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ANNUAL REPORT 2017 WELCOME TO our world of plastics2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Editorial 3 Our ecosystem 4 Our core business and relevance 7 Partnership in research 8 Research highlights 12 Additive Manufacturing 14 Sustainable Buildings 18 Lightweight Automotive 24 Corporate highlights 32 Facts & Figures 36 Our Partners 38 Publications 39 Colophon 423 Brightlands Materials Center is a rapidly growing Research and Development center with the ambition to develop innovative materials solutions that contribute to a sustainable future. Brightlands Materials Center was founded March 2015 by TNO and the Province of Limburg and it is located at the Brightlands Campus in Geleen, The Netherlands. Last year we have made enormous steps in the development of our center. We have moved to a new location at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus and we are proud that we have gradually expanded our lab facilities. However, this is only a temporary solution. We plan to move again, early 2019, to a brand new building just opposite of where we are located now. This will accommodate our further growth! Facilities are very important for a R&D center. But even more important are our people. We have actively hired over the last year and we are happy that – apart from two remaining vacancies – our teams are for the time being at strength. Many new people, talented, young, and very ambitious to make Brightlands Materials Center a success! Our three programs, Lightweight Automotive, Additive Manufacturing, and Sustainable Buildings are getting on steam with very promising first results. A first patent was filed. We have stepped into an exciting journey, together with our partners from industry, from academia and from governments. And hopefully together with many others, who realize that materials play an important role in shaping a sustainable future. We believe that collaboration between organizations, connecting people, sharing insights and ideas are crucial to realize this goal. Peter Wolfs & Marnix van Gurp EDITORIAL4 Academic research in programs meeting application needs State-of-the-art- knowledge Collaborations across the value chain Our ecosysteem Diverse and skilled talents5 Embedded in a chemistry and materials cluster at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus Our ecosysteem High quality laboratories and equipment Well connected with industrial needs67 Our core business Polymeric materials innovations Societal challenges Our relevance Functional demonstrators Market applications8 Mission The mission of Brightlands Materials Center is to inspire and develop the next generation of talent with the right skills and mindset for the polymeric materials field by attracting and connecting industry, academia and entrepreneurs, boosting sustainable development based on the latest knowledge. Shared Research Programs We develop innovative solutions meeting societal challenges and industrial needs in a limited number of shared research programs: Lightweight Automotive, Additive Manufacturing and Sustainable Buildings. We use all available knowledge through our partnerships with academia to develop new and innovative application technologies required by our industrial partners to bring new and sustainable products to the market. Business model Due to the increasing speed of development of new products and new technologies, R&D costs to stay ahead of competition in the long run are more and more difficult to bear with the existing company revenues. Our vision is that combining efforts, investments and risks in shared programs is the new strategy to reduce time to market for new product generations. At Brightlands Materials Center partners complement their own in-house R&D with shared R&D, leveraging talents and know-how in a well-structured and professional R&D- like setting. Whenever appropriate, Brightlands Materials Center also facilitates more dedicated research trajectories. Strategy Brightlands Materials Center is well positioned between fundamental academic research on the one hand and commercial product and technology development on the other hand. Typically, results obtained within Brightlands PARTNERSHIP in research“Materials innovations will play a crucial role in our journey towards a sustainable society”. Marnix van Gurp - Managing Director 9Next >