From April 7 to 11, 2025, materials researchers from all over the world met at the Seattle Convention Center (USA) for the Spring Meeting of the Materials Research Society (MRS) - one of the most important international congresses in the field of materials science. Thanks to funding from the Conference Participation Initiative (CPI) of Leibniz Health Technologies, Friedrich Schütte from the Leibniz Institute for Surface Modification (IOM) in Leipzig was also able to attend.
With his lecture “Programming of Fibril Orientation and Mechanical Response in Electron Beam Modified Collagen Type I Fibres”, Friedrich Schütte presented the latest findings on electron-crossed collagen hydrogels, which are particularly similar to natural tendons due to their fibrous structure. The materials are based on collagen type I - a protein produced naturally in the body - and show promising properties for use in regenerative medicine. The research is embedded in the Bioactive Materials competence field, one of the five research priorities of Leibniz Health Technologies.
International visibility for Leibniz research
The lecture was part of the session “SB08.05: Fundamentals/Processing” and met with great interest from international colleagues. Schütte found the professional exchange at poster sessions, panels and networking events particularly valuable. Numerous plenary lectures - including one by Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry David Baker (University of Washington) - and presentations by renowned institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) impressively demonstrated the interdisciplinary progress of materials science.
CPI funding enables international exchange
Participation in the conference was made possible by the Conference Participation Initiative (CPI) - a Leibniz Health Technologies funding instrument that enables young researchers to take part in conferences. Friedrich Schütte was also able to gain impetus for new collaborations at the MRS Spring Meeting:
"The conference was very well organized and I was able to get an overview of the current state of research in my field. The exchange and discussions with other scientists showed me new ideas and opportunities for collaboration in order to further optimize the collagen system we have developed."