Quantum science as an opportunity for Saxony
Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS and HSZG exchange ideas at DLR_School_Lab on the future strengthening of the Free State of Saxony in innovation and technology.
Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nanosystems (ENAS) met at the DLR_School_Lab in Zittau for a technical exchange on future collaborations in the field of innovative key technologies. The focus was particularly on prospects in quantum sciences and on strengthening Saxony as a hub for innovation.
International Initiatives as the Starting Point for Collaboration
A key impetus for the current exchange arose during the HSZG’s Saxon delegation trip to Taiwan, Japan, and Singapore in 2025. There, the university was able to significantly expand its international contacts in the field of semiconductor and future technologies and hold initial discussions with representatives of the Fraunhofer Institute ENAS, particularly with its director, Prof. Dr. Harald Kuhn.
The contacts initiated there form an important foundation for the now-deepened collaboration in the field of quantum sciences and future microelectronic technologies.
The exchange with Fraunhofer ENAS shows very clearly how important international impulses are for the development of new research collaborations. The contacts from our delegation trip to Asia have made a decisive contribution to deepening scientific partnerships in the field of quantum technologies and specifically advancing the transfer of research into application.
”Quantum Sciences as a Key Technology
Quantum sciences are among the key future fields of technological development worldwide. They open up new possibilities in secure communication, high-performance computing systems, innovative materials, and high-precision sensor technology.
Against this backdrop, HSZG and Fraunhofer ENAS discussed how scientific expertise in Saxony can be pooled and systematically translated into industrial applications.
The HSZG stands for science that does not end in the laboratory, but has an impact on the economy and the region. The cooperation with Fraunhofer ENAS is an important building block for jointly advancing future technologies such as quantum technologies.
”And even though the field of quantum science is complex, “quantum” technologies shape research, development, and innovation—and, since their discovery, have consistently been at the forefront of future technologies, as well as one of the current and future areas of collaboration between the HSZG and the Fraunhofer Institutes.
Whether it’s quantum physics, quantum mechanics, or quantum sciences. “Quantum physics is not merely a step forward; it is a new way of understanding reality,” says director Christopher Nolan, quoting the Danish physicist and Nobel laureate Niels Bohr in his Oscar-winning film “Oppenheimer” (2023). What held true in the 1930s remains highly relevant nearly 100 years later—regionally, nationally, and internationally, including for research at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences.
Quantum sciences and quantum applications are rapidly evolving into key technologies for secure communication, high-performance computers, new materials, and high-precision sensor technology. To specifically advance these future technologies and translate them into industrial applications, the Saxon Research Network for Quantum Technologies SAX-QT“Quantum Saxony,” for example, was launched in December 2025. The network is coordinated by the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, the Fraunhofer Institutes for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS) and for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU), as well as the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (IFW) in Dresden. Fraunhofer ENAS was also able to secure the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG) as a strong partner in quantum technology for the network.
As a computer scientist, I find it particularly exciting to not only to teach students about research and development in the field of quantum technologies through topics and use cases in the context of quantum computing (QC) and quantum communication (QC), but also to shape this field together with a network of strong partners from research and industry, thereby increasing our national and international visibility. With the Fraunhofer Institute ENAS serving as the driving force behind one of three QC hardware platforms that Saxony is helping to develop, as well as a pilot partner for the first QK links, there are interesting opportunities for further collaboration.
”The particular strength of the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nanosystems ENAS lies in the holistic development of “intelligent systems” for a wide range of applications. The institute’s research activities range —according to Fraunhofer ENAS—from the development of novel wafer and packaging technologies, through the manufacture of electronic components, micro- and nanosensors, and actuators, to the development of system concepts and system integration technologies, including communication interfaces. Using state-of-the-art, AI-supported testing and reliability methods, Fraunhofer ENAS translates the developed solutions into practical applications. The institute supports customer projects from the initial idea through design, technology development, or implementation using existing technologies, all the way to a tested prototype.
Quantum Technologies at Fraunhofer ENAS
According to its own statements, Fraunhofer ENAS is establishing itself as a pioneering partner in applied quantum technology by bridging the gap between theoretical quantum physics and industrially manufacturable system solutions.
Together with other partners in the German Microelectronics Research Factory, Fraunhofer ENAS is developing chips for quantum computers, relying on the quantum properties of ions that are trapped by electric fields in a so-called ion trap, where they are moved in a defined manner, and whose quantum properties are linked together through logical operations.
