After his studies in wood science, Raoul Klingner started research in 1999 at the EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) and ETH Zurich in Switzerland in fields of bionic in biomorph ceramics as well as thermodynamics of hornets' nests. He did his doctorate at the chair of structural physics at ETH Zurich.

 

By the end of 2005 Klingner started working for the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in Munich, first as scientific associate in the division for Strategy and Internal Research Programs. In 2010 he became the department head for International Business Development, which develops and supervises strategic cooperation purposes with excellent international research partners. Furthermore, it coordinates the international network of Fraunhofer Foreign entities.

 

In April 2016, Raoul Klingner was appointed head of the Research department. There he was, in direct reporting line to the Fraunhofer president, responsible for research planning of all Fraunhofer Institutes in Germany, the development and coordination of strategic national research lines in applied research as well as the coordination of the collaboration with universities, academies and the awarding authorities.

 

Since the 2017 winter semester, Klingner has taught “Research and Innovation Management” at the TU Braunschweig. At the end of 2019 he was appointed honorary professor ibidem. On October 1, 2024, Raoul Klingner took over as Acting Director of the Fraunhofer WKI.