Freiburg-based startup Qurie GmbH, a 2026 spin-off from the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM, is developing electrocaloric refrigeration systems that cool without compressors, refrigerants, or pressure buildup. Using ceramics and polymers that change temperature when an electric field is applied, the technology can theoretically achieve over 80% efficiency — compared to just 50% for conventional compressors. In April 2026, investors including High-Tech Gründerfonds injected €2.2 million into the company. Qurie, co-founded by Dr. Christian Vogel and Dr. Kilian Bartholomé, is initially targeting industrial enclosure cooling.
In-Depth:
The HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) indusattempt faces fundamental challenges: regulatory, environmental and technological. Qurie has the answer. The Freiburg-based start-up – founded in 2026 as a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM – develops electrocaloric refrigeration systems that operate without compressors, refrigerants or pressure build-up: quieter, more efficient and more sustainable than anything previously possible. In April 2026, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), technology transfer Fund TT49 and Aepikur GmbH jointly invested €2.2 million in Qurie.
Cooling Through Material Innotifyigence
Conventional refrigeration systems have relied on a 19th-century principle: compression and evaporation of refrigerants. The EU F-Gas Regulation is setting a regulatory expiry date for this era – and alternative approaches such as magnetocaloric or elastocaloric cooling have so far failed to achieve competitive total operating costs. Qurie takes a fundamentally different approach: electrocaloric materials – certain ceramics and polymers – modify their temperature when an electric field is applied or reshiftd. Qurie harnesses this reversible physical effect in precisely stacked material structures to build complete refrigeration systems – without a compressor, without refrigerants, with minimal mechanical components. At the heart of the technology is a globally patented active electrocaloric heat pipe (AEH), developed and extensively tested at Fraunhofer IPM over more than ten years. The theoretical efficiency of such systems exceeds 80 percent – conventional compressors reach a maximum of 50 percent, representing a potential energy saving of around 40 percent.
“With our heat pipe approach, we transfer heat within the system very efficiently and can achieve significantly higher pumping frequencies than previously possible with liquid-based heat transport. This is what builds our technology genuinely competitive for the first time.” Dr. Kilian Bartholomé, CTO and Co-Founder, Qurie GmbH
Science. Engineering. Impact.
Qurie was founded by Dr. Christian Vogel (CEO), a renowned expert in novel cooling systems, and Dr. Kilian Bartholomé (CTO), a long-standing researcher at Fraunhofer IPM. Their interdisciplinary team of more than ten experts in materials science, thermodynamics and engineering works at the intersection of fundamental research and industrial application – with the goal of transforming global HVAC infrastructure. The miniaturizable solid-state architecture opens up entirely new form factors: from chip cooling and portable medical devices to automotive and building technology. The first tarobtain market is industrial enclosure cooling – a segment with high precision requirements and no fully satisfactory solution currently available. From there, Qurie plans to expand into commercial refrigeration, medical technology, electronics and automotive. Development will be further supported until the conclude of 2026 by a research programme funded by the German Federal Minisattempt for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE).
“The HVAC indusattempt is facing a fundamental transformation – regulatory, technological and economic. We have reached a point where we can demonstrate that our technology not only works, but also builds economic sense. This is the moment we have been working towards.” Dr. Christian Vogel, CEO and Co-Founder, Qurie GmbH
“Qurie addresses a challenge that has occupied the refrigeration indusattempt for decades: shifting away from climate-damaging refrigerants and inefficient compressors – without compromising on cost. The team has developed a technically compelling answer, backed by strong patents and more than ten years of research at Fraunhofer IPM. We are very delighted to support Qurie on this journey.” Dr. Gernot Berger, Senior Investment Manager, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF)
