Die Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Biomaterialien findet vom Mittwoch, 24. September, bis Samstag, 26. September 2026, im Universitätsklinikum der RWTH Aachen statt. Die Konferenz wird von Prof. Horst Fischer organisiert und es sind Prof. Lorenzo Moroni, Prof. Laura De Laporte, Dr. Kai Melde sowie Prof. Adrian Ranga als Plenarsprecher angekündigt. Zusätzlich wird am Tag vor dem Kongress, also am Mittwoch, 23. September 2026, in Zusammenarbeit mit der YFS ein Biofabrikations-Workshop organisiert.
The DGBM’s 2025 Annual Conference took place from 9 to 11 October 2025 at the Centre for Regenerative Therapies Dresden. Eleven years after the last event in Dresden, the conference was reorganised under challenging conditions within just seven months and impressed with its excellent organisation and a scientifically diverse programme. The range of topics spanned from biofabrication and polymer materials to in vitro models and regenerative therapies.
This breadth enabled both in-depth insights into established fields of research and new impetus from interdisciplinary areas. Each day of the conference began with a high-calibre plenary lecture: Jos Malda presented biomaterial-based strategies for functional tissue regeneration, Cecilia Persson outlined additive manufacturing approaches for magnesium-based, biodegradable metals, and João F. Mano provided insights into the biomaterialisation of cells. The subsequent discussions fostered an intensive scientific exchange. There was a particular focus on supporting early-career researchers. Poster sessions offered young researchers a platform for presentation and networking.
This was complemented by the Young Scientist Forum, which included laboratory tours, short talks and a keynote by Tilman von Strauwitz on overcoming translational hurdles. A panel discussion with Petra Kluger and Cornelia Lee-Thedieck provided valuable guidance on academic career development. Overall, the 2025 DGBM Annual Meeting proved to be scientifically excellent, interdisciplinary and inspiring, and had a lasting impact on networking, the promotion of young talent and future developments in biomaterials research.
The DGBM’s 2024 Annual Conference took place in Berlin from 10 to 12 October 2024 and once again served as a key forum for interdisciplinary exchange in national and international biomaterials research. The conference brought together researchers from materials science, chemistry, biology, medicine and engineering, and impressively reflected the dynamic progress of the field. The scientific leadership was provided by Ansgar Petersen (Berlin Institute of Health at Charité), Nan Ma (Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry) and Cécile Bidan (Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces) . The conference team organised a scientifically ambitious programme that addressed both current issues and future prospects in biomaterials research.
“2023 ANNUAL MEETING of the German Society for Biomaterials in Jena, Germany
The Annual Meeting of the German Society for Biomaterials (DGBM) took place successfully in Jena from 14 to 16 September 2023, bringing together around 220 scientists, including some 100 PhD students, from Germany and abroad. The day before, the Young Scientist Forum offered a varied programme for early-career researchers, featuring laboratory tours, a keynote lecture on effective science communication, as well as short presentations and award ceremonies. The main scientific programme covered a broad spectrum of current biomaterials research – from additive manufacturing, surface modification and cell-material interactions, through infection and antimicrobial research, to biofabrication, hydrogels and organ-on-chip systems. High-profile plenary lectures highlighted, among other things, cellular responses to material topographies, strategies against antimicrobial resistance, melt-electrowriting, bioactive glasses, and biomimetic approaches in tendon and bone tissue replacement. Poster sessions, rapid-fire presentations and an industry exhibition fostered intensive scientific exchange and networking. Social events such as evening gatherings and the conference dinner rounded off the meeting. To conclude, prizes were awarded for the best presentations and posters, and the next DGBM Congress was announced for September 2024 in Berlin. Overall, the annual conference provided an excellent overview of the current state of biomaterials research, inspiring scientific insights and numerous opportunities to establish sustainable scientific collaborations.
The DGBM Annual Conference took place in Essen from 15 to 17 September 2022 and was complemented by a pre-conference workshop organised by the Young Scientist Forum on 14 September. The event provided a high-calibre forum for interdisciplinary exchange between basic research, translational development and clinical application in the field of biomaterials. The scientific leadership of the conference was in the hands of Stephan Barcikowski, Matthias Epple, Jochen Salber and Karsten Seidl, who together designed a programme that was both broad in scope and focused. They were supported by an interdisciplinary scientific advisory board comprising representatives from medicine, the natural sciences and engineering, including Bernd Giebel, Mortimer Gierthmühlen, Sebastian Kruss, Christoph Rehbock, Alexander Schramm, Christina Sengstock and Astrid M. Westendorf. In terms of content, the conference reflected key trends in modern biomaterials research. Key areas of focus included nanobiomaterials, implant development and cell-material interactions, as well as 3D bioprinting, transfection and targeting strategies, and regenerative medicine. Further sessions addressed bio-based biomaterials, antimicrobial strategies, immunomodulation and the translational transfer of innovative material concepts into clinically relevant applications.
The DGBM Annual Conference, originally scheduled for 2020, was to be rescheduled for 22–24 October 2021 at the Haus der Wirtschaft in Stuttgart. Prof. Michael Doser (ITV Denkendorf) and Prof. Petra Kluger (Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences) served as conference chairs. However, due to the renewed rise in Covid-19 infection rates in the run-up to the event, the congress could not take place in person and had to be held online at short notice.
The 2020 Annual Conference was to be hosted by Prof. Michael Doser (ITV Denkendorf) and Prof. Petra Kluger (Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences) from 22 to 24 October at the Haus der Wirtschaft in Stuttgart. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic raging at the time, the conference had to be cancelled and postponed to the following year.
In 2019, there was no separate DGBM Annual Conference because the conference of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB) was hosted in Germany. This took place under the leadership of Prof. Michael Gelinsky from 8–12 September 2019 at the Dresden Congress Centre. The DGBM Annual Conference was therefore effectively incorporated into this event; however, the annual general meeting was held there and the DGBM awards were presented.
Conference Review
The Annual Conference of the German Society for Biomaterials took place from 8–10 November at the ‘Forum’ of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig-Stöckheim. Over 220 registered participants took the opportunity to learn about research in the field of biomaterials through 86 oral presentations and 107 poster presentations. The presentations comprised a total of 13 lecture sessions, which ran concurrently in two lecture theatres. There were also two poster sessions. The conference language was English. One lecture session and a preceding workshop on ‘Complex Implants’ were organised by Research Group 2180 ‘Graded Implants’. This workshop took place the day before the conference at the Institute of Technical Chemistry at TU Braunschweig. Nine early-career researchers attended short overview lectures on the topic and were able to experience the practical implementation during laboratory tours. In addition to Professors Hoffmann, Lenarz and Menzel, the speakers were primarily PhD students from the research group, who were able to report in detail on the practical challenges involved in research into the development of new biomaterials.
The main theme of DGBM 2018 was “Biofilms, implant-associated infections and strategies for their prevention.” Other topics at the conference included “Biomaterials”, “Cell-Material Interaction” and “Clinical Applications and Translation”. A session organised by Research Group 2180 was dedicated to the topic “Implants for Tissue Transitions”. The thematic blocks were introduced by invited plenary lectures from internationally renowned speakers, supplemented by four keynote lectures from speakers in Germany. The invitations were made possible thanks to the generous support of the German Research Foundation (three international speakers) and an industry sponsor (four national speakers). The topics of the sessions and the names of the speakers can be found in the attached overview. Particular attention was also paid in the programme design to the involvement of young scientists, and, among other things, a plenary session was held as a Young Scientist Forum featuring rapid-fire presentations. In the short, three-minute presentations, the young scientists were able to present their posters to a wide audience.
All posters were presented in two poster sessions, each of which featured intensive discussion of the posters. The best posters were awarded a total of four poster prizes. Three cash prizes were sponsored by Aesculap, whilst a further prize was provided by the open-access journal ‘Applied Sciences’ published by MDPI (a waiver for the submission of a paper worth CHF 1,500). The selection was made by a five-member jury. At the awards ceremony, the DGBM sponsorship prizes for the two best doctoral theses were also awarded.
The abstracts for the presentations and posters have been published by the journal Biomedical Engineering / Biomedizinische Technik:
The focus of the DGBM 2018 was received very positively across the board, as it is a clinically very important topic, as Prof. Alt clearly and impressively demonstrated in his keynote lecture. Together with the plenary lectures by Prof. van der Mei on biofilms, which are the cause of infections, and the concepts for their prevention presented by Prof. Thissen, the full complexity of this topic—so important for biomaterials—was laid out. Similarly, the other topics of the conference were also introduced through plenary lectures or keynote lectures. However, it was not only the invited talks but also the contributions from the biomaterials community, and in particular from the members of the German Society for Biomaterials, that were of a very high standard and demonstrated that the field is capable of holding its own against international experts.
The 2016 Annual Conference of the DGBM was once again an excellent forum for discussion and exchange in the interdisciplinary field of biomaterials research. It was a varied, high-profile and well-attended event, which was a success not least thanks to the financial support of the German Research Foundation (DFG). The organisational arrangements were handled in the usual reliable manner by Conventus Congressmanagement & Marketing GmbH.
On behalf of the German Society for Biomaterials, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the DFG for the financial support of our annual conference.
Kind regards
Henning Menzel
Conference Chair DGBM 2018
2017 Conference Review From 9 to 11 November 2017, the DGBM Annual Conference took place at the Vogel Convention Centre in Würzburg, organised by Prof. Jürgen Groll and his research group. With a total of 316 registered participants from 17 different countries, it was a particularly well-attended conference. As usual, the presentations took place in parallel in two conference rooms, and the main topics were: Additive Manufacturing, Drug Delivery, Biofabrication, Bioactive Glasses and many more. In addition to the lectures, 144 posters were presented in two sessions; furthermore, a total of 11 companies specialising in laboratory and measuring instruments showcased their products at stands as well as through technical presentations.
