On January 26 and 27, the Hackathon for Biotechnology and Sustainable Innovation celebrated its successful debut. The aim of the event was to offer participants and students from a wide range of disciplines the opportunity to test their creativity and ideas on real-world challenges from industry.

The hackathon began on January 26 at 8:30 a.m. with a welcome address by Bio4MatPro spokesperson Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schwaneberg, Ines Vogt, and Dr. Jürgen Eck from The Material Labs Incubator (MerLIn). This was followed by a presentation of the challenges set by our corporate partners: On the one hand, innovative usage concepts were to be developed for the production facilities of our partner Pfeifer & Langen, and on the other hand, the challenge set by the start-up Fizzy Fit involved formulating practical protein shake alternatives for nutrition-conscious people.

After a short “design thinking” workshop led by Alenka Carstens from RWTH Innovation GmbH, participants were able to apply the methods and tricks directly to problem definition and solution finding. The second day of the event was devoted to further developing the concepts from the previous day and preparing for the elevator pitch. The expert jury from the participating companies and start-up experts from bioimpact and Circular Valley evaluated the pitches and finally selected our winning teams.

The two-day hackathon was characterized by intensive professional exchange and a high degree of creativity, resulting in numerous innovative solutions. Bio4MatPro would like to express its sincere thanks to all participants, our partners at Collective Incubator, and the judges for their commitment and support.

We are already looking forward to the next Bio4Mathon!

Science and research can be more than just dry theory. Under this motto, the first Green Science Slam took place on November 27 at FRANZ in Aachen, as part of the Forschungsverbund Modellrgeion Bioökonomie im Rheinischen Revier. Slammers and researchers presented their ideas on the green transformation of industries and resource efficiency. Without any blackboards, but with plenty of energy and humor.

Two well-known poetry slammers from the region, Oscal Malinowski and Lukas Knoben, took on the role of moderators. They guided the audience through an exciting 2.5 hour program of various short presentations. The covered topics ranged from bioeconomy to new, sustainable innovations in agriculture to the field of circular economy

We would like to thank all participants for an unforgettable evening. Special thanks also go to the organizers from RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich, as well as the sponsors from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (with BioökonomieREVIER, Bioökonomie Verstehen.Verbinden.Unterstützen, Bio4MatPro) and the OecherLab of the City of Aachen.

Where small aircraft normally take off from the runway, the bioeconomy literally took flight on September 25 with the event “Bioökonomie takes off.” Together with partners from the TransBIB transfer network, ÖcherLab, the city of Aachen, and the areo|race lab at Aachen University of Applied Sciences, the Bio4MatPro competence center organized an information event on the topics of bioeconomy and aviation transformation. In keeping with the theme, the venue was the Westflug Flight Training aircraft hangar, which houses, among other things, the innovative electric aircraft of the Aachen University of Applied Sciences.

In several presentations and panel discussions, experts shared their insights from a wide range of fields such as aviation, the food industry, and science. The goal: to make biotransformation and innovation more tangible, highlight known areas of application, and develop new perspectives. The event was divided into several thematic blocks. A presentation by EurA AG on the use of space technologies in agriculture, followed by a contribution from FKuR Kunststoff GmbH on the circular economy of bioplastics, kicked off the event.

After a lunch break with catering from the coffee mobile, the Bio4MatPro competence center invited participants to a brainstorming session at three themed tables. Among other things, novel bio-coatings and their potential fields of application were discussed. In the afternoon, a panel discussion was held with representatives from the food industry.

The final topic block focused on aviation, with a particular emphasis on sustainable alternatives to conventional fuels. Hydrogen propulsion was presented as a sustainable alternative to conventional kerosene. A special highlight was the raffle for a flight in an electric aircraft.

Another round of discussions over coffee and refreshments from Pizzamobil Aachen marked the end of the event. We would like to express our sincere thanks to all participants and speakers, as well as to our partners at TransBIB, ÖcherLab, the City of Aachen, and the areo|race lab at Aachen University of Applied Sciences. Special thanks also goes to Westflug Flight Training for providing the hangar.

From June 11 to 13, 2025, representatives of the Bio4MatPro competence center traveled to Germany as part of the accompanying research project Bioökonomie Verstehen. Connect. Support. (VVU) to the Central German mining district. The aim of the trip was a cross-district exchange on topics of biological transformation between the Rhineland and Central German mining districts. In cooperation with the WIR-Bündnis BioZ and the DiP-Verbund Sachsen-Anhalt, a delegation of scientists and experts came together for institutional visits and technical discussions.

