Successful product innovations for enterprises of the polymer production and processings, of the polymer machine construction as well as the lacquer industry result from a profound knowledge of teamwork and interaction of product requirement. Material chemistry, raw material characteristics manufacturing techniques are of equal importance in this context. For this reason seven professors of the Paderborn departments of chemistry and engineering, more precisely polymer science, mechanical process engineering and environmental engineering work together in future times in central institutions.

The Institute for Polymer Materials and Processes (PMP) orientates consequently at the complete process chain from the technical polymer synthesis to the component part and this way develops an island position at the University. Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Warnecke, dean of the faculty of science: "The person who wants to accelerate processes has to look through them. Due to this cooperation we grow stronger and more effective."Within the scope of the NRW-region-cluster "polymers" 3000 enterprises with 25 million Euro sales have been identified. However, the polymer industry is characterized middle-class, the polymer manufacturing can be found in rather big chemical enterprises. In the last decade the polymer industry has grown immensely. The globalization of the market and the well-engineered products in the branch intensify the competition. Innovative structures will be necessary to be up to date with scientific and academic institutions and enterprises. Significant advances in competition will be achieved, when a interdisciplinary knowledge of chemistry and engineering is used effectively: better adjustment concerning the material, the production process and product characteristics result in product optimization and innovation. And this will be performed directly. In the PMP excellent research and transfer results shall be achieved concerning the following focuses: concerning coating technology, composite materials made of polymers from nano-scale to micro-scale particles to model and simulate processes of high viscous materials, to manufacture micro-optical components and systems as an element of intelligent mechanic products and to scale assembly processes. During the following next three years the aim is to raise funds of more than three million euro of third institutions, a minimum of 25% in at least bilateral projects. The quintessential competences of the PMP will be replenished, for example with Thyssen Krupp, BASF Coatings and the Ruhr Universität Bochum. Moreover, the cooperation with the association that sponsors the polymer science at the University of Paderborn and the network "Polymers in OWL" ( www.kunststoffe-in-owl.de ) has been planned.At the moment the engineers request a Science-to-Business platform named K-Lab. With the K-Lab, innovation efforts of regional enterprises will be strengthened systematically.