Research institutes

Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials

The Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM) is a European, cross-border, research institute focusing on the development of advanced biobased materials. AMIBM designs, creates and translates biobased molecules, processes and materials into applications that outperform in functionality and sustainability for better living.

AMIBM is located in the Netherlands on the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in the Dutch Province of Limburg and has a branch office in Germany, and conducts innovative fundamental, applied and translational research by creating synergies between academia and industry.

Vision and mission

The AMIBM vision is to provide the missing links between fundamental, applied and translational research in the field of biobased materials, by changing the relationship between the production of biobased materials and the value chain. This will be achieved by developing an integrated, interdisciplinary research program focusing on novel strategies to produce advanced biobased materials and chemical building blocks in a sustainable and economical manner, and to develop these novel materials into innovative products for technical and medical applications.

AMIBM has a clear mission statement: 'to design, create and translate biobased molecules, processes and materials into applications that outperform in functionality and sustainability for better living':

  • To meet the need of biobased materials producing and using industries (SME and large industries)
  • To fulfil the obligations of the direct stakeholders (Province of Limburg, UM, RWTH Aachen University, Fraunhofer IME)
  • To take our responsibility for the society (legislators, students, scientific and public community)

The AMIBM-way to accomplish the mission is that:

  • We offer biobased innovations and solutions by creating outstanding cross border teams and synergistic core competences and infrastructure
  • We are committed to strive for excellence and building critical mass together with our customers along the value chain

In its research offered by transdisciplinary competence teams facilitated by state-of-the-art research infrastructure, AMIBM strengthens every step in the value chain from biobased molecules, processes and materials into applications as well as the value chain as a whole by developing a common language and methodology between all experts from biotechnology, polymer chemistry and physics, material science and engineering, fibre and medical technology, and sustainability.

A Brightlands institute

Brightlands logo

Brightlands is an open innovation community in a global context, connecting four campuses in the province of Limburg: in Maastricht, Heerlen, Sittard-Geleen and Venlo. The campuses provide entrepreneurs, scientists and students state-of-the-art facilities to support development, education, innovation and growth. Naturally, there are close links between all four Brightlands campuses, and together they enable Limburg to serve as an innovation region where researchers and entrepreneurs take on the major challenges in the areas of materials, health, food and smart services.

News

  • CARBIOW

    CARBIOW project will help Europe to take the lead in energy and transport sector decarbonization

    Monday, November 14, 2022

    An extraordinary multidisciplinary and multinational team will work together the next 42 months developing innovative and sustainable processes to produce biofuels from organic waste with negative emissions

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  • Nitroshrimp: From shrimp waste to biobased fertilizers

    Nitroshrimp: From shrimp waste to biobased fertilizers

    Friday, July 8, 2022

    A team of UM students from the Biobased Materials Masters, Business Engineering, Bachelors and Maastricht Science Program Bachelors was awarded 2nd place in the Netherlands’s national phase of Biobased Innovation Student Challenge Europe (BISC-E) Competition 2022.

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  • Marco Serafini

    Marco Serafini winner of Menno Knetsch Thesis Award 2022

    Friday, July 8, 2022

    The Menno Knetsch Award 2022 has been awarded to MSc Biobased Materials graduate Marco Serafini. His winning thesis was about ‘Sustainability assessment of biobased colourants for packaging applications.’

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  • Yvonne van der Meer

    Yvonne van der Meer new president KNCV

    Monday, June 27, 2022

    At the Annual General Meeting (ALV) on June 21, 2022, Prof. Yvonne van der Meer was appointed President of the Royal Dutch Chemical Society.

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  • Sustainability of composite materials in the EMR region

    Friday, June 3, 2022

    This thematic was highlighted at the AACOMA Roadshow RS4 the 10 May 2022, hosted by the partner AMIBM at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Geleen (NL).

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  • Yvonne van der Meer

    In the bio-economy, circularity goes further than just recycling

    Tuesday, May 24, 2022

    Plastics, made from plants? The bio-based economy makes it possible. It is the field of study of Yvonne van der Meer, professor of Sustainability of Chemicals and Materials. 

