Current research – Report from the Brick and Tile Research Institute

1 Introduction

Dr.-Ing. Karsten Junge, Director of The Brick and Tile Research Institute Essen Regd, a man who impressed his indelible stamp on the brick and tile research community, died unexpectedly in March 2010. The IZF staff intends to carry on with the institute‘s research activities with undiminished commitment, just as he would have done.

The ongoing research projects at the Brick and Tile Institute (IZF) are financed predominantly out of funds from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, for which the Research Association of the Brick and Tile Industry Regd (Forschungsvereinigung Ziegelindustrie e.V.) submits applications via the Working Group of Industrial Research Associations “Otto von Guericke” Regd (AiF) for projects of economic and scientific interest. The projects are selected by the advisory council of the Research Society of the Brick and Tile Industry Regd (formerly the Research Centre of the German Brick and Tile Industry Regd) by secret ballet on project studies proposed by the Society itself or by non-profit research institutes. Prior to commencement of the respective terms, the projects must be assessed positively by neutral expert committees, whereupon they stand in competition with all research projects to be promoted by the AiF. The application procedure and project execution are governed by numerous official regulations, and the allocation of financial means is dependent on the availability of funds in the budget of the ministry of economics. In addition to the AiF projects, there are other, mostly smaller research projects which arise out of current circumstances and are commissioned directly by companies or groups from the brick and...