About us

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New materials are the drivers of new technologies. INM combines the two worlds of multidisciplinary scientific research and material-oriented technology transfer under one roof. Chemistry, physics, biology, materials science, and engineering interact in close cooperation and at high level. An essential focus of our work is the transfer of biological principles to the design of new materials, structures and surfaces. Our results create and improve flexible displays and intelligent grippers, high-performance batteries and efficient solar cells or technologies for personalized therapies and regenerative medicine.

The INM, based in Saarbrücken, Germany, is connected with numerous research organizations and technology companies worldwide. It is closely linked to Saarland University through five joint professorships. The INM is an institute of the Leibniz Association and employs around 250 people.

 

    INM in Figures

    Total turnover

    About us 37

    Annual budget 2022: 23.76 million Euro
    Third-party funding: 2022: 5.59 million Euro

    Publications

    Publications 2021 in total: 119
    therefrom peer-reviewed articles: 100

    Patents

    Active patent families: 55

    Employees

    2021: 215

    Shareholders

    51% Saarland University, 49% Saarland

    History

    The INM – Leibniz Institute for New Materials is an international center for materials research based in Saarbrücken. It cooperates with national and international research institutions and develops innovations for companies worldwide.

    It was founded in 1987 under the sole trusteeship of the Saarland under the direction of Prof. Dr. Herbert Gleiter. In 1990, Prof. Dr. Helmut K. Schmidt took over the Institute’s management, which he led until 2005. During this period, the INM focused particularly on chemical nanotechnology.

    On January 1, 1999, the Science Council recommended the Institute as a research institution of national importance for inclusion in the former “Blaue Liste”, now the Leibniz Association. Since then, the INM has been jointly funded by the federal and state governments.

    In 2005, Prof. Dr. Michael Veith took over the management of the INM for a transitional period. In 2007, Prof. Dr. Eduard Arzt was appointed Scientific Director and Chairperson of the Management Board. He initiated a reorientation of the INM: in addition to nanocomposite technology, interfacial materials and biosurfaces were added as further research foci; at the same time, this was accompanied by a stronger orientation of the INM towards interdisciplinary materials research.

    In addition, INM strengthened its cooperation with industry and thus technology transfer with the “INM Innovation Center”, founded in mid-2014. The InnovationCenter accompanies innovative product developments from the laboratory to the pilot phase and supports industrial partners in solving analytical problems.

    With the appointment of Prof. Dr. Aránzazu del Campo as the second scientific director in 2015, INM intensified its research in the field of biomaterials.

    On January 1, 2023, with the retirement of Prof. Dr. Eduard Arzt, Prof. Dr. Aránzazu del Campo took over as CEO of the Management Board.
    On March 15, 2013, Prof. Wilfried Weber took up his position as the second scientific director of the INM.

    Mr. Günter Weber was the business director until January 31, 2023.
    As of February 1, 2023, Mr. Michael Marx assumed the position of acting business director.