DECHEMA GESELLSCHAFT FUR CHEMISCHETECHNIK UND BIOTECHNOLOGIE

Their core work

DECHEMA is Germany's leading professional society for chemical engineering and biotechnology, headquartered in Frankfurt. They serve as a bridge between academic research and industrial application — organizing technology transfer, developing roadmaps for the chemical and bioprocess industries, and coordinating risk governance frameworks for emerging materials. In H2020, they contributed dissemination expertise, industry network access, and coordination capacity across projects spanning biorefining, water management, nanosafety, and circular economy topics.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), DECHEMA focused on industrial process optimization, carbon utilization (CO2 conversion, CarbonNext), and building bioeconomy roadmaps for the chemical sector. From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted markedly toward risk governance of nanomaterials, circular economy strategies, and environmental/human health concerns around persistent chemicals like PFAS and micro-plastics. This evolution reflects a move from "how to make industrial processes better" toward "how to make industrial products and materials safer and more sustainable."

DECHEMA is moving from process-oriented chemical engineering toward environmental safety, chemical risk assessment, and circular material flows — making them increasingly relevant for projects addressing regulatory compliance and safe-by-design approaches.

How they like to work

DECHEMA primarily operates as a participant (17 of 22 projects), joining large consortia where they contribute industry coordination, dissemination, and technology transfer expertise rather than deep technical research. With 309 unique partners across 30 countries, they function as a network hub — connecting diverse actors rather than repeatedly working with the same core group. Their coordinator roles (5 projects) tend to be in CSA-type coordination and roadmapping efforts, suggesting they lead best when the task is about mobilizing communities rather than running lab work.

DECHEMA has collaborated with 309 unique partners across 30 countries, making them one of the most broadly connected chemical engineering organizations in H2020. Their network spans nearly all EU member states, with particular density in Western European industrial hubs.

What sets them apart

DECHEMA is not a university lab or a company — it is a professional society with deep roots in Germany's chemical and biotechnology industries, giving it unmatched convening power between researchers and industrial practitioners. Their value in a consortium is bridging the gap between lab results and industry adoption, providing access to a membership network of thousands of companies and researchers. For anyone building a consortium that needs credible industry engagement and dissemination reach in the chemical/bioprocess sector, DECHEMA is a hard-to-replace partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PROMISCES
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 769K) addressing PFAS and persistent chemicals in water — a topic of intense regulatory urgency across Europe.
• BioSPRINT
  Coordinated with EUR 638K funding, combining biorefinery process intensification with new end-product development from lignocellulosic biomass.
• WATER-MINING
  EUR 686K contribution to a flagship circular economy project demonstrating next-generation water management and resource recovery from wastewater at large scale.