Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernhard Grill, Director with focus on Audio and Media Technologies of Fraunhofer IIS

Executive Director of Fraunhofer IIS

Bernhard Grill studied electrical engineering at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in Erlangen, Germany. From 1987 to 1995, he was involved in the development and implementation of audio coding technologies at Fraunhofer IIS. In 2000 he was awarded the German Future Prize jointly with Karlheinz Brandenburg and Harald Popp by the Federal President as co-inventors of the mp3 algorithm. In 2001, he took over the management of the Audio department at Fraunhofer IIS and has been Executive Director of Fraunhofer IIS since April 1, 2026, with responsibility for Audio and Media Technologies.

From 2013 to 2026, he headed the Audio and Media Technologies division. In this role, he was responsible for ensuring the successful further development and commercialization of four generations of audio technologies developed at Fraunhofer IIS, now used in virtually every consumer electronics device and smartphone worldwide. He also drove the adoption of AI technologies in audio coding and signal processing and promoted the development of large AI models at Fraunhofer IIS. Since April 1, 2026, he has been Executive Director of Fraunhofer IIS, with a focus on audio and media technologies.

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Career path

Academic and professional background

Since 2026	Executive Director of Fraunhofer IIS with focus on audio and media technologies
Since 2020	Lecturer and, since 2021, honorary professor at the Faculty of Law and Economics at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), teaching the course Patenting for Innovation.
Seit 2016	Director of Fraunhofer IIS with focus on Audio and Media Technologies
2013 – 2026	Head of Audio and Media Technologies division
Since 2011	Deputy director of Fraunhofer IIS
Since 2008	Initiation, development, and management of the International Audio Laboratories Erlangen
2005 – 2019	Lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, teaching the course Practice of Audio Coding.
2001 – 2013	Head of the Audio department
2001	Doctorate in electrical engineering from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
1999 – 2000	Head of the Audio Research Group at Fraunhofer IIS
1995 – 1998	Research associate at the Institute for Electronics Engineering at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
1987 – 1995	Development and implementation of audio coding technologies (e.g., mp3 and AAC) at Fraunhofer IIS
1981 – 1987	Degree in electrical engineering at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Areas of expertise

Research and development of audio coding and audio signal processing methods

Since 1989, key contributor to the development of four generations of audio coding technologies now used in virtually all consumer electronics devices, smartphones, and 4G/5G communications
- 1st generation: mp3
- 2nd generation: AAC
- 3rd generation: High-Efficiency AAC
- 4th generation: xHE-AAC, EVS/IVAS, LC3/LC3plus, MPEG-H
  Since the 1990s, Fraunhofer IIS has been a global technology leader in this field
Responsible for initiating and managing research collaborations with various industry partners in Europe, Asia, and the USA
Initiation and contribution to audio signal processing methods for the reproduction of immersive sound via headphones, 3D soundbars, and 3D audio for automotive infotainment
Initiation and promotion of the use of AI technologies in audio coding and audio signal processing (upcoming fifth generation of audio technologies)

Standardization of audio coding methods

Active participation in the standardization of ISO/MPEG standards, such as mp3, AAC, and USAC (marketed as xHE-AAC)
Active contribution to the integration of audio coding methods into application standards, such as ATSC 3.0
Active contribution to the integration of audio coding methods into 3GPP mobile communication standards, such as AAC
Active participation in the standardization of the 3GPP communication codecs EVS and IVAS
Active participation in numerous additional application standards

Utilization of methods for audio coding and audio signal processing

Key contributor to the commercialization of audio patents through licensing programs such as the Thomson mp3 licensing program, the AAC licensing program administered by VIA LA, as well as bilateral licensing agreements
Successful commercialization of Fraunhofer IIS audio technologies: four generations of Fraunhofer audio codecs are now implemented in virtually all consumer electronics devices
Various audio signal processing technologies deployed in production vehicles from manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, and Volkswagen

Key milestones

2015	Technology Award of the Eduard Rhein Foundation
2000	German Future Prize awarded by the Federal President
2000	Audio Engineering Society (AES) Fellowship Award
1999	Certificate of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for outstanding contributions
1992	Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize awarded by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft