„FOKUS InnoCity“ in Santiago de Chile
Fraunhofer FOKUS opens Office for ICT Innovation
The German Federal Minister of Education and Research, Annette Schavan, and the Chilean Minister of Economy, Pablo Longueira, opened on the 1st of October the new 'Office for ICT Innovation' at a ceremony in Santiago de Chile. With the newly created office in Chile, Fraunhofer FOKUS is collaborating with South American representatives from industry, politics and science to develop Smart City-solutions for the region.
FOKUS InnoCity is going to be part of the Fraunhofer Chile Research Foundation. The first institution under the umbrella of the Fraunhofer Chile Research Foundation, the Fraunhofer Center for Systems Biotechnology, was established in early 2011. FOKUS InnoCity will now expand Fraunhofer Chile's existing range of scientific research in biotechnology by the field of IT.
FOKUS InnoCity's key subject will be the creation of IT solutions for modern cities. The office will develop IT concepts for intelligent, interoperable and secure infrastructures that address key economic challenges, such as transport and mobility, health, public (IT) security, e-government and protection against natural disasters. New technologies are set to improve life in Chile and South America in all of these areas and to support economic recovery. Furthermore, InnoCity will provide consultancy services for IT-based solutions in urban areas.
"In the future, we will perceive and experience cities differently. The fact that over 60 percent of the world's population lives in a city means that there is a concentration of resources, which leads to new economic and social challenges. This also applies to the entire South American region - without IT infrastructures, data interpretation and the integration into various processes in the city, there can be no 'Smart City'." explains Prof. Radu Popescu-Zeletin, director of the Fraunhofer Institute FOKUS.
As FOKUS InnoCity's first partner, Bundesdruckerei GmbH contributes solutions in the field of high-security technology. Bundesdruckerei, a longstanding partner of Fraunhofer FOKUS, develops innovative and trust-worthy solutions for businesses, administration and citizens. Their innovative solution innovative solutions guarantee the efficient input, output and reliable verification of personal data in electronic documents. The Bundesdruckerei facilitates an optimal digital identity protection through their e-services portfolio (more information at www.bundesdruckerei.de).
Dr. Wolfgang Schuch, director of Fraunhofer Chile Research emphasizes: "Germany is at the forefront of the development and implementation of strategies and technologies which address the world´s future needs. Fraunhofer Institutes play a key part in developing technologies to prepare us for this future. Fraunhofer Chile Research was established to bring these technologies to Chile. The first step was the establishment of our Centre for Systems Biotechnology.", says Dr. Schuch. "The opportunity to add other Fraunhofer expertise in form of Fraunhofer FOKUS will greatly strengthen our ability to engage local governments and companies in applied research."
Contact:
Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communications Systems FOKUS
Marina Grigorian
Kaiserin-Augusta-Allee 31
10589 Berlin, Germany
Tel. 030 / 3463-7388
Fax 030 / 3463-8000
marina.grigorian(at)fokus.fraunhofer.de
www.fokus.fraunhofer.de/go/presse