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Manufacturing NextMaterials (MNM)

Program: Interreg VI Germany - NetherlandsDuration: November 2023 – November 2027Funding: €7,022,315.25Lead Partner: Oost NL

Project Details

Manufacturing NextMaterials (MNM) helps innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make the transition from a promising prototype to pilot production and ultimately to the market. The focus is on parts and components with smart and sustainable properties, such as lightweight composites, innovative battery materials, smart materials with sensors, and advanced metals. Through the Interreg VI project MNM, Dutch and German companies, research institutions, and innovation partners are collaborating to scale up these innovations more quickly and bring them to production readiness.MNM supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with cross-border scale-up projects, technical and business expertise, matchmaking, workshops, and training sessions. Companies can receive up to a 50% grant for a scale-up project, with a minimum of €15,000 and a maximum of €70,000 per project. The grant is intended to cover personnel costs.<h2>Why is this important?</h2>For innovative companies in materials technology, support is often available for research and prototype development. However, it is precisely after that stage that a major challenge arises: how do you scale up a prototype to reliable and economically viable production? In doing so, companies must grapple with issues such as production techniques, quality assurance, pilot production runs, industrial standards, regulations, and convincing customers and investors. MNM focuses specifically on this phase between prototype and market.By bringing together companies and research institutions from the Netherlands and Germany, knowledge, production facilities, and expertise can be leveraged across borders. Three Lighthouse projects are addressing upscaling challenges related to thermoplastic composites, advanced battery systems, and additive manufacturing. In this way, MNM helps innovative materials find their way to industrial production and new applications more quickly.In doing so, MNM contributes not only to the growth of individual companies but also to a smarter, more sustainable, and competitive manufacturing industry in the Dutch-German border region.<h2>Who is MNM for?</h2>MNM focuses on:SMEs in the Dutch-German border region that operate in the manufacturing industry and want to scale up an existing prototype to test production; Dutch and German companies that wish to collaborate across borders on a scale-up project; companies working with innovative materials, such as smart materials combined with electronics and sensors, advanced textile materials and fibers, composites, battery and energy materials, optics, ceramics, and high-tech metals and coatings; companies seeking support with technical scale-up challenges, production, market launch, regulatory issues, or finding collaboration partners.<h2>What does MNM offer?</h2>MNM accelerates the transition from prototype to production and strengthens collaboration within the Dutch-German manufacturing industry.Among other things, the project will achieve:<ul><li data-list-item-id="ec5375dec4a49f12e52f00264d677a2ca">approximately 20 cross-border scale-up projects for about 30 SMEs;</li><li data-list-item-id="e386d86157139c2db3135506bce9f7386">support for a total of approximately 120 SMEs with their scaling-up challenges;</li><li data-list-item-id="e66cc1d5e47d0809e26225e7a33c0ab09">three Lighthouse pilot projects focused on thermoplastic composites, advanced battery systems, and additive manufacturing;</li><li data-list-item-id="e1d7024d7dc967707d6d33b9a1a2fc09d">cross-border facilities and expertise for test production and scaling up;</li><li data-list-item-id="e4cafe1f1b662b2102f3deedc38f37a3b">workshops, training sessions, and matchmaking sessions for entrepreneurs;</li><li data-list-item-id="e61c22561e73e7891081406999fb458b4">new collaborations between Dutch and German companies and research institutions.</li></ul>Benefits for entrepreneurs:<ul><li data-list-item-id="ee52c53299a628b63999de0f40712dbb9">up to €70,000 in grants for a cross-border scale-up project;</li><li data-list-item-id="ea2f1d23f851c50aa3d2eb0b9fb89b77a">access to technical knowledge, production facilities, and expertise in the Netherlands and Germany;</li><li data-list-item-id="ef944f62b3d434c531ffa6ae585982030">support in making the transition from prototype to test production;</li><li data-list-item-id="e1eb3f9b92c2f78732a20be66f0e54f0b">the opportunity to test an innovation under realistic production conditions;</li><li data-list-item-id="e7ca59efeb28ea807a206650aec072855">support with industrial standards and regulations for the market across the border;</li><li data-list-item-id="ebf5b3db8725a6014d125cffac8ddbeb0">lower risk during the transition from test production to regular production;</li><li data-list-item-id="e9892b6e86701e076dc363dcaa9f9f508">new Dutch-German partnerships, customers, and market opportunities.</li></ul>

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As part of the first scaling-up project, Opiliones B.V. and 3D-Druck Bognar are working on the Compose-it 3D project. This project focuses on 3D printing technology and materials, with the goal of developing three types of composite granules that will serve as raw materials for Opiliones’ advanced granule-based 3D printers. These materials are suitable for printing technical and structural parts for machines and household appliances. <blockquote>Together with 3D-Druck Bognar, we’re working on the development of new composite materials, which will allow us to make our printers even more efficient and versatile. This will enable us to produce more sustainably and cost-effectively in the future, and take a major step toward innovative, scalable solutions for the industry.</blockquote>– Peter Sluiter, Opiliones B.V.