The focus was on deepening the partnerships between the regions along the guidelines for biological transformation. The trip kicked off with a visit to INNOVENT e.V. Technologieentwicklung Jena, where current research projects in the field of biomaterial-based plastics and application-oriented technologies were presented, followed by a tour of the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes (CBP) in Leuna. Here, the participants were able to get to know the pilot plants and pilot plant processes developed there, which are groundbreaking for technology transfer to industrial applications.

The exchange with UPM Biochemicals, whose industrial biorefinery enables the use of biogenic raw materials such as wood on an industrial scale and thus makes an important contribution to the transformation of the Leuna Chemical Park, was also central to the programme, which included practical insights into the agrivoltaic and pea trial areas at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, the BioZ - Bio-based Innovations from Zeitz and Central Germany and DiP - Digitalization of Plant Value Chains initiatives. The program was supplemented by discussions with regional stakeholders from administration, business and research.

The delegation trip made it clear how essential regional networking and interdisciplinary cooperation are for the successful implementation of structural change. The exchange also provided valuable impetus for our work in the Rhenish mining area and strengthened relationships within the nationwide innovation network.

Special thanks go to the team from the accompanying research program Bioökonomie Verstehen. Connect. Support. with AGIT MBH, especially Mr. Peter Gier, for the excellent organization. We would like to thank all participating partners for the open and productive cooperation on site.

On June 4 and 5, 2025, the 4th Annual Meeting of the Competence Center Bio4MatPro took place at the Headquarters of Covestro AG in Leverkusen.
Over 130 participants from industry, science, funding institutions and politics came together to discuss the biological transformation of materials and production technologies in the Rhenish Mining Area and current developments in the Model Region Bioeconomy. The Annual Meeting once again offered a varied program.

The event kicked off on June 4 with an internal status seminar with over 50 project partners from the 23 research projects of the Competence Center. The focus was on the latest results from the interdisciplinary BoostLabs, which deal with the use and functionalization of renewable raw materials into valuable materials, promising key technologies such as switchable adhesives and biofunctionalized materials, and application-oriented projects for the biological transformation of industries.

On June 5, the event was open to a wider audience. In addition to keynotes and keynote speeches on bioeconomy, structural change and industrial innovation strategies, the program included two panel discussions in which key issues relating to the transfer of technology and results, framework conditions for the biological transformation, scaling infrastructure and the expansion of the regional innovation ecosystem were discussed. A particular highlight was the presentation of the new Materials Lab Incubator, which supports future DeepTech start-ups in the field of sustainable materials and bio-based technologies in the Rhenish Mining Area.

We would like to thank everyone involved for their contribution and commitment to the success of the event. Special thanks go to our project partner Covestro AG for their generous hospitality, dedicated participation and active support in organizing this year's Bio4MatPro annual meeting.

From March 31st to April 4th, the Bio4MatPro Competence Center was part of the joint stand “Showcase Bioeconomy” initiated by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture at the Hannover Messe 2025.

In this context, the Competence Center Bio4MatPro and the Innovationscluster BioökonomieREVIER jointly represented the research asociation "Modellregion Bioökonomie im Rheinischen Revier" (Model Region Bioeconomy in the former Rhenish Mining Area). A particular highlight was the presentation of the biofunctional building block key technology from BoostLab 3 BioBricks4Production, which can be used to transfer biological functionalities to technical materials in a targeted and scalable manner - made possible by the close collaboration between the Institute of Biotechnology and the Manufacturing Technology Institute (MTI) at RWTH Aachen University as well as the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Business Models at Ruhr University Bochum.

In addition, the competence center presented its textile innovation projects from BoostLab 5 and 6 - including Glucanes4Tex, BioFlaT and EnzyDegTex. Together with partner institutions such as the ITA Institute for Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University, the Institute for Applied Microbiology, the FTB at Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, Klevers GmbH & Co. KG and Darmstädter GmbH, solutions for a climate-neutral circular economy in the textile industry are being developed here.

Special moments were the visit by Federal Minister Çem Özdemir and the opportunity to present our exhibits to Parliamentary State Secretary Claudia Müller. The personal exchange with political decision-makers and trade visitors showed us how important and topical the issues of bioeconomy and biological transformation are.

We would like to thank the Projektträger Jülich (PtJ) and the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e. V. (FNR) for their excellent organization. The trade fair was not only a stage for us, but also a place of encounter, dialog and motivation - to take the next steps towards sustainable value creation together.

Dr. Mandy Pastohr from the Federal Office of Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) officially launched the Materials LabIncubator at RWTH Aachen University on 5. March 2025 with the ceremonial handover of the funding decision worth over 7 million euros.

The vision of the project – to transfer scientific findings from materials research into marketable products – was impressively presented by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schwaneberg and Dr. Jürgen Eck during their presentation. The incubator offers start-ups and founders with innovative and sustainable ideas targeted support in the early phase before market entry. The Materials Lab Incubator thus plays an important role in the innovation ecosystem of the former Rhenish Mining Area and builds a bridge between excellent research and market-ready products in the field of sustainable materials.

Special gratitude is extended to Dr. Kirsten Bender of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of NRW, the Rector of RWTH Aachen University, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Rüdiger, as well asProf. Dr. Carsten HonerkampandDr. Tim Grüttemeier for their appreciative words and support of the project. We would also like to thank the numerous network partners who supported the launch of the incubator. In addition to the Bio4MatPro Competence Center, representatives of the accompanying research project Bioökonomie Verstehen. Verbinden. Unterstützen., the Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier GmbH, the Projektträger Jülich (PtJ), the Bioeconomy Council NRW and many other partners from the fields of science, business and politics attended the event.

Would you like to find out more about the Materials Lab Incubator? Please contact Ines Vogt or Maximilian Ruschmeier!

On December 9, the Bio4MatPro Competence Center was an exhibitor and table captain at the Transfer-Fest of the Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier, where more than 20 regional structural change projects were able to exchange ideas and network with over 170 guests from politics, business, science and industry. The event took place in Aachen under the slogan “Transfer creates the future” and was the first in a new series of events designed to promote innovation and cooperation in the former Rhenish Mining Area.

At our booth, Hannah Mathews from the branch office explained how Bio4MatPro aims to revolutionize local value chains through biological transformation and support structural change. In an exciting keynote speech, Prof. Dr. Frank Piller from the Institute for Technology and Innovation Management at RWTH Aachen University presented open innovation methods and explained how corresponding practices can complement and transform established value creation processes. In line with these innovation approaches, table discussions were held at lunchtime, during which guests were able to talk to the contact persons of various structural change projects and jointly develop solutions for current challenges. Our Bio4MatPro Competence Center also received helpful feedback and got to know new players in the innovation ecosystem of structural change. The visions and success models of various structural change projects were also presented and ideas for technology transfer were discussed in entertaining pitches and lively panel discussions.

We would like to thank the Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier for the invitation and organization of the event and look forward to being part of the next Transfer-Fest!

On November 13 and 14, our Bio4MatPro Competence Center was part of the joint BIO.NRW booth at the Greener Manufacturing Conference and Expo to present our innovative ideas to a wide audience and make new contacts. The event took place in conjunction with the Sustainable Industry Week, which brings together four trade exhibitions on the topics of sustainability and resource conservation. The trade fair attracted numerous trade visitors from the sector, including industrial companies, associations, research institutions and representatives from politics. Exciting presentations and lively panel discussions focused on the ecological production of the future.

Our booth was a central point of contact for interested parties who wanted to find out more about the biological transformation of industry in the Rhenish Mining Area and the latest developments in our project. Hannah Mathews and Lars Stauder from the Bio4MatPro branch office were on hand to answer questions and provide detailed information about the individual projects and the Bio4MatPro vision for the future. The direct exchange with trade fair visitors confirmed the growing international demand for biotechnological solutions and environmentally friendly supply chains. Bio4MatPro was not only able to present projects, but also gather valuable feedback and get to know new contacts in the field of bioeconomy.

In addition, the exhibition booth also provided a platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences with the various players in the BIO.NRW biotechnology network. We would therefore like to thank those responsible at BIO.NRW for helping to strengthen the relationships between the projects represented.
Overall, the trade fair was a great opportunity to put our Bio4MatPro Competence Center in the spotlight and to network. We look forward to being there again next year!

At the end of October, our Bio4MatPro Competence Center had the opportunity to accompany a delegation of scientists and experts from the Modellregion Bioökonomie of the former Rhenish Mining Area to north-western Italy to talk to the stakeholders of the innovation ecosystem NODES - Nord Ovest Digitale E Sostenibile about interdisciplinary approaches and technology transfer between academia and industry.

