Almost five years ago, the universities of Aachen (RWTH) and Maastricht (UM) founded the Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials. This made AMIBM the first cross-border research institute in the field of new biological materials.  

Richard Ramakers sighs. He has just wrapped up a gruelling interview. “We’re in the middle of an in-depth evaluation”, explains the managing director of AMIBM in his office at the main building of the research campus, overlooking CHILL labs where students and researchers are working in white coats. “At the start in 2016, a lot of money was put on the table for this institute by the universities and the province. We set up the labs, hired people and built a network with the other research institutes here on campus and in Germany. Of course, we have to justify what we’re doing here and what the output is. But we do so much here. It’s hard to keep track of which projects are currently being worked on here; how many students, teachers and researchers come here every day; what the spin-offs are; the further plans. For example, I was asked how many companies we have (had) contact with. Well, more than 100. It’s all down on paper, but it's a lot of work to get everything into a clear overview.”

Performance

It’s a lot of work, but the managing director's sigh also indicates that things are going well at AMIBM. Last spring, the Province of Limburg extended the follow-up grant for another four years. “Because we’re performing above expectations. There are now 100 people working here—more than double what we initially estimated. The number of scientific publications is higher than expected, there are several spin-off companies and the UM master’s programme in Biobased Materials attracts students from all over the world. AMIBM has put itself on the map at record speed. We’re proud of that, of course. Ultimately, we’ll be self-supporting as a research institute and running without a provincial Kennis-As grant.”

It’s not easy to choose from the dozens of projects AMIBM has already completed or is working on. Stefan Jockenhövel, co-founder of the institute and now scientific director, chooses the search for the substance elastin. It’s intended for use in a new generation of heart valves. “The future is the cultured heart valve that grows with the heart”, explains the former heart surgeon, who has been fully committed to the development of a better heart valve for years now. “This is essential, for example, for children who need a replacement heart valve. They sometimes need to be operated on as many as eight times. A cultured heart valve that grows with the patient is possible, but for now this type of valve is still too stiff because the elastin is missing. The human body produces its own elastin so that the heart valve remains flexible, which is necessary for it to function properly. This type of valve gets worked pretty hard—continuous movement, resisting the pressure of the blood. Flexibility is crucial. Here at AMIBM, we’ve managed to recreate this substance. And tests also show that it can be incorporated into the cultured valve. The next step is further research in the labs, followed by animal testing and finally clinical trials. It’s a promising development, yes, partly conceived here on campus.”