UV-C radiation is becoming increasingly established as an effective sterilization technology and is being used to an ever greater extent in everyday situations. The “Competence Center for the Assessment of Products with Ultraviolet Sterilization – CAmPUS UV‑C” has gathered and broadened the UV-C expertise of three Fraunhofer institutes, the IGB, IBP and IPA, in a service platform offering specialized development, testing and consulting for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The unique selling point of the “KMU akut” cluster is the comprehensive support offered to SMEs, from the first product or application idea to the design stage, and all the way through to the execution and testing of new systems. The cluster’s combined expertise in UV-C radiation, microbiology and material characterization means that it can provide access to specialist knowledge that is not yet available on the market.
At Fraunhofer IGB, the innovation fields "Functional Surfaces and Materials" (topics: material characterization and radiation measurements) and "Water Technologies and Resource Recovery" (topic: microbiology) worked together closely to investigate different UV-C technologies in terms of their physical properties as well as their sterilization performance.
The project included market analyses and preliminary studies in separate phases in order to identify and address the specific needs of SMEs.
In the crystallization phase, the specific fields of application and the range of services of the Fraunhofer Institutes were defined and communicated. Through the cluster, more than 20 SME contacts were established and independent crystallization projects were set up with five SMEs. On this basis, feasibility studies and validation projects were conducted with the partners in order to realize methods and tools for simulation and evaluation with practical relevance.
In the last phase of the project, individual applications were selected on the basis of validated decision-making criteria and ultimately validated and scientifically monitored in the supermarket use case. In this phase, functional prototypes of test benches for material testing were set up and characterized at Fraunhofer IGB, and procedures were established to assess radiation effectiveness while also taking into account material degradation. Various hygiene consultations were also offered and the biological effectiveness of UV sterilization was demonstrated using microbiological methods. The results were used as a basis for recommendations and optimizations of the respective technologies for the SMEs in order to increase customer safety, performance and the effectiveness of sterilization.
Campus UV-C has led to the publication of a total of 15 fact sheets (brief reports) on the individual topics and competences, which provide SMEs with important insights into relevant results of the research. Overall, in addition to the project itself, strategically important contacts with SMEs have been established in order to pursue the product development, optimization and validation of UV technologies.
CAmPUS UV‑C – Competence‑Center for the Assessment of Products with Ultraviolet Sterilization
March 2021 – December 2021
We would like to thank the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft for funding the project within the "KMU akut" program.
Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB