Award for commitment and expertise at a special event in Erlangen.

The City of Light Jena stood out beyond Thuringia on 22 February when it was recognized as an outstanding location for successful transformation. As part of Federal President Frank Walter Steinmeier’s “Workshop of Change” series of events, the spotlight was turned on places of special technological innovation.

This gave renowned experts from science, business and society the opportunity to discuss the future challenges and opportunities of social change with the german Federal President. Prof. Iwan Schie was also selected by the Carl Zeiss Foundation as a member of the expert group to contribute his scientific perspective.

The “Workshop of Change” series focused on social change and the solutions that companies and research institutions are using to meet the associated challenges. In Jena, because of the Carl Zeiss AG and the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF), the focus was primarily on research and development of optical technologies. The event made it clear which economic framework conditions are necessary for a city to become a center for innovative technologies. At the same time, the social opportunities that can arise from this were made visible.

The “Workshop of Change” event series was organized by the Office of the Federal President in cooperation with the Fraunhofer IAO, the Carl Zeiss Foundation and the BMW Foundation.