Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI) – Institut für Pflanzenbau und Bodenkunde

The Institut für Leichtbau und Kunststofftechnik (ILK) at TU Dresden is one of the leading research facilities for functional and systemic lightweight structural design with multiple materials (multi‑material‑design). The institute has approximately 240 employees who are dedicated to research, development and prototyping of lightweight load-bearing systems and composites. ILK works according to the so-called "Dresdner Modells" functional integrative system lightweight design approach: this means that when developing new components and systems, researchers take into account the entire chain - from material (metals, plastics, composites) to design and simulation to production, prototype testing, quality control and costs.