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  • Yvonne van der Meer

    Prof. Yvonne van der Meer newly appointed as one of the 15 Members of the CBE JU’s Scientific Committee

    Wednesday, April 20, 2022

    The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) is a €2 billion partnership between the European Union and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) that funds projects advancing competitive circular bio-based industries in Europe.

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  • JRM paper of the year award

    MERLN-AMIBM collaboration paper winner of JMR Paper of the Year Award

    Monday, March 14, 2022

    A paper on thermoplastic scaffolds in tissue regeneration, resulting from an inter-faculty collaboration with Prof. Jules Harings of the Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM) and members of Lorenzo Moroni's group, has won the Gordon E. Pike Prize for the JMR Paper of the Year.

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  • When you are in the middle of it, you don't just quit

    Friday, February 25, 2022

    Simon Schick (27) a PhD Candidate at Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM). He lives together with his fiancé in Dusseldorf. Simon is currently working on the Marie Sklodowska-Curie BioBased Value Circle Project.

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  • Yvonne van der Meer

    “How sustainable is it? That is the question”

    Friday, December 3, 2021

    Professor Yvonne van der Meer is investigating how companies can improve the sustainability of their products. She analyses every material, exposing the lifecycle in its entirety.

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  • sustainable choice

    Yvonne van der Meer talks about sustainability

    Thursday, September 30, 2021

    How to make the most sustainable product choice

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  • Rethinking plastic

    Rethinking Plastic House

    Monday, September 20, 2021

    AMIBM part of 'Rethinking Plastic House' to raise awareness for sustainable plastics.

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  • matilde_della_fontana_BBM

    Matilde della Fontana winner of Menno Knetsch Thesis Award 2021

    Thursday, July 22, 2021

    The Menno Knetsch Award 2021 has been awarded to MSc Biobased Materials graduate Matilde della Fontana. Matilde completed her thesis at the sustainability group of the Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM) under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Yvonne van der Meer.

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  • AMIBM researcher participates in a panel discussion with two Nobel laureates

    AMIBM researcher participates in a panel discussion with two Nobel laureates

    Tuesday, July 13, 2021

    Julia Jansing took part in a fascinating panel discussion on gene editing with two Nobel laureates and the chair of the German Ethics Council.

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  • Jules Harings

    Expert: Jules Harings Universitair Hoofddocent en groepshoofd AMIBM

    Monday, June 28, 2021

    Jules Harings vond na zijn promotie een goede baan in de industrie. Toch aarzelde hij geen moment toen hij zo’n acht jaar geleden werd gevraagd om mee te werken aan het opstarten van ’natural science’ activiteiten aan de Universiteit Maastricht.

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  • Chang Liu

    A new life for eggshells

    Friday, June 4, 2021

    At EGGXPERT, a local startup, two waste products from eggs are put to use in the production of facial masks and wound plasters. Co-founder Chang Liu was one of the first graduates of the master’s in Biobased Materials at the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

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  • AMIBM

    Mask certification via new lab at UM institute AMIBM

    Tuesday, December 15, 2020 Read more
  • CurCol

    Curcuma: from cultivation to biobased colorant

    Wednesday, November 18, 2020

    Did you know that we produce about 87 million tons of packaging waste per year in Europe? The good news is that a part of this is biobased packaging that is recyclable or biodegradable.

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  • Building block

    Groundbreaking research project AMIBM starts in fourth package NWO Open Competition - XS

    Wednesday, September 23, 2020

    Maastricht University researcher, Jordy Saya, working at AMIBM is one of the 24 lucky ones whose research project 'Learning from Nature to Synthesize Peptides and Proteins' was honored by NWO.

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  • schmitz

    AMIBM: University collaboration at Brightlands

    Thursday, September 17, 2020

    Eighty years ago, DSM opened its central laboratory for fundamental research in Geleen. Now the old lab is part of the Brightlands Chemelot Campus. This coming fall, the Festival Feel the Chemistry will look back on eighty years of innovation and will also look ahead to the future. Maastricht University is one of the founders of the campus and is closely involved in the developments. It’s at the heart of the campus, as is the Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials.

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Events