“Toward a carbon-free future!” KIMM establishes foundation for international joint research in carbon-free energy with DLR

The Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM, President Seog-Hyeon Ryu) has expanded international joint research in carbon-free energy technologies and reliability engineering through cooperation with leading research institutions in Germany, a global powerhouse in manufacturing technology, while strengthening its global research collaboration network across Europe and laying the foundation for future cooperation in advanced machinery technologies.

This collaboration was carried out under KIMM’s global cooperation initiative 「With KIMM, to the World」 It is expected to expand joint research with German institutions, advance collaboration networks in strategic technology areas, and strengthen the foundation for the global dissemination of KIMM’s technologies and joint research outcomes.

On Tuesday, April 21, KIMM signed an agreement with the DLR-Institute of Combustion Technology (Head of Sites (Stuttgart, Lampoldshausen and Ulm), Dr. Anke Kovar and Head of Institute, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Huber), part of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), to establish an international joint research center for carbon-free energy technologies. The agreement aims to strengthen cooperation in hydrogen and energy technologies in response to climate change and carbon neutrality goals.

* DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt): Founded in 1969, DLR is a government research center in Germany focusing on aerospace, energy, transportation, defense, and security. Headquartered in Cologne, it operates 54 research facilities across 30 locations in Germany.

Through the ‘International Joint Research Program in Energy’ supported by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Korea Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP), KIMM and Institute of Combustion Technology at DLR will establish a joint research center and conduct collaborative research on next-generation high temperature water electrolysis and carbon free gas turbine technologies. With a total government investment of KRW 15 billion (approximately USD 10 million) over five years, the project aims to secure low-cost hydrogen production and carbon-free power generation technologies essential for achieving carbon neutrality, while further strengthening long-term cooperation between Korea and Germany in the hydrogen and energy sectors.

KIMM has continued to conduct international joint research in the fields of energy and manufacturing technologies through collaboration with major German institutions, including DLR and the Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools (IFW) at Leibniz University Hannover. In particular, KIMM previously carried out joint research on low-carbon energy technologies with the Institute of Low-Carbon Industrial Processes at DLR. Building on this existing partnership, the new agreement is expected to expand researcher exchange and further deepen international collaboration in carbon-free energy technologies.

On Monday, April 20, President Ryu and KIMM researchers visited the Institute of Machine Components (IMA, Director: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Nicola) at the University of Stuttgart to discuss the advancement of joint research in reliability engineering. The two institutions have maintained more than 15 years of collaboration through researcher exchange and joint projects, and agreed to restore exchanges that had been temporarily suspended due to COVID-19 and to further strengthen their cooperative framework.

The discussion focused on the latest trends in reliability engineering and system reliability analysis technologies based on Virtual Product Development (VPD). Key topics included reliability evaluation and lifetime prediction methods for mechanical components and systems, collaboration on VPD based analysis technologies, researcher exchange programs, joint workshops, and mid- to long-term expansion of cooperation through the sharing of previous research outcomes.

In addition, President Ryu and KIMM researchers attended Hannover Messe 2026, the world’s largest industrial technology trade fair, to explore the latest global trends in smart manufacturing, advanced machinery systems, energy technologies, and industrial digitalization. The exhibition, held annually since 1947, brings together global manufacturers, technology providers, policymakers, and research institutions to showcase cutting-edge industrial technologies.

At the ‘Research & Technology Transfer Round Table’ session held during Hannover Messe, Dr. Taikmin Lee, Head of the Department of Advanced Battery Manufacturing Systems at KIMM, presented the demonstration results of multi-agent AI-based digital twin technology. The presentation highlighted the potential for expanding collaboration with the global manufacturing ecosystem and for broader technology dissemination. KIMM’s digital twin-based autonomous manufacturing technology, officially registered for the first time in Korea in the multi-agent category of the Digital Twin Consortium testbed program, was recognized for its potential for global adoption.

President Ryu emphasized, “This agreement with DLR marks an important milestone in strengthening the strategic cooperation network between Korea and Germany for securing hydrogen-based carbon-free energy technologies.” He added, “KIMM will continue to expand its global research collaboration network and enhance the competitiveness of Korea’s machinery technologies while delivering tangible outcomes through international joint research.”

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Reference Material: Photo MoU signing ceremony with DLR and research collaboration meetings with IMA at the University of Stuttgart

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The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) is a non-profit government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT. Since its foundation in 1976, KIMM is contributing to economic growth of the nation by performing R&D on key technologies in machinery and materials, conducting reliability test evaluation, and commercializing the developed products and technologies.