Operator of FINO1

The Forschungs- und Entwicklungszentrum Fachhochschule Kiel GmbH (or “FuE-Zentrum FH Kiel GmbH”) has been appointed to manage the operation of the FINO1 research platform until January 2017. The company has extensive experience in this field, as it has successfully operated the FINO3 research platform since August 2009. By the end of 2005, the company had already set up a centre for the research, development and testing of offshore technology processes and products. A major part of the work undertaken up to August 2009 involved the design, construction and erection of the FINO3 research platform.

The FuE-Zentrum FH Kiel GmbH was established in May 1995. A key motivation at the time of its establishment was the desire to make the expertise possessed by the Kiel University of Applied Sciences – and by other universities in the Land of Schleswig-Holstein – accessible for practical applications, thereby supporting technology transfer from the universities to the practical arena, i.e. the corporate environment. To date, this forward-looking concept has proved its worth. The company also promotes technology transfer between the universities and the commercial sector, in the interests of improving the quality of teaching, enhancing employee qualifications and promoting the capability for business start-up. The company is not intended to be profit-making. Any profits remaining after tax are re-invested in research and development projects.

Following the execution of a number of externally-funded service projects in the “Offshore” and “Marine Research” sectors in recent years, the FuE-Zentrum FH Kiel GmbH, with its excellently trained staff, has gained extensive experience. The company also has the full expertise and knowledge of over 150 professors at the Kiel University of Applied Sciences at its disposal.