AMIBM was founded to develop new materials for industrial and medical applications based on biological raw materials, one of the spearheads of Brightlands Chemelot Campus. “The starting point was the combination of the best of a few different worlds,” Richard Ramakers says, explaining the collaboration between the universities of Aachen and Maastricht at the campus. “The RWTH’s reputation for its strong position and various research groups focused on materials applications, the presence of various small and large producers here at Chemelot and the ambitions of Maastricht University with a new research group and Biobased Materials study program mean a huge concentration of knowledge, skills and facilities within a twenty kilometer radius. Uniting all these forces in a single institute could make us one of the trendsetting regions when it comes to the development of sustainable materials from biological sources such as plant-based residual materials.”

Bureacratic obstacles

It may sound like a great idea but setting up a cross-border institute also comes up against bureaucratic obstacles in the united Europe. “It wasn't an easy process,” Richard Ramakers acknowledges. “There are different social systems for cross-border workers. Cross-border funding by universities and public authorities involves very complex procedures, as does applying for European grants. You have to deal with certifications and so on. And then there are of course the cultural differences between the countries. We have put a lot of energy into ironing out all the problems, and after four years, I would even be so bold as to say that we have succeeded. In fact, we were even given the opportunity to provide an explanation in The Hague, Berlin and even at the European Commission in Brussels of how we managed it and why we were successful. A second team is now working on the formation of a second research institute, AMICARE, focused on the collaboration between Aachen and Maastricht in their work on heart and kidney diseases. AMICARE will be based at the RWTH campus, and there might be more “AMI” offshoots. We have proven that the model works.”

Combination of the practical and theoretical aspects ánd the focus on sustainability

Over the past four years, the number of AMIBM employees has grown to one hundred. They work in the labs and supervise students who come to Geleen from all over the world for the Biobased Materials master’s program, or to complete their bachelor thesis for the Maastricht Science Programme. The research is divided up into seven sub-areas. “We have achieved excellent results,” says Professor Stefan Jockenhövel, co-founder of the institute and now scientific director. “We conduct fundamental research, applied research and joint research with business. The combination of the practical and theoretical aspects and the focus on sustainability makes this place so attractive for both researchers and students. Sustainable, bio-based materials are a current theme. Romano Orrú, a renowned professor at the VU University Amsterdam, recently moved here to set up a research group on bio-based building blocks. It’s hard to imagine a better compliment than this.”

Promising projects

AMIBM is responsible for a constant flow of scientific publications. “And not just that,” Stefan Jockenhövel continues. “We also produce innovative and concrete new materials from biological raw materials. Just to mention a few examples: a transparent plastic made from sugar beet waste, and fibers made from a new polymer produced from lactic acid that bed manufacturer Auping can use in duvets. In the medical field, we are developing a biological, antibacterial coating for implants made from shrimp shells. We’re currently working on dozens of projects, each one of which is promising.”