MAI OSAKA

Joint project: Composites for key technologies in Japan and Korea

The MAI OSAKA project systematically identifies and evaluates key technologies in the field of composite materials in Japan and Korea, with a particular focus on material innovations and their recycling. Building on the results of the APRA projects conducted by the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), scientific, political, and industrial developments are analyzed on an evidence-based basis and placed in the European context.

The project is divided into two phases: The first phase focuses on Japan and its leading role in composite materials research. Here, the project partners benefit from the strong local presence of Fraunhofer IGCV and GIGA. In the second phase, the findings will be transferred to Korea and analyzed comparatively. Data collection in industry, politics, and society, as well as technology analyses with strong local partners, form the basis for this. In addition, networking workshops promote international exchange and the dissemination of results.

Close cooperation with Composites United e.V. (CU) provides access to an established international network that specifically strengthens German-Japanese-Korean cooperation in industry, science, and politics. This network has been built up over more than eight years through numerous projects and enables effective utilization of the project results in the working groups of CU and MAI Carbon, as well as through other partner networks.

In the short term, comprehensive overviews of the use of composite materials in key applications such as wind energy, hydrogen, and aviation will be produced. In the medium term, the international network will be further expanded to promote strategic partnerships and knowledge transfer. In the long term, MAI OSAKA will provide important impetus for sustainable and circular value chains for composites—a topic of high relevance for Germany, Europe, and the international community.