hub Dresden

Visit the site in Dresden – in the middle of the campus of the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden.

ZEISS Innovation Hub Dresden
Else-Kröner-Fresenius Center
Fetscherstraße 74
01307 Dresden, Germany

Innovation Hub Karlsruhe

Visit the location at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
– an idyll situated on the edge of the Black Forest.

ZEISS Innovation Hub at KIT
Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 6
76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany