DWI Interactive Materials Is the Eleventh NRW Member of the Leibniz Association
Last week, DWI Interactive Materials Research at RWTH Aachen hosted a celebration reception on the occasion of its new membership in the Leibniz Association. Since January 1, the official name of the research institute is DWI Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials. The Aachen research institution is the eleventh Leibniz Institute in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the first in Aachen.
“Looking back, I must say that the path to our goal was strewn with obstacles that were very difficult to overcome in a planned manner,” said Professor Martin Möller, Scientific Director at DWI. “But in the chain of decisions, we were able to find more and more supporters. If today the institute is well-positioned for the future and its national significance confirmed, this is also due to the willingness of our employees, partners, and supporters to venture into new territories.” In his call for more courage in seeking change and more openness to the risks of persistence, he alluded to the ceremonial address by Professor Gerd Gigerenzer on the art of decision making.
"DWI is among the leading institutes in protein fiber research and an important partner for German companies, especially in the textile sector,” said the NRW Minister of Science and Research, Svenja Schulze. “With its focus on interactive materials, the Aachen scientists are addressing a highly topical field of research which is central to economic development and likely to provide solutions to future scientific and societal challenges.”
Both the Rector of RWTH Aachen, Professor Ernst Schmachtenberg, and the President of the Leibniz Association, Professor Karl Ulrich Mayer, emphasized that membership in the Leibniz Association means much more than just an improvement of the research infrastructure of the institute. Application orientation and transdisciplinarity are among the guiding principles of the Leibniz Association, but also the efficient and mutually supportive collaboration with the University.
The research results of the DWI, which was established in 1952 and has currently about 170 employees, find application in surface finishing, biomedical engineering, biotechnology, and process engineering.