About us

INNOVENT is a non-profit, industrial research association founded in 1994 in Jena, a rapidly growing high-tech area in the eastern part of Germany. With its about 160 employees, INNOVENT is one of the largest private research institutes in Germany. Based on a profound basic research INNOVENT conducts application-oriented research and development projects, mostly in close co-operation with small and medium-sized enterprises but also with large, internationally active companies. The major research areas of INNOVENT are surface engineering, biomaterials and magnetic and optical systems. The competences and log-term experiences of our interdisciplinary and highly qualified team are bundled in 5 research departments:

• Surface engineering
• Primer and chemical surface treatment
• Magnetic and optical systems
• Biomaterials
• Analytics and material testing

Surface technology

Focus of the department is the development of processes and equipment for the modification, coating or sterilization of various materials like metal, glass, textiles, ceramics or plastic under industrial conditions. A special attention is given to the development of CCVD, r-CCVD and plasma CVD technologies. Furthermore the classical low pressure coating processes are in the field of engagement.

The aim of our developments are

• Adhesion promotion
• Improvement of the corrosion resistance
• Increase of the aging resistance of materials and coatings
• Surface functionalization (hydrophilic, hydrophobic, oleophobic)
• Functional optical layers (transmission increase or anti-reflex, switchable layers, photocatalysis)
• Wear and scratch resistant layers
• Barrier layers
• Tribological layers

The implementation of the developments up to prototype status will be realized by of our powerful workshop with design centre.

Primer and chemical surface treatment

• Cleaning / activation
• Adhesion promoter / primer
• Functional surfaces
• Adhesives
• Varnish / lacquer
• Composite
• Casting compound
• Corrosion / resistance
• Damage investigation

Magnetic and Optical Systems

The department “Magnetic & Optical Systems” does fundamental and application-oriented research and development within specific fields of magnetism, optics and crystal growth. Based on many years of experience we offer research and development services for the industry and for small and medium enterprises. Here, we develop specific solutions based on magnetic and/or optical materials, systems and processes, and, together with our industrial partners, bring them into productivity. The flexible linkage of our fields of work enables combinations and alternative deployments of various physical effects. Synergy effects by cooperation with the other INNOVENT departments enlarge the implementation range. Our cooperations with internationally leading research facilities in Germany and abroad ensure the innovative level of our work. With our close relations with the industry and with small and medium enterprises we are able to realize fast technical implementations.

Biomaterials

The progress in advanced medicine, medical technology and biotechnology and the newly developed techniques and therapies require customised materials which also meet the requirements of the clinical routine.
The Biomaterials department concentrates on the development of such materials. Our scientific portfolio ranges from the synthesis and/or modifying of biomaterials and their characterisation to an application testing. We provide fundamental research and in particular the development of novel materials and products beginning from the research concept to the point of market implementation.

Our core competences are

• Resorbable polymeres and composites
• Polysaccharide derivates
• Electrospinning
• Bioactive coatings
• Bone substitutes
• Magnetic nanoparticles

Analytics and Material Testing

• Plastics
• Coating
• Service