Kickoff: The first collaborative projects are getting underway

In the summer of 2026, the first collaborative projects in the “Living and Biohybrid Materials” module of the BMFTR MaterialVital research hub either got underway or received funding approval to begin shortly. MatConnect will support these consortia as a companion research project effective immediately. Over the past few weeks, we have therefore reached out to the participating teams to learn about their projects and prepare for joint communication via the website and community channels.

The range of projects is impressive: from clinically applicable bioinks (HYBiRD) to stimulus-responsive drug formulations (4D-PRODRUG) and light-activated sensor surfaces (LASH), to synthetic heart tissue (SynHeart), wearable hazardous substance detectors (ProtecKD), and active materials for cartilage regeneration (QPiezoR). All project teams aim to bring biohybrid materials from the research stage into practical application, and MatConnect supports the teams in this transfer initiative.

Detailed profiles of all projects—including objectives, approaches, and partners—are now available in the section Networks & Community → Projects .