From Research to Practice: Institute Seminar Offers Insights into the Start-up Business

Twice a year, researchers from all departments of the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung come together for networking and knowledge exchange at the Institute Seminar. In lectures and a poster session, they learn about their colleagues’ current projects and present their own. This time, Managing Director Frank Neese invited participants to a special edition of the seminar – a Start-up Edition.

The event kicked off with Dr. Abdu Bilican, former PhD student in Wolfgang Schmidt’s group and founder of Minerva Carbon. Bilican explained how he used the key findings from his doctoral thesis, in which he developed a significantly shortened reaction process for the production of mesoporous carbons, to found his company. “With our newly developed process, we are able to produce large quantities of mesoporous carbons without compromising on material properties.” He wanted to contribute to climate protection and therefore decided to found the company: "Time is running out and we can't afford to wait any longer. We need to transfer innovations from the laboratory to commercial technologies – and startups are best placed to do that." said Bilican. The researcher reported on the application for the EXIST program and shared his experiences in the still young start-up process with the audience. The start-up secured €1.8 million in funding this year through the BMWE's EXIST Research Transfer Program and now has two years to commercialize its technology.

A more advanced start-up is MechSyn, founded by Dr. Özgül Agbaba. Since 2023, MechSyn has focused on mechanochemistry, a process that enables the sustainable production of high-performance materials. “Mechanochemistry is a key technology currently being researched in many countries around the world,” Agbaba explained. “The process is sustainable—no solvents are required, emissions are low, reactions proceed at room temperatures, and overall energy consumption is significantly reduced. One challenge remains, however: upscaling.” She described the difficulties of finding suitable machines and production space: “We are developing our own machines and a mobile mechanochemical unit, which will allow us to operate independently of fixed production sites in the initial phase.” For Agbaba, exchanging ideas was essential to developing her start-up idea: “I was able to discuss many ideas with others, both here at the institute and through various start-up programs, which was very valuable.” Soon, Agbaba will take MechSyn into the next phase of spin-off development and is hoping to attract additional investors to bring the idea into an industrial setting.

Already well established in the market is FaCCts, a Cologne-based company presented by Dr. Christoph Riplinger. The company’s mission is to market the quantum chemistry software package ORCA, developed in Frank Neese's department to industrial customers and to further develop it with a view to industrial applications. Riplinger was Professor Frank Neese's first doctoral student and is now CEO and co-founder of FaCCts. He was able to report on nine years on the market, during which FaCCts has been marketing the software with more than 20 employees, providing support, and creating new innovations in many directions. “We were fortunate that 20 years ago, all we needed was our vision and a computer. That's why we were able to start FaCCts without any external start-up capital,” said Riplinger. “To be a good founder, you have to be driven by curiosity and have the unconditional will to build something. And you need perseverance.” In the panel discussion, he emphasized how important industry experience is in order to better assess what drives decisions in companies during sales talks. Today, FaCCts serves around 60 corporate customers, and approximately 100,000 researchers in the academic and commercial sectors use ORCA.

In his opening lecture, Professor Frank Neese addressed the start-up process and offered advice on how researchers at the Institute should proceed with promising ideas. “Talk to your supervisor, discuss your ideas, and make use of the advisory services offered by our Studiengesellschaft Kohle and Max Planck Innovation.” Although the Max Planck Society does not provide direct capital support, researchers can receive substantial expertise and training. “Several promising start-ups have already emerged from the Max Planck ecosystem, and I can tell you from personal experience that entrepreneurship is an exciting topic and a great career path alongside academia,” said Neese.