Before Professor Hirth was appointed director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB) in Stuttgart in December 2007, he acted as the coordinator and initiator of numerous projects within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, particularly in the areas of industrial biotechnology and the use of renewable resources.
In April 2008, Professor Hirth also took on the role of director of the Institute for Interfacial Process Engineering (IGVT) at the University of Stuttgart, where he is establishing new areas of research, as he has done at the IGB. Thanks to this broader basis, Professor Hirth is involved in the full spectrum of research work – from basic research and preparatory research at the university institute to applied research and contract research at the Fraunhofer Institute.