Annually, the leading-edge cluster MAI Carbon organizes a project forum and a strategy workshop for its members. Due to the Corona pandemic, the two event formats were held jointly online this year on October 13 and 14. During the project forum, the participants, some of whom numbered up to 70, enjoyed two exciting keynotes as well as a total of 28 project presentations on the topics of efficiency and sustainability, design and engineering, and production systems. Dr. Tjark von Reden (Managing Director of CU) and Denny Schüppel (Network Managing Director Ceramic Composites) moderated the two-day event, during which the speakers presented the results of new, ongoing and completed projects in 20-minute presentations.

On the first day of the event, the MAI Carbon general meeting also took place. Prof. Dr. Klaus Drechsler (Leading-Edge Cluster Spokesperson) and former Cluster Managing Director Dr. Tjark von Reden – Managing Director of CU since October 1, 2021 – warmly welcomed Sven Blanck as the new Cluster Managing Director of MAI Carbon at this event. "I am pleased to continue the successful work of Dr. Tjark von Reden and am willing to lead MAI Carbon into an innovative future with my team and new impulses. It is very important to me to increase the synergy potential with the other CU networks and clusters and at the same time to expand MAI’s horizons both nationally and internationally to shape the future in a service-oriented manner for the benefit of MAI members," said Sven Blanck, expressing his thanks for the trust placed in him.

Sven Blanck (35) studied business administration with a focus on finance and supply chain management at the University of Augsburg. Already during his academic education, the business graduate discovered his affinity for novel materials and sustainability strategies. At MAI Carbon, he started his career in 2012 as a project controller and built up the leading-edge cluster in the areas of finance, controlling and monitoring. Over time, other topics were added, such as the development of an internationalization strategy to promote global visibility and representation of partner interests abroad. In addition to his work in project management in a leading role in the areas of internationalization, education and innovation, Sven Blanck is significantly involved in the application and content development of funding projects for the cluster management and partners. He has already held the deputy managing director role at MAI Carbon since 2019 and is now looking forward to the coming year: "In 2022, we can expect a special highlight with the celebration of MAI Carbon’s 10th anniversary."

As his first official act, Sven Blanck reported on last year’s activities of the leading-edge cluster in the areas of marketing, networking, research and development, internationalization, education and cluster management at the general meeting. In addition to six well-known new members, MAI Carbon can look back on nine successful networking events as well as four initiated projects – three of them from the area of research and development, one from the area of education.

Embedded in the general meeting with about 45 participants, the strategy workshop was also held on Wednesday afternoon. In a total of six workshops on networking and events, training and education, marketing and public relations, innovation, internationalization and added value, the MAI Carbon partners discussed their ideas for the future development of the leading-edge cluster. "We are very impressed by the active participation of the participants and would like to thank them once again for the large number of constructive contributions" Dr. Tjark von Reden summarizes the results of the strategy workshop.