Initial situation and founding impulse
The founding of the Fraunhofer Project Group IWKS and its localization in the Rhine-Main region was decisively influenced by cooperating companies of the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg. The aim was to create an institution in the Aschaffenburg/Hanau industrial area that would develop research and technology know-how in the field of recycling and substitution in close cooperation with the companies. The proximity to the regional universities and colleges of natural, material and engineering sciences also promised good networking.
The German states of Bavaria and Hesse provided substantial funding to support the establishment of the Fraunhofer Project Group IWKS with the aim of attracting top-level research to the region, strengthening the research landscape and promoting the transfer of research into innovative products.