Workshop #4: Speakers

Annette Braun

Dr Annette Braun studied forestry sciences at the University of Freiburg, Germany. In 1999 she awarded doctorate. After attending a one year advanced training course for public relations she worked with Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM, first as the head of public relations, then as the head of the service group „New Technologies and Patents”. Dr Annette Braun was responsible for the strategic orientation of Fraunhofer IPM to the necessities of industry. She and her associates consulted Fraunhofer scientists in matching technological and scientific activities with needs of application. The service group conducted technology oriented market research studies, organized presentations at industrial fairs, and arranged contacts to industrial partners and customers. Moreover the group was responsible for corporate communications and representation of the institute in Internet and other media. Since the beginning of 2009 Dr Annette Braun has been in charge of the Fraunhofer department “International Business Development” at the headquarters in Munich.

Andreas Aepfelbacher

Andreas Aepfelbacher, Deputy Head of the Fraunhofer Venture Group, came to

Fraunhofer in October 2001 to start in the project financing division. After six months he joined the Venture Group and since then is supporting Spin Off companies. In 2007 he earned the designation of CFA from the CFA Institute. Before taking up his position, he gained occupational experience at Munich Tread Fair GmbH, where he was responsible for development and implementation of controlling instruments and standards. Following his graduation in forestry, environmental engineering, and business administration, he worked as a project developer and investment controller for a management company of RWE AG.

Sabine Krieg

Sabine Krieg is responsible for Business Development and Strategic Research

Planning at Fraunhofer IGB, with a focus on national and international applied research projects. Prior to working for Fraunhofer, she was the CEO of FEP Science GmbH, which specialized in nutritional medicine and training for medical doctors. Mrs. Krieg was the Scientific Coordinator for international University training courses in sustainable agriculture in tropical and subtropical countries. She holds a degree in Agrobiology from the University of Hohenheim, and wrote her thesis on Plant Protection in the Tropics and Subtropics.

Torsten Nyncke

Fraunhofer International Business Development
Program Manager Fraunhofer Portugal Cooperation

Torsten is responsible for international business development in European countries at Fraunhofer Headquarters. He has experience in the set up of international subsidiaries in the context of applied research and the establishment of bilateral scientific cooperation programs. After joining Fraunhofer in 2003, Torsten worked on the establishment of subsidiaries and cooperations in Austria, Hungary, France and latest Portugal. He has been involved in national research policy making and is an experienced broker of the Fraunhofer model.

Since 2007 Torsten is Program Manager for the Fraunhofer Portugal Cooperation at Fraunhofer Headquarters working on the physical, legal and political installation of Fraunhofer Portugal and its integration into the Fraunhofer network.

Torsten has degrees in economics and language from Universities in Germany, the UK and the Netherlands.

Dirk Christian Elias

Prof. Dirk Christian Elias, born in 1966, is the director of the Fraunhofer research center for ‘Assistive Information and Communication Solutions’ (FhP-AICOS) in Portugal. He left the Technical University of Munich in 1992 as Diplom-Ingenieur for Electrical engineering and joined the research institute for open communication systems in Berlin (GMD FOKUS, now Fraunhofer FOKUS). Between 1992 and 1996 his work focused on Multifunctional end systems with direct access to ATM-networks (Asynchronous Tramsfer Mode). He received his doctorate degree from the Technical University of Berlin for Comupter Sciences in 1996. Between 1996 and 2001 he led the Laboratory for Home and Office Technologies (HOT), which has been used as a test bed for many smart home activities of Deutsche Telekom Berkom. During 1992 and 2000 he participated in various national and international projects for GMD/FhG, Deutsche telekom, Siemens, Eurescom, and EU. In 2000 he left GMD/FhG and started IVISTAR. IVISTAR was focused on IP-based Multi-Play products for the organization of open offices and also provided product development services to DTAG for the residential market. He was the CEO for eight years, and then was the chairman of the supervisory board for one year after leaving Portugal. IVISTAR was then sold to an Austrian investor.

Lorenz Kaiser

Dr. Lorenz Kaiser is Division Director for legal and contractual affairs at Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. H is responsible for the departments “Law,” “R&D Contracts,” and “Public Sponsoring,” rendering centralized services for the 57 Fraunhofer Institutes. He specializes in the development of models for research cooperations , negotiations, and contractual solutions, which also includes the transfer of knowledge through Spin Offs from Research facilities. Dr. Kaiser has 25 years of experience in negotiating contracts with industry and is a member of several national and international expert groups for Research funding and IPR questions. Dr. Kaiser also practices law privately as an attorney-at-law in his specialty. He gives lectures and seminars in the field of research contracts. His areas of specialization are: Contracting in Research and Development, Civil Law (especially Contract Law, legal questions of funding regulations, and EU law on Research and Development.