<p>The first Call of the Manufacturing NextMaterials project (MNM) has yielded a number of innovative project proposals. An independent expert committee, also known as Beirat, is assessing all submitted project applications for innovation, quality and feasibility. Last week, the experts, lead partner Oost NL and the Regional Programme Management (RPM) met at the Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Advanced Manufacturing to evaluate the first proposals and advise the steering committee. If all goes according to plan, the first scale-up project could start in October.</p><h3><strong>MNM supports SMEs in scaling up and sustainability in manufacturing</strong></h3><p>The European Manufacturing NextMaterials (MNM) project focuses on stimulating upscaling from prototypes to the production phase of smart materials for parts and components. This initiative helps innovative SMEs successfully bring their prototypes to market.</p><h3><strong>Pilot line for manufacturing advanced battery systems</strong></h3><p>The session took place at the Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Advanced Manufacturing at the University of Twente, a partner in the MNM project. Within the Lighthouse project ‘Manufacturing Solutions using NextMaterials in Advanced Battery Systems’, the Fraunhofer team is working on a pilot line for manufacturing advanced battery systems with innovative materials. This collaboration, together with the University of Münster and Fraunhofer FFB in Münster, addresses challenges such as safety and the processing of specific battery materials.&nbsp;<br>The ultimate goal is a sustainable cross-border cooperation to scale up production of next-generation battery systems. And it is needed too! According to a Fraunhofer Institute ISI study, European battery production capacity needs to increase tenfold from 124 gigawatt hours to 1.5 terawatt hours by 2030. Achieving this goal will require the next generation of smart and sustainable materials.</p><h3><strong>Crossborder project</strong></h3><p>The Manufacturing NextMaterials project is implemented within the framework of the Interreg VI programme Deutschland-Nederland and is co-financed by the European Union, MWIKE NRW, the Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Bundes- und Europangelegenheiten und Regionale Entwicklung, Ministry of Economic Affairs and the provinces of Gelderland, Overijssel, Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe, Flevoland and Noord-Brabant.</p><p><img src="https://cms.mnm-interreg.eu/uploads/Beirat_1_df5ca94943.jpg" alt="Beirat 1.jpg" srcset="https://cms.mnm-interreg.eu/uploads/thumbnail_Beirat_1_df5ca94943.jpg 208w, https://cms.mnm-interreg.eu/uploads/small_Beirat_1_df5ca94943.jpg 500w, https://cms.mnm-interreg.eu/uploads/medium_Beirat_1_df5ca94943.jpg 750w, https://cms.mnm-interreg.eu/uploads/large_Beirat_1_df5ca94943.jpg 1000w" sizes="100vw" width="1000"><br><i>On the picture, from left to right:&nbsp;</i><br><i>Michael Effing, Hilde van der Pluym, Peter van Overdijk, Tom Cornelissen, Thorsten Felder, Barbara Milow, Andreas Baar, Piet Boomsma, Pia Simon, Jos Keurentjes, Tobias Schwanekamp, Judith Inberg, Peter Visser, Maurice Herben</i><br>&nbsp;</p>

Expert committee reviews first proposals for MNM project