Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems
The joy of innovation meets meaningful tasks: many good reasons for working at IWES
Working at IWES: What makes us so special
There are around 300 creative and innovative minds hard at work in the areas of science, technology, and administration at IWES, who are supported by more than 100 committed students at nine sites. Together, we work with innovative spirit and scientific curiosity on applied research questions covering all aspects of wind and hydrogen technologies.
Why? Read for yourself:
Meaningful tasks
Our work is meaningful: With our wind and hydrogen research, we are working to ensure the success of the transformation to climate neutrality. We are enthusiastic about visionary ideas and committed to making them reality. Our work forms the bridge between scientific research at universities and industrial development work. Our research is tailored to the needs of politics and society, business, and industry. Our innovative results are relevant to practice and shape optimizations of sustainable efficiency. It is these aspirations which make our work meaningful for our staff and motivate each and every one of them every day.
Institute culture
Our research and development tasks and solutions are aligned with the latest trends and developments. We shape our culture of collaboration, our work environment and processes, our development perspectives, and leadership work in dynamic processes. We are convinced that we can successfully master even special challenges together. The focus of our actions is our key formula for success: We are a team!
Sustainability
We make a considerable contribution to shaping a sustainable energy supply with our work. As an institute for applied research, we are aware of our responsibility toward present and future generations. Accordingly, we continuously review the processes and research & development topics as well as the organizational and operational procedures at IWES. In the sense of sustainability, we have launched an initiative, declared goals, and established principles such as the sustainability criteria in the scope of our procurement processes. Furthermore, we are making a decisive contribution to the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s overall goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2030.
Diversity
We value the diversity of our staff and offer them equal opportunities for participation and development – irrespective of their origin, gender, religion or ideology, disability, age, or sexual identity. For us, diversity is a prerequisite for innovation. It’s no coincidence that the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has been a member of the Charta der Vielfalt for diversity in the world of work since 2011. We regularly monitor our institute-specific diversity measures such as those concerning equal-opportunity recruiting and the unconscious bias training we conduct. These measures make a significant contribution to sustainably achieving our goals of a work environment characterized by diversity and securing the future viability of the institute.
Development
Development work and qualification are part of our institute DNA. This applies to our research topics and staff in equal measure. We invest in the individual development and creative freedom of the areas of responsibility, thus opening up a wide range of opportunities. Alongside personal, professional, and methodical further qualification measures, we also offer the opportunity to complete additional qualifications and degrees. Our staff benefit from our different career pathways and our support in their professional development.
Network
We collaborate with research institutes and industrial companies both in Germany and abroad, are active on boards and committees, and maintain close ties with universities and colleges. Our excellent contacts ensure we enjoy in-depth insights into the latest research and development topics as well as giving us the possibility of positioning our ideas and research results optimally. Our staff benefit from joint project work with renowned partners as well as from opportunities for doctoral studies and expansion of their personal networks.