In July 2026, Fraunhofer IAO will be launching the Applied Robotics Alliance (ARA). This new innovation network connects companies from various industries to explore new robotic applications and establish long-term R&D partnerships with the goal of strengthening robotics in Germany and beyond.
The field of robotics is facing a new era: Robots are evolving from rigidly programmed machines into intelligent, adaptive systems that operate autonomously in unstructured environments, understand natural language and perform tasks in domestic or industrial settings. However, there lies untapped innovation potential beyond these established application domains that can be unlocked by adding new components such as artificial intelligence (AI), sensor technologies or novel actuators to established robotic systems.
The Applied Robotics Alliance, led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO, unites robot manufacturers, integrators, component and system suppliers and users from a wide range of industries to uncover these untapped potentials. The goal is to initiate R&D cooperations and combine technical solutions to make robots smarter and applicable in radically new use cases and application domains.
Following the motto “Purpose. Progress. Robots.”, the ARA creates an environment for product innovation and collaboration. In so-called innovation sprints, experts from the different industries will come together to develop ideas, build prototypes, implement market-ready solutions and test their applicability. Each sprint will focus on one particular application area. “We coordinate and moderate all activities within the ARA as a trusted partner, advisor, facilitator and matchmaker between companies,” says Kathrin Pollmann, project manager at Fraunhofer IAO. In individual, confidential one-on-one meetings, the research team will help the partner companies to identify their specific research and development needs. Based on these insights, the project team will initiate cooperations between partners to combine their products into innovative robotic systems.
Fraunhofer IAO will help participating companies advance their strategic innovation initiatives based on customized R&D roadmaps. The network will be complemented by the Future Robotics Showroom, where network partners can present their solutions and showcase the project results for a broad public.
The Applied Robotics Alliance (ARA)” will run from July 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. Interested companies are cordially invited to contact us for a first, informative meeting and join this forward-looking innovation network.
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO