Whether in medicine, the automobile and environmental technology – an industry hardly needs no innovative materials. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is therefore planning to extend the promotion for the materials and materials research in the coming years. The priorities are in a 10-point program on materials and materials research outlines, developed by the BMBF and the German Academy of Sciences (acatech) on Thursday presented in Darmstadt.
“Most of these innovations would not have been possible without new materials,” said Dr. Georg Schütte, Secretary-BMBF at the presentation of the program. Materials and materials obtained in Germany, has annual sales of nearly one billion euros, about 5 million jobs depend directly or indirectly on the material industry. “It shows 10-point program, which we want to concentrate research funding in the materials,” said Schuette on. “In some areas we are world leaders in other areas we still have to catch up. In this case, the program will help the researchers.
“The focus is in the words of Secretary of State, based closely on the high-tech strategy, which focuses in this Legislature on the areas of health / nutrition, climate / energy, mobility, communications and security. “In all these areas Materials play a central role,” said Schuette. “The powerful computer, the brilliant LCD TV and the new car – all this is only made possible by new materials.”
“We think innovation is often too much of her finished products. Without modern materials in secret, many new technologies have no chance, “said Prof. Henning Kagermann, Chairman of the German Academy of Sciences and chairman of the National Platform for electric vehicles.
“In order to make electric cars cheaper, while increasing reach, we need optimum materials in the battery, better insulation and materials that make the car easier. Even so it is good that the material science and material technology in the coalition agreement and the continuation of the high-tech strategy of the BMBF were taken. ”
Dr. Thomas Geelhar, Chief Technology Officer of the division chemistry at Merck KGaA, demonstrated at the press conference the potential of materials science and materials engineering in organic electronics based on a 3D video display of the latest generation. Prof. Thomas Schmitz-Rode, Director of the Helmholtz Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Professor of Applied Biomedical Engineering at the RWTH Aachen, outlined the possible applications of new materials in medical technology.