In the field of quantum communication, the institute, according to its own statements, acts as a bridge between cutting-edge research and practical application. Here, Fraunhofer ENAS works very closely with world-leading scientists in the area of testing and verifying quantum-secure communication.
Quantum Technologies as a Field of Cooperation
The goal of Quantum Saxony is to strategically pool expertise in the Free State of Saxony in the field of quantum technologies, to translate the technical language of the participating partners, to further expand existing skills, and to raise their international profile. The Quantum Saxony network sees itself as an open platform that continuously integrates new partners and intensifies the exchange between research, industry, and policy. Saxony’s interdisciplinary approach—ranging from materials science to micro- and nanoelectronics to software development—is thus specifically advanced toward commercial application.
“Quantum Saxony” was one of the selected projects that scientists from HSZG presented to their research colleagues at Fraunhofer ENAS. Other current research projects and research centers at HSZG that were presented and discussed included: the HSZG Science Center Oberlausitz (SCO-TTi); the EKI-Saxony project (energy-autarkic communication and information technologies from Saxony for industrial applications); topics from the Institute for Process Engineering, Process Automation, and Measurement Technology (IPM), such as RoSA-ReCycle (Robotic Sorting and Automation for Recycling), the CircEcon (Center for Green Circular Economy), and the HSZG projects ZukLOS (Zukunftslernort Oberlausitz) and Green Zitty, which aim to host a scientific state horticultural show in the Upper Lusatia region in the coming years.
Cooperation and Competition: Coopetition
What applies to biology in Darwin’s “Struggle of the Fittest” can, in a certain sense, also be applied to political economy: Success comes either through going it alone or—far more effectively—through strategic alliances.
Prof. Harald Kuhn, Director of Fraunhofer ENAS, urges swift action: “Only by working together with strong partners can we establish Saxony as a major player in a highly complex field such as quantum technology and attract attractive research and industrial contracts to the region. While we are still debating, other players—both nationally and internationally—are already securing the key projects. That is why we must act proactively, specifically seek out funding and contracts for Saxony, and make it clear to state and federal policymakers just how strategically important research and innovation are for industrial competitiveness, economic value creation, and the sustainable creation of jobs in Saxony.”
For example, in the field of quantum communication or, more specifically, at the intersection or in the interplay between cooperation and competition—a so-called “coopetition” (cooperation and competition). This refers to a strategy in which competitors deliberately work together to achieve common goals such as innovation, cost reductions, or market expansion, while simultaneously competing in other areas. It fosters synergy effects, shares risks, and is often found in industries with a high degree of interdependence, with the aim of expanding the market. Are there, therefore, also several instances of so-called “coopetition” in the Free State of Saxony among various players from business, industry, and academia, aimed at specifically strengthening Saxony—or Eastern Germany—as a business location?!
Economic Expert Calls for More Visionary Thinking
“What is missing in eastern Germany—and this is an important point from an economic perspective, including for the lower productivity—are large companies and corporate headquarters. These are the ones that conduct research and development and generate economic power,” says economist Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln, president of the Berlin Social Science Center, on the ZDF program “Markus Lanz” in February 2026. The overarching theme of the program: the economic and political development of eastern Germany: “We need a (pan-)German economic policy that brings more vision, more drive for innovation, and more momentum. Eastern Germany, in particular, will benefit from this, ” says Fuchs-Schündeln.
It is precisely this missing dynamism that the HSZG and Fraunhofer ENAS aim to bring to future collaborations—for example, in the fields of quantum sciences or quantum communication. Following the conclusion of the dialogue meeting between the HSZG and Fraunhofer ENAS, the participants planned to build on this momentum in the spring of 2026 and outline the necessary next steps at a further project meeting. Specifically: finalizing the cooperation plans, aligning the project plans, identifying Contact Persons, and exploring potential new innovative fields of research.
The meeting between HSZG and Fraunhofer ENAS on specific topics such as quantum sciences also fits well into the national and international context. The United Nations had declared 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Quantum Technologies. Furthermore, quantum technologies are one of the six key technologies within the high-tech agenda of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space. And the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences is proactively involved in this effort with its research projects in 2026. A recent example of this took place in March 2026 in Berlin—in cooperation with Saxony’s state government.
Text: Frank Leberecht
Photos: HSZG, Leberecht
The application period for the upcoming winter semester is currently underway. New programs on offer include “Semiconductor Processes and Materials Chemistry” and “Mechatronics for Manufacturing,” which focus on modern manufacturing and microelectronics technologies.
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