Berlin to be green chemistry ‘transfer region’

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF) is to fund the Green Chem consortium in building “an ecosystem for transfer in the field of green chemistry” with up to €10 million. The 29-strong consortium is led by Covestro, Berlin-Chemie and three universities in the city, and includes regional technology clusters, private firms and foundations, among others.

“Berlin is known worldwide for cutting-edge research in chemistry. Green Chem enables the transfer of research results into practical application and thus makes a decisive contribution to a materially sustainable future,” said Professor Rainer Haag from the Institute of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the Free University of Berlin.

Through Green Chem, the partners aim to “combine existing infrastructure and know-how so that sustainable innovations are made possible faster and more often, from the first experiment to industrial production, from the idea to implementation”. The consortium is said to give it the necessary critical mass to endure and be financially self-sustaining in the long term.

This is all part of the BMBF’s ‘T! Space – Transfer Rooms for the Future of Regions’ to open up future-oriented innovation paths for structurally weak regions of Germany in the long term and promote structural change. Under this, 12 initiatives will now receive federal funding for up to nine years.