The institute is celebrating three quarters of a century of research, transfer and innovation.

This journey began with the founding of the Institute for Heat Treatment Technology (IHT) in Bremen-Lesum in 1950, followed by years of further development and growth: from its transformation into a foundation, to the addition of the Materials Testing Institute Bremen (MPA), a move to the Technology Park and cooperation with the University of Bremen, to its admission to the Leibniz Association in 2018 as the "Leibniz Institute for Materials-Oriented Technologies - IWT". These are just a few milestones in our history; there have also been many small significant events and remarkable moments, but always the special people who made them possible.
A lot has changed since the company was founded 75 years ago - technologies, issues, methods. But one thing has always remained the same: Our curiosity and our aspiration to conduct excellent research that provides impetus and answers to the questions of tomorrow.

This anniversary was therefore not only an occasion for celebration, but above all a moment of gratitude.

The 75th anniversary was celebrated on June 25 - with exciting discussions during guided tours of the institute, an atmospheric boat trip, a meal in a special atmosphere at Lankenauer Höft and many moving moments. In addition to almost all current IWT employees, many former employees also accepted our invitation - a real reunion across generations.   

Many thanks were due to the two external speakers, Senator for the Environment, Climate and Science Kathrin Moosdorf and the spokesperson for Leibniz Section D, Prof. Albert Sickmann, who impressively underlined the importance of the research institute - for the region and beyond - with their words.  We were equally grateful to the numerous sponsors, without whose generous support this celebration would not have been possible. 

The three main sponsors Nabertherm, Rohde and Schaeffler deserve special mention here. In addition to renowned guests from the world of business, there were numerous participants from politics and research - once again an indication of how valuable these long-standing collaborations are and how nice it is to celebrate this in a fitting manner.