The focus of the trip was the exchange between north-western Italy and the Rhineland region, as the bioeconomy was identified as a key lever for the successful implementation of sustainable structural change and a future worth living in both regions. Despite all local differences, both regions face the challenge of promoting green chemistry, biological transformation and the circular economy. The local dialog should promote new ideas and perspectives on the bioeconomy.  
The delegation was first welcomed at the University of Pavia. The research activities there with regard to optimized agriculture and the use of waste materials, e.g. for the production of bioplastics, were presented in lectures and tours of the institutes. Afterwards, our Competence Center visited the University of Turin together with the other participants. At the Molecular Biotechnology Center, Fiorella Altruda, President of the Center, and Giuseppe Serrao from 2i3T - Innovative Companies Incubator at the University of Turin, presented how approaches from the university environment are being transferred to the corporate landscape. This became tangible through the descriptions of the start-ups RASGenix Srl and Penso Green, who reported on their start-up experiences

The trip concluded with a visit to the Environment Park Turin, where green tech innovations have been promoted for over 20 years, the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologica and the SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster.  
Many thanks to all colleagues involved on the Italian side for the open discussions and support during the trip. We look forward to continuing our collaboration.

On September 23, the 2nd status conference of the accompanying research on the model region bioeconomy in the Rhenish Mining Area took place at the Fabrik für Kultur und Stadtteil under the slogan “Shaping transformation sustainably”. Experts and specialists from the regional bioeconomy community discussed the challenges and opportunities associated with structural change.

First of all, the Begleitforschung Bioökonomie VVU presented future prospects and players in the transformation in the Rhenish Mining Area. In this context, Lars Stauder was also able to present our Bio4MatPro Competence Center as one of the two flagship projects of the bioeconomy model region and outline innovative approaches to sustainable value creation in the former Rhenish Mining Area. Central topics of structural change were then highlighted in exciting presentations and panel discussions. Klaus Dosch (ResScore GmbH/KREGI), Erich Gussen (Rheinischer Landwirtschaftsverband), Dr. Christian Klar (Forschungszentrum Jülich, IBG-2), Regina Dechering (Gemeinde Inden) and Prof. Dr. Anna von Mekecz (NABU NRW/Bioökonomie-Rat NRW) discussed sustainable land use in the transformed former Rhenish Mining Area. In another panel discussion, Dr. Jan-Hendrik Kamlage (Ruhr-Univ. Bochum CURE), Almut Kriele (Netzwerkbüro Bildung Rheinisches Revier), Dr. Ruth Laengner (Kreisstadt Bergheim) and Mirijam Böhme (Stadt Aachen) discussed participatory approaches to enable society to help shape structural change.

All participants at the status conference also had the opportunity to network and discuss resource optimization, circular economies and paths to a sustainable bioindustry. The event therefore not only provided valuable information on the bioeconomy model region, but also promoted dialog between politicians, researchers and business representatives.

On May 6 and 7, 2024, experts from industry, research and politics came together to discuss the latest developments and innovations and to drive forward the biological transformation of industries towards a climate-neutral bioeconomy, and together with over 110 members, the current status of the 23 joint projects of Bio4MatPro was presented at the internal status seminar and future strategies for the competence center were discussed.

The highlights of the second day of the event were undoubtedly the high-caliber speakers who provided us with valuable insights into the bioeconomy and structural change, as well as the stimulating discussions on how we can jointly create an innovation ecosystem for the biological transformation in industries. The event provided a valuable platform for networking, creating synergies and strengthening partnerships.

A big thank you to all participants and speakers for their valuable contributions. Their participation and commitment made the event an outstanding success. Special thanks also go to our project partner Henkel for their hospitality and support in hosting our Annual General Meeting this year.

What an exciting first day at HANNOVER MESSE 2024!

At the “Schaufenster Bioökonomie”, the joint booth of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Hall 2, Stand A35, numerous exciting projects that contribute to a sustainable future will once again be presented this year.
The stand is being organized jointly by Projektträger Jülich (PtJ) and Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. (FNR).

The Bio4MatPro Competence Center is also taking part this year and is presenting the cooperative project Heart2.0 - Surface structuring of artificial hearts using lasers to prevent thrombus formation. In this project, RWTH Aachen University and the DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials are working on the development of an active interface system for artificial hearts to reduce blood clotting and improve patient recovery.

The Heart2.0 project is one of a total of 23 collaborative projects of the Bio4MatPro competence center, which are funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the research network Modellregion Bioökonomie in the former Rhenish Mining Area.

Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger visited the exhibition to gain a personal impression of the research activities in the Schaufenster der Bioökonomie.