Federal President Steinmeier at INM: Diplomatic Excellence Meets Excellence in Materials Science

Each year, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier traditionally visits one of Germany’s federal states together with the Diplomatic Corps. In 2026, the delegation’s journey took them to Saarland. Accompanied by Saarland Minister-President Anke Rehlinger and an international delegation, the Federal President visited INM – Leibniz Institute for New Materials on the campus of Saarland University.

The distinguished guests were welcomed by INM’s executive management team, Wilfried Weber, Aránzazu del Campo, and Michael Marx.

“For INM as a materials research institute, this visit is a special honor,” emphasized Professor Weber in his welcoming address. “At a time marked by geopolitical uncertainty, climate-related challenges, and rapid technological transformation, materials science has a pivotal role to play. Materials form the foundation of innovation: they determine which technologies become possible, how sustainable they can be, and how resilient our economies will be. Our society, our economy, and our planet urgently need new materials that push the boundaries of performance, functionality, and sustainability.”

The Federal President and the Minister-President had the opportunity to see firsthand how INM’s research contributes to this goal during visits to the institute’s laboratories. The guests were particularly impressed by so-called “living materials” and their wide range of potential applications. In Professor Weber’s department, cells are programmed to produce materials with specific tailor-made properties. One example is a sustainable wood-based material that combines the advantages of particleboard while being fully recyclable. Unlike conventional particleboard, whose adhesive is petroleum-based, this material uses a bio-adhesive produced by specially engineered bacteria.

Another groundbreaking application of living materials is the development of implants capable of producing therapeutic agents directly within the body, either continuously or on demand, precisely where they are needed. Professor del Campo’s team illustrated the concept of Living Therapeutic Materials with an innovative contact lens: living cells embedded in the lens continuously produce therapeutic compounds, enabling sustained drug delivery directly to the surface of the eye.

The diplomats were also given the opportunity to explore the full breadth of research conducted at INM. The projects presented ranged from cutting-edge battery technologies – including innovative approaches for recovering lithium from spent batteries – in the Energy Materials research department led by Professor Volker Presser, to flexible electrically conductive materials for soft electronics and bio-inspired flying sensors for environmental monitoring, showcased by Professor Tobias Kraus and his team.

Federal President Steinmeier and Minister-President Rehlinger expressed their admiration for the excellent research carried out at INM, which addresses key challenges of the future across a wide range of scientific disciplines.