Material innovations for transforming economy and society (Mat2Twin)
Research and development in key enabling technologies play a decisive role in providing the basis for transformation processes. Any support for innovation must be carried out in an integrated manner through key future technologies, encompassing a holistic approach to the BMFTR. This requires significant contributions from universities as well as from non-university scientific establishments such as the Max Planck Society, the Helmholtz and Leibniz Associations and the Fraunhofer Society, with recourse to the research infrastructures that have been put in place. The BMFTR also funds applicationoriented research under a number of specialist programmes. These are targeted at specific key research areas or application technologies that are of significant relevance for Germany.
The programme “Material innovations for transforming economy and society (Mat2Twin)” is particularly cross-sectional in nature, as innovative materials play a part in practically every technologyoriented application: printable materials; implants that can be customised for individual patients; new quantum materials that form the basis of modern quantum computers; new membranes or electrodes to improve green hydrogen production and the range achieved by electric vehicles. Materials research can also be used in the search for suitable substitutes for rare or critical raw materials. In fact, materials research is itself undergoing a fundamental transformation at the moment. Moving towards digital materials research methods that draw on computer-based modelling and that generate and digitally store data on the materials, processes and machines that have been used for each material. The development of tools to record and store this data in a standardised format, thereby rendering it accessible to other users is challenging and forms an inherent component of materials research.
