# Fraunhofer IAP

has demonstrated keratin as a multifunctional, low-cost filler for industrial coatings and published research on a keratin-based 3D-printed tissue substitute for regenerative medicine.

Source: https://en.bioecon.ru/companies/fraunhofer-iap/
Updated: 2026-07-03

- Country: Germany

## Verifiable facts

| Fact | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Partnership | Partnerships with Fraunhofer IPA (coatings), Enviral (coatings), Zoz GmbH (production scaling), NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute (tissue substitute) | https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/3d-printed-tissue-substitute, https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/en/press_releases/2026/3d-printed-tissue-substitute.html, https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/en/press_releases/2026/keratin-multifunctional-filler-for-coatings.html |
| Research focus | Applied polymer research, biomaterials and healthcare, coatings, 3D-printed tissue substitutes, nanotechnology, polymer processing, sustainable polymer materials | https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/en/press_releases/2026/3d-printed-tissue-substitute.html, https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/en/press_releases/2026/keratin-multifunctional-filler-for-coatings.html, https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/en/research/life_science_and_bioprocesses/biomaterialsandhealthcare.html |
| Facility | Processing Plant Schwarzheide, Pilot Plant Center PAZ, Center for Applied Nanotechnology CAN, High-Performance Center | https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/en/about_us/management.html, https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/en/about_us/organization.html, https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/en/annual-report/2025/organization.html |
| Grant | PolyKARD project (funding code 13XP5087) from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) | https://www.gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de/en/article/press-release/3d-printed-tissue-substitute, https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/en/press_releases/2026/3d-printed-tissue-substitute.html |
| Publications | Research-related publications and patents are documented in the Fraunhofer-Publica database | https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/en/about_us.html |
| Principal staff | Director Prof. Alexander Böker, Head of Administration Ralf Peter Jakisch, Division Directors Dr. André Lehmann, Dr. Thorsten Pretsch, Dr. Jens Buller, Prof. Ruben R. Rosencrantz, Prof. Michael Bartke, Prof. Holger Seidlitz | https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/en/about_us/management.html, https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/en/annual-report/2025/organization.html |
| Headcount | 277 employees (as of 2025-12-31) | https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/en/about_us/facts.html, https://www.iap.fraunhofer.de/en/annual-report/2025.html |

Independent sources: gesundheitsindustrie-bw.de, iap.fraunhofer.de

## Technologies

- [Keratin-based materials](https://en.bioecon.ru/technology/keratin-based-materials/)
- [Scale-up centers for innovative biologic small-batch production](https://en.bioecon.ru/technology/biologic-scale-up-centers/)