Fraunhofer researchers must act as their own sales agents

At the Fraunhofer Society, Europe's largest application oriented research organization, the laboratory is never isolated from the marketplace. Unlike traditional academic institutions where funding is often guaranteed by the state, Fraunhofer operates on a tripartite financial model. Its annual budget of approximately 3.6 billion euros is split nearly equally between three distinct sources: basic government grants, competitive public research projects, and direct contracts from private industry.