From 1970 onwards, what had been founded in 1963 as the Department for the Development of Sports Equipment attached to the Research Division of the DHfK (Deutsche Hochschule für Körperkultur und Sport) became the FES and focused on bicycle design and construction. As of 1984, the first self-supporting disc wheel made of carbon was built there, followed in 1987 by the first carbon-fiber-reinforced bike frame. In 1988, Institut FES’s trailblazing invention was crowned by the East German team winning gold in the 100 km team time trial at the Seoul Olympic Games. In 1992, an Institut FES bicycle also won gold at the Barcelona Games.