The ECOMAT research and technology centre

Close proximity and joint projects speed up innovation processes, which are then applied across different sectors at an early stage of their development. The shared use of laboratory facilities and the technology centre represents another advantage. This saves costs and also makes it possible to collaborate on future investments.

Please see the company directory for an overview of ECOMAT partners.

• Name: ECOMAT – Center for Eco-efficient Materials & Technologies
• Concept: Research and technology centre for lightweight construction / innovative materials / surface technology
• Project start: 2013/2014: Initial planning phase
• Project implementation:
  2015: Detailed planning and invitations to tender
  Second quarter of 2016: Start of construction
  2016-2019: Construction
• Milestones:
  18 December 2014: Airbus and Bremen sign memorandum of understanding
  8 April 2016: Official ground-breaking ceremony
  30 November 2016: Foundation-laying ceremony
  25 May 2018: Topping-out ceremony
• Start of operations/completion: 26 April 2019/summer 2019
• Location: Airport-Stadt Bremen, Cornelius Edzard Strasse 15, 28199 Bremen
• Size:
  Net floor space: approx. 21,800m² (laboratories, technology centre and offices) on four floors
  consisting of approx. 11,500m² usable rental space
  and approx. 10,300m² of building service areas, circulation areas and communal space
• Project partners | anchor tenants:
  Airbus Operations GmbH, TESTIA GmbH, Ariane Group, Bremen Fibre Institute (FIBRE) and German Aerospace Center (DLR)
  Other science and research tenants:
  Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM), Leibniz Institute for Materials Engineering (IWT)
  Other industry tenants:
  Further tenancy agreements are currently under negotiation.
  Project partners (in particular SMEs) can also rent temporary office space when working on projects.
• Investment volume: approx. €73 million
• Finance: The investor is WFB Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen GmbH (Bremeninvest); the project will be refinanced through letting
• Additional information: Since the start of the planning phase, projects and communal activities have actively encouraged the establishment of networks and collaboration between the partners at the centre and in the surrounding area of Bremen, ensuring that things can get off to a flying start once the ECOMAT is completed.

The ECOMAT partners are dedicated to interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration in the key technology of lightweight construction. This approach involves observing and analysing technologies as a system, from an application-focused perspective. Lightweight construction entails making the most efficient and effective use of materials, as well as developing new materials. That means carrying out research into topics such as how to design products and segments – through the integration of new material properties, the convergence of materials and sensors, and building methods which are better suited to the materials – and then applying the results in practice. The focus on application also extends to the associated processes, and to incorporating the technological findings into production techniques.

A long-term partnership established within the context of the technology centre offers added value by facilitating technical discussions and through an understanding of scientific and commercial requirements. It also provides synergies in the areas of teaching and training. The results derived from R&D activities flow into future products and applications. They also make it possible to identify future requirements for skills training and staffing levels, which can be met by Bremen's business and research community.

By 2019, the ECOMAT research and technology centre will provide around 22,000 square metres (gross) of office, technology centre and laboratory space for around 500 employees. Following several years of planning, the ground-breaking ceremony on 8 April 2016 marked the start of ECOMAT's implementation phase.

The property developer for ECOMAT is H.A.G.E. Grundstücksverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bremeninvest. ECOMAT is being built with approximately €58 million of loan financing, without any direct public subsidies.

ECOMAT is launched! Joint R&D projects and cooperations are realized by the ECOMAT partners. The full array of tools and services from Bremeninvest and Bremen's development bank (Bremer Aufbau-Bank) are available to support innovative projects, in particular ones from SMEs in Bremen. More on funding and support options

As part of its coordination of ECOMAT, the State of Bremen supports the ECOMAT partners in applying for development projects, organises workshops and events, represents the ECOMAT and its partners at trade fairs and conferences, and keeps the network partners up to date through newsletters.

The Senator for Economy, Labour and Europe of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen is responsible for coordinating the activities of the ECOMAT partners and the network. As part of the Bremen Operative ERDF Program the Senator works in close cooperation with WFB Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen GmbH and the innovation portal ECOMAT e.V..