Fraunhofer Names Haefner Executive Vice President of Research and Transfer

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has named Constantin Haefner as executive vice president of Research and Transfer. Elected in June of last year, Haefner has officially assumed the position as of today, having previously served as the executive director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology since 2019.

Constantin Haefner. Courtesy of Markus Jürgens/Fraunhofer.

The Research and Transfer executive unit at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is responsible for the organization’s strategic alignment. Its main objective is to promote the commercialization of research results and the collaboration between research and industry. The unit manages Fraunhofer’s research resources, supports the institutes in translating research results into market-ready applications and develops research fields to expedite the application of technology and enhance the competitiveness of German industry.

Haefner previously led the Advanced Photon Technologies program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he worked on the development of next-generation, high-average power petawatt laser systems. Haefner, who heads the expert commission on laser fusion appointed by Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research, is a fellow of Optica and holds a professorship for laser technology at RWTH Aachen University.