Tuesday 2 July marked the physical partner meeting of the Interreg Manufacturing NextMaterials project with the Thermoplastic Application Centre (TPAC) in Enschede as host. The meeting discussed the pilot production lines and competences to be developed within the project to support SMEs.Scaling up parts and components smart materialsMNM's partners are collaborating interregionally within the programme on projects to provide solutions to key challenges faced in scaling up parts and components made from smart and innovative materials. These projects focus on setting up proper test production for composite materials, for smart materials and modules for batteries, and for additive manufacturing. This can help companies in the region grow beyond the prototype phase, and really take products to market.Second call open 2 SeptemberThey looked ahead to the second call which opens after the summer on 2 September with a deadline of 18 October. But the partners also discussed how to further shape cooperation with SMEs in the German-Dutch programme area. This will include various workshops on intercultural cooperation and overcoming scale-up challenges in production with innovative materials and production processes. Indeed, MNM also aims precisely to support SMEs in the German-Dutch border region in their scaling-up issues. The first project proposals are in and, if approved, will start in October 2024. There is still an available grant budget of €1.1 million for these upscaling projects.Does your company have a concept or prototype you want to take to market? Do you want to start in January 2025 and would you like to cooperate with a German SME for this? Then sign up quickly with one of the MNM partners; Oost NL, BOM (Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij) and NMWP Management GmbH.Check out the brand new MNM website for all the ins and outs: www.mnm-interreg.eu.The MNM project is being implemented under the Interreg Deutschland-Nederland VI programme Deutschland-Nederland and is co-financed with EUR 4.14m by the European Union, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Change, MWIKE NRW, MB Niedersachsen and the provinces of Drenthe, Flevoland, Fryslân, Gelderland, Groningen, Noord-Brabant and Overijssel.

MNM partners on a roll with cooperation on pilot production lines and competences for SMEs