Rösler opens 3D Innovation Center
The Federal Minister for Economics and Technology, Dr. Philipp Rösler, today opened the newly founded 3D Innovation Center at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute in Berlin with the start of the first live 3D production. The aim of the center is to test and present products and systems, as well as building up contacts, particularly with a view to research and development. The new center offers opportunities for 3D productions, a 3D cinema, laboratory and exhibition areas.
Federal Minister Rösler said: "German 3D technologies are among the best in the world. Their use in internationally successful film productions such as Avatar or Hugo Cabret are impressive proof of this. The entertainment industry with film, internet and games is though only one area of application of 3D technologies. These highly innovative products are also becoming increasingly important in industry. The further development of more powerful 3D technologies is therefore a central element of the Digital Germany 2015 ICT strategy of the federal government. The new 3D Innovation Center provides an important starting point for the networking of science and commerce. Thus we can best use the opportunities created from the 3D growth trend for our location."
The study of market prospects of 3D in industrial applications, commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi), points to 19 user sectors in which 3D technologies are already in significant demand today. These include the automotive industry, primary chemicals, pharmaceutical products, mechanical engineering and medical technology. According to the study of around 2500 predominantly medium-sized firms in Germany 3D products and services currently generate a turnover of nearly ¤9bn per year and the trend is increasing. The study was carried out by Prognos AG, along with Fraunhofer IGD and MC Marketing Consulting. Internationally-oriented market studies predict growth rates of up to 15 percent per year in certain segments of the 3D market.
Right from the start 45 companies and organisations have already joined as partners together with the 3D Innovation Center, the founding of which is also a sign of successful German technology policy. It goes back mainly to the results of the BMWi-funded technology project PRIME - Production and projection technology for immersive media. PRIME technologies were developed for the joint production of 3D for cinema and TV along the entire value chain, the acceptance of which gauged and determined market potential.
Further information on the new centre is available on the internet at www.3dinnovationcenter.de.
