The research being carried out by Prof. Fritz Frenkler at the Chair of Industrial Design focuses on the challenges of ecologically justifiable mass production and shifting social patterns due to demographic change, coupled with universal design. Design skills are aligned to the principles of New Functionality (second modernity) favored by Prof. Fritz Frenkler and the scientific orientation of design.

Prof. Frenkler studied industrial design at the Academy of Fine Arts (HBK) in Braunschweig. He was managing director of frogdesign Asia, managed the company wiege Wilkhahn Entwicklungsgesellschaft and worked as head designer for Deutsche Bahn AG. In 2000, he founded f/p design germany gmbh with Anette Ponholzer, followed by the f/p design representation in Japan in 2003. He was made an honorary professor at HBK Braunschweig in 2004. In 2006, he was appointed full professor of the newly-created Chair of Industrial Design at TUM. Fritz Frenkler is a regional advisor of the ICSID and has been jury chairman of the iF product design awards for several years. Since 2018, he is a founding member of the iF Design Foundation, Hanover.