The Korea-Germany Materials Center is greatly contributing to resolving the technical difficulties of local companies. The center was

opened in September 2017 by the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), a government-funded research institute under the

Ministry of Science and ICT, in cooperation with the city of Changwon.

In cooperation with Germany's Fraunhofer Institute and Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) of Dresden

University of Technology, world-class research institutes specializing in commercialization, the center of materials supports various types

of international R&D projects including joint research, technology transfer, technology commercialization, and technology 

exchange with companies in Changwon.

A number of international R&D projects have been carried out to develop source technologies and applied technologies by government

departments by now, but the Korea-Germany Materials Center is the first in Korea as it focuses solely on corporate support. In

particular, the cooperation of KIMS and Changwon established a new platform of corporate support as a government-funded research

institute and a local government.

Marking the 5th year, the center is generating practical outcomes. For example, Nextop Korea Ltd., a manufacturer of composite

materials for defense components, had difficulties in the quantification of viscosity of resin, one of their core materials. To remedy this

problem, the Korea-Germany Materials Center found the technology of Neue Materialien Bayreuth GmbH (NMB) in Germany, verified

the practicality of the technology, and led the cooperative R&D project among KIMS, NMB, and Nextop Korea. The quality management

system of Nextop Korea, which has been managed qualitatively and empirically, has secured reproducibility as it can accumulate

quantification results by product. As the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), a research institute dedicated to defense

components, also expressed interest in the technology, it is expected to increase the company's sales by the end of the year.

Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction is one of the beneficiaries as well. In line with the government's nuclear-free policy, Doosan

Heavy Industries & Construction is focusing on wind power generation, one of the alternative new businesses. In 2017, it received the

continuous monitoring technology for fatigue crack of wind turbine blades from Fraunhofer IKTS in Germany. In 2020, the 4th year, it

cooperated to build research data on the improvement of aerodynamic performance of ultra-large blades with WINDnovation. In

addition, it acquired 8MW blade design technology by cooperating in blade root joint design and testing technology with DNVGL.

Operated by KIMS and Changwon for 4 years, the center has been creating achievements that lead to actual sales of the companies.

Participated by a total of 28 companies so far, the center selected 8 projects from 5 companies this year to conduct consigned research

through searching for relevant German experts and matching proper technology.