preface

Keywords such as energy transition and mobility turnaround stand for necessary changes, to which Forschungszentrum Jülich makes significant contributions. They imply a profound structural change for our Rhineland region. Combining climate protection, economic efficiency, security of supply and social compatibility when phasing out coal-fired power generation is both a challenge and an opportunity.

Forschungszentrum Jülich and its partners can make practical contributions to restructuring the industrial landscape in the Rhineland region and to establishing companies with new value chains, for example regarding hydrogen-based technologies, battery technology or artificial intelligence. For example, Forschungszentrum Jülich is participating in the “FestBatt” competence cluster to research solid state batteries without flammable liquid electrolytes, which make greater ranges possible for electric mobility. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research with almost € 16 million for three years. With the “Living Lab Energy Campus” (LLEC), Forschungszentrum Jülich becomes a real laboratory where energy transition issues are tested under real-life conditions. Shareholders of Forschungszentrum Jülich are supporting the development of computer technologies of the future with € 36 million until 2020. Within the context of the European research initiative “Quantum Flagship” – funded by the EU with € 1 billion over ten years – Forschungszentrum Jülich is participating in the construction of a European quantum computer. It is intended to accelerate the simulation of processes in chemistry and materials science as well as machine learning.

Nobel laureate Peter Grünberg has set global standards in the field of solid state research. Without his discovery of the giant magneto-resistance, modern computers and smartphones would not be conceivable. Peter Grünberg died in 2018 at the age of 76. We miss him – as an excellent researcher, but above all as a highly esteemed and popular colleague. We will honour his memory, not least through the Peter Grünberg Institute that is named after him.