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- How science and industry drive innovations forward
The demands on the construction industry are increasing worldwide. Sustainability, digitalization, automation, and new building materials are fundamentally changing the sector. To meet these challenges, continuous research and development as well as close collaboration between science and industry are required.
The fischer group of companies follows exactly this approach. For decades, the company has invested in research, technological innovations, and international cooperation with universities and research institutions. The goal is to transfer the new requirements through research projects to the fastening industry and practical applications.
Innovative strength rarely arises alone. Especially in technology-intensive industries such as construction, it is becoming increasingly clear that viable solutions only mature through the interplay of scientific research and industrial practical application. Close exchange between science and industry has thus become a decisive factor, not only for the competitiveness of individual companies but also for technological progress and societal benefit as a whole. The fischer group has always relied on this principle and regards research and development as an integral part of its corporate culture.
Research as the foundation of progress
Research forms the basis for almost every technological advancement. Where continuous investment is made in new ideas, technologies, and materials, not only better products and solutions that are more efficient and safer are created, but sometimes entirely new fields of application emerge. Topics such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and digitalization are gaining increasing importance in construction and are changing the way planning, development, and building are carried out worldwide.
The bridge between theory and practice
In order for research results not to remain on paper but to find their way into practical application, a structured dialogue is needed. Joint projects and regular professional exchanges between science and industry create exactly this connection. They make it possible to recognize technological and economic developments early on and to translate them into concrete fields of action. The benefit of this interaction is mutual: Science benefits from real application cases and practice-oriented questions, while industry gains access to current research findings and scientific excellence. Companies like fischer bundle this exchange, for example, in a specially established scientific advisory board that combines scientific excellence with entrepreneurial practical experience and actively shapes the strategic direction.
Endowed professorships as a lever for future research
Another effective instrument of this collaboration is endowed professorships. They enable targeted research on future topics. Such professorships promote not only research but also the development of young scientists and the transfer of knowledge across national borders. The close integration of academic research and engineering practice contributes to training the next generation of specialists and strengthening international research networks.
For me, it is very important that we focus on tomorrow and the day after tomorrow and prepare our company accordingly.
The fischer corporate group is committed to this field with several globally unique professorships – following locations in Stuttgart and Vienna, most recently also with a strategic research focus in China. The endowed professorship, established in 2026 at the renowned Tongji University in Shanghai, is led by Professor Jiao-Long Zhang, an internationally recognized expert in the field of tunnel construction.
Currently, in addition to the professorship at Tongji University, the corporate group also supports the endowed junior professorship “Structural Adhesive Bonding in Construction – Numerical Materials Mechanics” at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna. Together, these professorships form an internationally oriented research network that combines research, practical application, and the promotion of young scientists.
