About us

The fuel for the future is innovation. To generate economic success from research results, small and medium-sized enterprises need access to technological progress.

Motivation of the European Society of Thin Films

Vision

EFDS brings people together, gives a voice to imaginative actors and promotes innovative entrepreneurs to inspiration and competent partners.

Mission

EFDS acts as an open and reliable moderator as well as a scientifically based network of experts. This is how we create and ensure quality.

EFDS is the initiator, platform and driver of the development of innovative surface and thin-film technologies.

EFDS is bold and open to ideas and experimentation, promoting science and research. With our initiatives and technologies, we bring together top researchers from different disciplines and creative young people.

EFDS Image Brochure [PDF]

Goals

  • EFDS motivates the dialogue and science communication between the responsible experts of the companies and the scientists of the research institutes
  • EFDS supports marketing, promotion and advancement
  • EFDS as a mouthpiece for the formation of opinion
  • EFDS as a point of crystallisation

The key to economic success and social acceptance are innovative technologies. With new systems, processes and materials in the application field of surface, thin-film, vacuum and plasma technologies, products and processes can be made more efficient and sustainable. The collaborative research organised by EFDS is a guarantee that technical developments for new types of coatings as well as tool and component properties are continuously improved.

Technologies

Vacuum technology
Plasma technology
Coating technology
Metrology

User

Medical Technology & Life Science
Tool and equipment construction
Energy Technology
Electrical engineering, microsystems technology
Material refinement
Optics, Photonics

Industries

  • Automotive
    Aerospace & Aviation
    IT & Electronics
    Environmental technology
    Bio-Lifescience
    Polymer and textile technology
    Mechanical & Process Engineering
    Materials Science

The basis of success – innovative technologies

The ever-increasing requirements of customers and legislators mean that technical solutions are becoming more and more complex. In order to meet these requirements, to develop processes and technologies, and to enable effective development in research and development for pre-competitive issues.

Show yourself and your expertise:
A trusting and sustainable business relationship is built on personal contacts and regular cooperation.

Create opportunities for personal contact:
New cooperations and ideas for the future often emerge from unexpected encounters and spontaneous discussions.

Meet your partners on a topic-specific basis and in an open atmosphere::
At professional events, participants are interested in exchange and open to new ideas. Here you can discuss your questions with experts and meet your future partners & customers.

Become part of the network now

Passing on knowledge to young motivated people and at the same time giving them the chance to contribute their own ideas: This is the long-term basis for research and development. With their commitment and willingness to learn, young students, developers and scientists have always driven the research projects of EFDS and its partners at university and non-university research institutions. Through their work in EFDS projects, they also make important contacts in industry.

The excellent university education of young professionals – at the research institutions of the EFDS partners – is the basis for the globally unique reputation of engineers and scientists “Made in Germany”.

National and international cooperation is the key to technical progress in a globalised economy.. Small, medium and large companies in the surface and thin-film industry as well as their development service providers and suppliers of materials, systems and components form a platform for pre-competitive research. Medium-sized businesses in particular can benefit from this. He saves costs and gains new ideas and impulses for product development.

Those who participate in and help shape the EFDS can better and more efficiently translate research results into competitive technologies and products

About 200 companies and renowned research institutions have already decided to become members of the European Society of Thin Films. Membership of the Research Association is voluntary and is in principle open to all industrial companies, research institutes and universities.

The exclusively pre-competitive projects of our non-profit organization facilitate access to current, practice-oriented research results, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, and thus contribute to strengthening the innovative power in this country.

35.3 million € in funding invested in thin films

  1. We keep you up to date on current research projects and news on a topic-related basis
  2. Access to the expert network of surface and thin-film technology and industrial research for the future questions and solutions of innovative companies and research institutions.
  3. Interface between the leading companies in the sector, research institutions and users
  4. Discussions on technical issues and current developments in science and business
  5. Bringing their own specialist problems from operational practice into the committees and jointly identifying possible solutions there
  6. Initiate projects with own area of interest
  7. Your personal contact person is available to answer questions and involves you or your company in current research projects
  8. You get access to research results by participating in project-related committees.