Press Archive 2020

A first vaccine against the SARS-Cov-2-virus is expected to be available soon. But many questions are still open: How many vaccine doses are available? Who should be vaccinated first? Where should people be vaccinated? How many doctors are needed for vaccination? Researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM have now examined the last two questions together with the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and the Technical University of Kaiserslautern (TUK).

In order to drive forward the digitization of the energy infrastructure, there is a need for real, traceable measurement data from the energy world. Where there is already a good data situation for large generation units - thanks to obligations for transparency - there is still a large amount of blank space for real measurement data from energy consumers. However, this data represents an important basis for innovations in energy system transformation, whether for the creation of smart grids, efficiency measures or business models based on artificial intelligence. The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM is contributing to the development of the "Open Energy Meter Data" platform, which aims to create a web-based contact point for collecting and analyzing energy consumption data.

The process of developing new generations of commercial vehicles and heavy equipment is complex. The hardware-in-the-loop technique gives researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM the opportunity to reproduce and virtually test machines in a software simulation, making machine development faster and more affordable. This technology also enables the testing of malfunctions and critical borderline situations without endangering people or the machine.

Complex optimization problems with many, in particular discrete variables are usually difficult to solve for classical computers. Only recently, certain types of quantum computers have achieved promising results in solving optimization problems. They showed the potential to handle discrete variables as well. In the joint project »EnerQuant: Fundamental modeling in energy economics with quantum algorithms«, the advantages of quantum computing are now to be used for an optimization problem in energy economics.

Billing fraud committed by contract physicians or outpatient nursing services has been the focus of investigations and media discussion in the healthcare sector for years. The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM supports the efficient clarification with new methods.

International networks enrich the scientific exchange. Within the framework of the European Union's THREAD doctoral program, this is currently lived out twice at the Fraunhofer ITWM: In July, the institute welcomes THREAD doctoral student Denise Tumiotto, who will spend four weeks as a guest scientist in the field of "Mathematics for Vehicle Development". In addition, the first network-wide training took place at the beginning of the month, which the 14 PhD students of the program from eight European countries completed together.

Dr. Stefanie Schwaar from the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM won the BMBF's call for funding young female AI researchers. She will establish and head her own research group at the mathematical institute from August 2020. Under the title »EP-KI: Decision Support for Business Management Processes with the Help of New AI Methods« they will work at the interface of business management and artificial intelligence (AI). An excellent network of administration, business and research supports the group, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The coronavirus pandemic has hit the economy hard. What lessons can be learned from this experience? And what’s the best way for companies to protect themselves against this kind of crisis in the future? The answer will certainly involve a combination of different approaches – but new mathematical methods developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM look likely to be a very promising piece of the puzzle. These methods aim to calculate how the risks posed by supply shortages can be reduced significantly at very little extra cost.

How long can you wear a protection mask? When will you have to change a soaked mask? Researchers of the Fraunhofer ITWM tackle these question using mathematical models and computer simulations. It is important to take into account not only the type of mask and the filter material, but also the physical stress level and personal features of the wearer.

Especially when an infectious disease is new, mathematical models help to answer the two most important questions: How will the infection spread and what actions are appropriate and effective to contain it? In order to support local decision makers (health authorities, hospitals and especially municipalities) in planning their actions, researchers of the Fraunhofer ITWM are working on the epidemiological modeling, simulation and decision support of Covid-19 within the framework of the Fraunhofer Society's Anti-Corona Program (project name EpiDeMSE).