Institutions

TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATION is a private, independent, non-profit applied research centre of international excellence. Legally a Foundation, TECNALIA is the leading private and independent research and technology organisation in Spain and one of the largest in Europe, employing more than 1,400 people (248 PhDs) and with an income of 110 Million € in 2018.

The whole team at TECNALIA has one GOAL: to transform technology into GDP, meaning wealth to improve people’s quality of life through generation of business opportunities for industry. TECNALIA is committed to generate major impacts in economic terms, by means of innovation and technological development, addressed by 6 business divisions covering the economic sectors of Energy, Environment, Industry, Transport, Construction, Health and ICT. TECNALIA has been granted over 658 patents and promoted more than 20 spin-off companies.

Maastricht University (MU) hosts about 16,000 students in international BA, MA and graduate programs and 2,000 academics. In the 2014 QS ranking of young research universities MU, ranks 4th as best young university in Europe. MU has since 2012 a research institute specifically dedicated to “Biobased Materials”, the Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM). MU also hosts the first international Master program on Biobased Materials in Europe. MU was partner in the EU FP7 with over 700 projects, while coordinated more than 150 projects. MU has been awarded the European Commission’s “HR Excellence in Research” logo in 2015.

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is a research university specializing in engineering science & technology. Our education, research and knowledge valorization contribute to: science for society:

• solving the major societal issues and boosting prosperity and welfare by focusing on the Strategic Areas of Energy, Health and Smart Mobility
• science for industry: the development of technological innovation in cooperation with industry
• science for science: progress in engineering sciences through excellence in key research cores and innovation in education

B4PLASTICS is a Belgian scale-up tech company designing, developing and distributing eco-plastic products. Tomorrow’s sustainable world will increasingly require the use of local, renewable and/or biodegradable resources, and that is exactly what the company starts already today. This way, B4plastics products guarantee a pioneering novel balance between price, quality, functionality and sustainability.

The focus of the research at the Institute of Membrane Research are membranes for applications in gas and liquid phase separation. Due to the interdisciplinary integration of material sciences and engineering, our research covers the full spectrum from basic research to industrial application. The latest equipment and methods for the synthesis, characterization and processing of polymers, as well as for membrane preparation, module development and design, and modelling of separation processes substantiate our competence in the field of polymer science and membranes.

Quantis is a leading sustainability and life cycle assessment (LCA) Swiss consultancy, specialised in supporting organisations to measure, understand, manage and communicate on the sustainability performance of their products, services and operations.

With LCA as its backbone, Quantis purpose is to guide organisations to define, shape and implement smart solutions from an environmental sustainability perspective, by delivering robust metrics, resilient strategies, useful tools and credible communications. Amongst Quantis sustainability consultants, several are internationally renowned experts in LCA, shaping the future of sustainability, backed by a strong scientific background.

Arkema is a French chemical company with a turnover of 8.8 B€ and 20000 employees worldwide. The company is a global supplier of chemical specialties. High performance material sales generates 46% of its turnover. Moreover, Arkema is a global leader in high performance bio-based polyamides. Its R&D facilities are mainly located in France.

Arkema has an expertise in designing polymers for technical applications. Modifying polymer compositions using a tool box of monomers, but also by graft polymerization, in order to satisfy technical requirements of new applications, is the daily work of the company‘s R&D staff.