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<h2>Which partners are involved?</h2>MNM is a collaboration between Dutch and German innovation partners and knowledge institutions. They combine business support with specialized knowledge of materials and production technology to help small and medium-sized enterprises scale up their innovations. Oost NL is the lead partner of the project.Core partners:<ul><li data-list-item-id="e50799b96451afddac0d322afc2fe53a8">Oost NL</li><li data-list-item-id="ed443b59165bcb6d28a493a4ef1c5bf8e">NMWP.NRW</li><li data-list-item-id="e0573a48b9e1118640fa22a7537589eea">Brabant Development Agency (BOM)</li></ul>Partners in the Lighthouse projects include:<ul><li data-list-item-id="eac0833eda7967be62426451fcb43ca5b">CATO Composites</li><li data-list-item-id="e4abb1f5666b587696d81d7fd46e99473">ThermoPlastic Composites Application Center (TPAC) at Saxion</li><li data-list-item-id="ea5ecc0ad14563d972efb66810e5e82a4">Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Advanced Manufacturing at the University of Twente</li><li data-list-item-id="e8b22c0b41a011c3dbc1dc65213a0e126">University of Münster</li><li data-list-item-id="e81a6152dac79dc764480978b242e1e72">Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production (FFB)</li><li data-list-item-id="e87578ccb7a81db34f0533674cce3b7ab">Rapid Technology Center at the University of Duisburg-Essen.</li></ul><h2>Interested in the project?</h2>Do you have an innovative prototype and want to move on to pilot production and market launch? MNM brings together Dutch and German companies and knowledge partners to jointly address scaling-up challenges. Entrepreneurs gain access to expertise, facilities, matchmaking, workshops, and financial support for cross-border scale-up projects.Would you like to know what opportunities MNM offers your company, are you looking for a collaboration partner in Germany or the Netherlands, or would you like to discuss whether your scale-up project fits within MNM? Please contact the MNM project team.Contacts:Judith Inberg Business Developer (Tech), Oost NL +31 6 22 07 86 29 <a href="mailto:judith.inberg@oostnl.nl">judith.inberg@oostnl.nl</a>Hilde van der Pluym Business Developer, Oost NL +31 6 39 63 62 87 <a href="mailto:hilde.vanderpluym@oostnl.nl">hilde.vanderpluym@oostnl.nl</a>or via <a href="mailto:info@mnm-interreg.eu">info@mnm-interreg.eu</a><figure class="image"><img src="https://cms.thinkeast.nl/uploads/240110_Logo_transp_RGB_Manufacturing_Next_Materials_2_regels_86448cd167.jpg?token=8va6pemBCXABLCx-zsyOFanUMvRLil-xXgs6Ffk4Hzc&amp;expires=1787060751" alt="240110 Logo_transp_RGB_Manufacturing NextMaterials 2 regels.jpg" srcset="https://cms.thinkeast.nl/uploads/thumbnail_240110_Logo_transp_RGB_Manufacturing_Next_Materials_2_regels_86448cd167.jpg?token=53o4JsBUlbpOxTut3PXvi0u16iIVoWKjhi6uw9olG7A&amp;expires=1787060751 245w, https://cms.thinkeast.nl/uploads/small_240110_Logo_transp_RGB_Manufacturing_Next_Materials_2_regels_86448cd167.jpg?token=uiprbRq_g8um-AQh2C90-_Hmoqj0Rl3v7JChz-bjXOc&amp;expires=1787060751 500w, https://cms.thinkeast.nl/uploads/medium_240110_Logo_transp_RGB_Manufacturing_Next_Materials_2_regels_86448cd167.jpg?token=Abxr187jaC6nicBensP-TakTeRBhw5NY2qfd3cjsaaI&amp;expires=1787060751 750w, https://cms.thinkeast.nl/uploads/large_240110_Logo_transp_RGB_Manufacturing_Next_Materials_2_regels_86448cd167.jpg?token=7LNZv3ODFZjbsNoz_xrrI1B2idDP6zN85l9XvadHHdU&amp;expires=1787060751 1000w" sizes="100vw" width="1000"></figure>

The Manufacturing NextMaterials (MNM) project promotes and encourages the scaling up of prototypes to the production phase for parts and components with smart and sustainable properties. Examples include lightweight automotive parts and battery materials. The goal is to equip innovative SMEs with the necessary skills to bridge the gap between prototype and market. The project consists of three Lighthouse pilot projects, workshops, training sessions, matchmaking sessions, and an open call to support SMEs in the Dutch-German border region.&nbsp;