HZB strengthens its technology transfer
Dr. Paul Harten heads the new "Technology Transfer and Innovation" department
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) wants to bring technologies to market faster together with industrial partners and use its expertise in materials and energy research to investigate questions from industry in joint projects. The newly established "Technology Transfer and Innovation" department will identify cooperation partners and applications that are of industrial interest.
"The HZB has a high level of systems competence that covers the entire innovation chain from basic research to application, making it an important partner for industry and society. We want to further expand this with the new staff department," says Prof. Dr. Bernd Rech, Scientific Director of HZB for the Energy Division.
"HZB conducts research on many topics that are also of interest to industry. In addition, there is an excellent research infrastructure here, with which materials can not only be characterized in a variety of ways, but also synthesized and modified. This gives us enormous potential for cooperation with industry," says Dr. Paul Harten, head of the "Technology Transfer and Innovation" department. "We want to actively approach industry and promote these offers. We also plan to intensify contacts with former employees and guest scientists. The establishment of an ALUMNI network is an opportunity to gain existing contacts for joint new projects.
Short biography:
Dr. Paul Harten studied physics and received his doctorate in optics from the University of Arizona. He has gained a wide range of professional experience in order to advance the usability of technologies. Among other things, Harten worked in the development department of a large German corporation, in the management of a medium-sized company and was involved in the founding of several start-ups. Most recently, he worked at the Helmholtz Innovation Lab HySPRINT on industrial partnerships for the establishment of large-area laser material processing methods in various industries.
- Israel Ibukun Olaniyan receives the Helmholtz Doctoral Award 2026At Helmholtz, more than 8,000 doctoral candidates conduct research. Eleven of them have now been honored for their original and outstanding work, among them Dr Israel Ibukun Olaniyan from the HZB. His doctoral thesis "Ferroelectricity at the nanoscale in epitaxial BaTiO3 on silicon" in the group of Professor Catherine Dubourdieu represents a step towards a new nanoelectronics based on topological defects, that can potentially help to create an energy efficient information technology.
- Does African Architecture exist?The world’s first Pan-African Architecture Biennale took place this September in Nairobi, Kenya. People from the worlds of architecture, art, academia and politics from 54 African countries and the diaspora had travelled to Nairobi to exchange ideas on traditional and contemporary building methods, materials, experiences and projects. Samira Aden co-organised this biennial as lead curator. We spoke to her about it.
- Nanosilver as an electrocatalyst for CO₂ reductionVia electrolysis, CO2 can be reduced to CO, a raw material for further chemical products such as fuels. Within the GreenQuest Project, an internation team led by HZB chemist Prashanth Menezes has now systematically investigated catalyst layers made of silver nanoparticles, varying both the size of the particles and their density. The best yield was achieved with nanoparticles with diameters of around 10 nm, which were loosely distributed. Furthermore, they demonstrated how the economic efficiency of the electrochemical cell can be enhanced by integrating an additional chemical reaction at the anode, enabling the simultaneous production of a valuable formic acid, hydrogen, and CO in one device.