As the Corona pandemic began to have less of a hold on social and professional life over the course of 2022, Fraunhofer IZM finally had a chance to return to many of its usual trade fairs and exhibition slots. Highlights included the three major spring expos PCIM Europe, SMTconnect, and Sensor+Test, hosted in tandem from 10 to 12 May 2022 in Nuremberg. The fairs’ organizers, exhibitors, and attendees were all excited to be back in person and get a chance to see new electronics innovations and meet likeminded professionals in living color.

In early September 2022, Fraunhofer IZM researchers from the ERE department used the prize money from the Ralf Dahrendorf Prize they had won the previous year to bring an interactive exhibit to IFA in Berlin that allowed visitors to go on a »sustainability safari«. It gave the participants an introduction to the various life cycle stages of a typical smartphone and included an info panel on the new energy label and the environmental impact of selected IT devices.

The fall of 2022 also saw Fraunhofer IZM joining two shared Fraunhofer booths at the Smart Country Convention (SCCON 2022) in Berlin and the electronica expo in Munich. At the Berlin expo for e-government and smart cities, the IZM’s exhibit covered the recently completed flagship project ZEPOWEL, which saw nine Fraunhofer Institute showing how sensor systems can operate with extremely minimal power or even completely autonomously and thus help reduce carbon emissions across Germany by up to 20%. In Munich, the Institute showcased recent developments in radar sensors, RF technology, and sensor packaging.

Fraunhofer IZM was not only a frequent sight at technical expos. From 29 November to 1 December 2022, the Institute also came to the Berlin job fair Connecticum to get students, postgraduates and young professionals excited about a career in science.