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BMBF funds innovations at the interface between biology and technology with 16 million eurosThe Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF has selected 53 projects in the Biologization of Technology ideas competition which will be launched continuously from now on. Their aim is to transfer knowledge about biological systems to technical applications. The knowledge gained in this way should provide impetus for further funding activities and contribute to strengthening technological sovereignty in materials and production research. On the occasion of the start of the project Federal Research Minister Anja Karliczek declaresSustainable materials are the backbone for economic growth in our country. We have to develop new innovative materials in order to be able to further develop other promising key technologies such as artificial intelligence quantum computing or battery technologies and to help shape them internationally. It is therefore very important to me to tread innovative paths in materials research and to benefit from the impetus from related scientific disciplines such as the biosciences. Because we can still learn a lot from nature for the further development of materials and production research. One of the projects selected for funding deals with research into a friction-optimized coating for joint implants based on the model of human cartilage. The aim of the coating is to reduce the wear and tear on the implants when they are moved thereby significantly extending their durability. Another project is researching the transfer of the biological principle of self-healing to the plastic material of the rotor blades of wind turbines. This enables them to repair cracks in the material themselves after a hail or bird strike which significantly reduces maintenance costs. An example from production technology is the use of the model of squids with their skin which can be changed in color and texture for surfaces of touch screens. For the German research and industrial location there are considerable opportunities for future applications in environmental and climate protection in medicine or in construction. I am therefore very happyBackgroundIn the past few years new technological developments have also led to an increase in knowledge about the processes occurring in nature. It is now important to use the in-depth understanding of biological systems specifically for transferring them to technical applications. This is called bio-inspiration. For example natural principles such as self-organization ability to repair adaptability information processing or energy-efficient life processes can serve as models and impulses for future intelligent material and production systems. A prominent example of bioinspiration is the use of the neuronal signal transmission of the human brain for applications of artificial intelligence - in the form of so-called neural networks.The high innovation potential that goes hand in hand with the transfer of biological principles to technical systems has been demonstrated in two studies by the German Academy for Technical Sciences acatech and the Fraunhofer Society which are funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF.The funding of the ideas competition Biologization of Technology to be published in May 2020 are individual or joint projects with a duration of twelve months that demonstrate the potential of biological processes or principles for industrial applications on the basis of a specific technical question. The focus of the work which was submitted in the form of project outlines by September 2020 and selected by independent experts is either material research or production research here product development and production processes. The objective is the proof of concept for industrial application and or the construction of a demonstrator model.
