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Human activities are driving more species toward extinction than at any other time in history. The ongoing decline in biodiversity threatens to erase millions of species forever, leading to a significant deterioration in vital ecosystem services, such as air and water quality, carbon storage, and soil health.

Researchers from Avans University of Applied Sciences and the University of Twente have published a groundbreaking scientific study on the development of biobased sandwich structures with shape memory, produced using 4D printing technology. These innovative structures have the remarkable ability to restore their original shape when exposed to external factors like heat, unlike traditional structures.

Recently, Jacomine Ravensbergen, Acting Chair of the Executive Board of Avans University of Applied Sciences, and Raf de Keninck, Director of Design Academy Eindhoven, signed the 'Extended Labs' collaboration agreement. This partnership focuses on interdisciplinary innovation and educational development. As a result, students from the Design Academy will be introduced to biobased design early on through the research centers MNEXT and Caradt.

Making a positive impact on the speed of the biobased transition, that is the highest goal of the Biobased Transitions research group. But how do you do that? What do you conduct practice-oriented research on and how can you then help entrepreneurs and organisations with the knowledge you gain? These are the questions Philippa Roots and Maddalena Logrieco, brand-new colleagues at MNEXT, are currently working on. ‘We are going to push and pull, but in a very positive way!’

De energietransitie staat steeds hoger op de agenda’s van bedrijventerreinen. Zo blijft het terrein aantrekkelijk voor bestaande én toekomstige ondernemers. Maar elk bedrijf heeft andere energiebehoeften en het energieverbruik overdag is doorgaans veel hoger dan ’s avonds. Het voorspellen van energieverbruik op een bedrijventerrein is dan ook ingewikkeld. Daarom is het belangrijk om de energievraag en het energieaanbod op een bedrijventerrein te inventariseren en op elkaar af te stemmen. MNEXT onderzoekt de mogelijkheden voor een Energy Hub op bedrijventerrein Steenakker in Breda. Een goed voorbeeld van hoe kennisinstellingen, studenten en bedrijven samenwerken aan slimme oplossingen voor moeilijke vraagstukken.

Recent onderzoek van MNEXT en partners toont aan dat er kansen liggen voor het vergroten van biodiversiteit in Nederland, door op gebouw-, straat- en gebiedsniveau aandacht te besteden aan, zoals het heet, ‘natuurinclusief’ te bouwen of renoveren. Eerder publiceerde het consortium daar al deze whitepaper over. Graag zoemen we dit keer in op het aandeel dat MNEXT had in het geheel, namelijk natuurinclusieve toepassingen op gebouwniveau. Onderzoekers en studenten werkten aan innovaties in de zogenaamde ‘railgebonden gebouwen’ van ProRail. En daar gaan we allemaal daadwerkelijk de resultaten van terugzien!

Water bottles are made from various materials, making recycling a challenge. MNEXT and SAAR Sport are tackling this challenge in the "From Water Bottle to Circular Sports Product" project, funded by Innofest x SIA Sport 2024. The results of this research will be tested during the World Cup Qualification Tournament from November 8 to 10 at the Thialf Stadium.

At MNEXT, there are various opportunities for students to intern, graduate, and conduct research. Teachers, researchers, and interns work together on diverse projects in the field of materials and energy transition. One such Future Rethinker, Hoang Cau Nguyen, is conducting research under MNEXT's guidance on the environmental impact and reduction of textile waste at Amphia Hospital in Breda.

Mycelium biocomposieten, ontwikkeld met landbouwbijproducten en paddenstoelenmycelium, zijn een duurzaam alternatief voor traditionele fossiele bouwmaterialen. Het meest succesvolle mycelium biocomposiet-materiaal, gemaakt van koolzaadstro en Ganoderma resinaceum mycelium, blijkt ideaal voor isolatie. Lees alles over de resultaten van dit project in de whitepaper.

MNEXT, together with 10 partners in West-North Brabant and led by TNO, will be working together to make green building blocks with local tree and plant residues. From grass to glue, from sugar beet pulp to paint or from wood chips to insulation foam are examples of what the B4 project – Better Biobased Building Blocks - envisions. These building blocks not only make products for the construction industry more sustainable, but also provide scratch resistance, flame retardancy or UV resistance. Besides these technological innovations, the partners in this B4 project also share knowledge with students, companies and governments to prepare them for and involve them in this raw materials transition. This will transform Western North Brabant into a hotspot for biobased building blocks for the construction industry.   

Are you ready to learn how to implement technologies and make an impact as a professional? This is your chance! From September 2024, Avans University of Applied Sciences will launch the brand new Master of Science (MSc) in Materials & Energy Transition (MET)

Never before has so much renewable energy been generated as in 2023. And never before has the task of continuing to accelerate been so significant - we are in the midst of the energy transition. To achieve a CO2-neutral energy supply by 2050, and stabilize atmospheric CO2 concentrations at a 350 ppm level, 30 TW of renewable energy will be needed worldwide. This is roughly equivalent to the output of 30,000 average power plants, each with a capacity of 1 GW. With the new MNEXT professorship in Renewable Energy Carriers, Professor Saleh Mohammadi will conduct research in the coming years on Renewable Energy Carriers through which all this sustainably generated energy is stored, transported, and delivered to the end-users.