Fogra Graphic Technology Research Association

The objective of Fogra is to promote print engineering and its future-oriented technologies in the fields of research and development, and to enable the printing industry to utilize the results of this activity. To this end the association maintains its own institute, with about 55 staff members including engineers, chemists and physicists.

The estimated budget is approximately EUR 5.5 million. About 20 % of this is made up of membership fees.

Research grants from the Federal German Government, the state of Bavaria, the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt and the Bundesverband Druck und Medien account for roughly 40 %, with the principal share of over 25 % coming from the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie [Federal Ministries of Economics and Technology] and being administered by the German Federation of Industrial Cooperative Research Associations AiF.

About a third of the revenues are generated from other Fogra activities. These consist of technical reports, contract research, the sale of quality control devices, vocational training, and a literature database.

The remaining revenues are made up of donations and other receipts. The donations are usually equipment or printing papers for research purposes.

Fogra has over 700 members. About two third of them are graphic art businesses operating in fields ranging from prepress through to bookbinding, while the remaining third are suppliers. A third of the members are based outside Germany.

The eight Technical Committees, responsible for various specialist topics, are a central part of Fogra. In these committees, specialists from printing businesses, and Fogra staff, define industry problems which are to be studied. The progress and results of work are also discussed at the Committee meetings. Thus the Committees fulfil a creative and a monitoring function. At the same time they characterise the work style of a collective research institute which meets the needs of the printing industry.