Aachen, 29 September – 1 October 2016
The Annual Conference of the German Society for Biomaterials took place from 29 September to 1 October 2016 in the newly constructed Professor Pirlet Lecture Theatre building at RWTH Aachen University. Over 200 registered participants took the opportunity to learn about the research work of DGBM members through 109 oral presentations and 57 poster presentations. The presentations comprised a total of 14 lecture sessions, which ran concurrently in two lecture theatres. In addition, there were two poster sessions. Two lecture sessions were organised by our sister society, the Dutch Society for Biomaterials. The presentations covered biomaterials, stem cells and tissue engineering, cell-material interaction, nanoscience and clinical applications. The topics of the sessions and the names of the speakers can be found in the attached overview. Each session was introduced by an invited plenary lecture from an internationally renowned English-speaking speaker. The invitations were made possible thanks to the generous support of the German Research Foundation (four speakers), the Stem Cell Network NRW and the European Society for Biomaterials (one speaker each). The lectures were met with a very positive response throughout, as they clearly reflected the current state of research. The presentations by DGBM members were assessed by the session chairs, and the best presentations from each session were invited to submit scientific articles for publication in the open-access journal ‘BioNanoscience’ (de Gruyter), the official journal of the DGBM. Submissions can be made until the end of February; the papers will undergo the standard peer review process but are free of charge for the authors.
The posters were presented in two poster sessions. Prizes were awarded for the best posters. At the awards ceremony, the DGBM’s sponsorship prizes for the two best doctoral theses were also presented. A new executive committee was elected at the DGBM general meeting. A conference dinner took place in the Couven Hall at RWTH Aachen University. On the day before the conference, a workshop on the topic of ‘Biofabrication’ was held at the Helmholtz Institute for Biomedical Engineering, the University Hospital of RWTH Aachen, and the ELab at RWTH Aachen. A total of 24 early-career researchers attended short overview lectures on the topic and carried out practical exercises in 3D printing of cell-loaded hydrogels using both commercial and in-house developed 3D printing systems.
The 2016 DGBM Annual Conference was a varied, high-profile and well-attended event, which was a success not least thanks to the financial support of the German Research Foundation (DFG). The organisational arrangements were handled in the usual reliable manner by Conventus Congressmanagement & Marketing GmbH.
Conference Review
This year’s DGBM Annual Conference was hosted by Prof. Bernstein in Freiburg from 12–14 November 2015. The conference was preceded by a workshop on the topic of ‘Implant-Tissue Interaction’ (see workshop review).
As in previous years, the organisers were delighted to receive a large number of registrations: 274 participants were registered. In addition to four keynote lectures and four review presentations, participants were able to learn about developments in research through 70 oral presentations and 86 posters. For the first time, the President of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB), Prof. Matteo Santin (Brighton, UK), spoke at a national conference. In addition to a welcome address, he spoke on his research topic “Extracellular matrix analogues for tissue regeneration”. The other keynote speakers were Prof. Marc Bohner (Bettlach, Switzerland, “Bone in micropores – a paradigm shift in the design of bone graft substitutes”), Prof. Jürgen Rühe (Freiburg, “Tailormade biointerfaces through surface-attached polymer networks”) and – as a special highlight – Prof. Andreas Nerlich (Munich), who provided participants with a fascinating insight into “Life and death in ancient Egypt – palaeopathology tells us about mummies, molecules and medicines”. The keynote lectures were delivered by Prof. Thomas Lenarz (MHH, Hanover, “Challenges in the field of biomaterials from a clinical perspective”) and Dr Katrin Sternberg (Aesculap AG, Tuttlingen, “Challenges in the field of biomaterials from a technological/industrial perspective”) to kick off the Young Scientist Forum. In addition, there were presentations by Prof. Rainer Gadow, Stuttgart (“Novel bioceramics for intelligent neuroimplantation”) and Prof. Marc Thielen, Freiburg (“Inspiration from nature for innovative materials”).
As in previous years, approximately one-third of the participants were early-career researchers. Special attention was paid to them through the Young Scientist Forum and the in-depth poster sessions. The following colleagues were identified as deserving of awards from among the submitted posters: Matthias Schumacher (Dresden): “Composites of mesoporous, bioactive glass and calcium phosphate cement as a protein delivery system”, Andreas Schreiber (Freiburg): “Self-assembled protein-based nanoarchitectures: Functional Biomaterials for in vitro and in vivo Applications” and Bettina Hiemer (Rostock): “Chondrogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Cultured on Collagen-based Scaffolds enriched with IGF-1-coupled Nanoparticles”. The Young Scientist Forum’s Young Scientist Award for the best short presentation went to Carolin Dewald (Jena): “Reduced microbial adhesion on nanostructured biomaterial surfaces”.
The social evening at the Deutscher Petershofkeller was once again a great success. The excellent idea of organising a wine tasting before the gala dinner certainly contributed to this. The atmosphere was correspondingly relaxed afterwards, so that everyone took to the dance floor after the meal.
Conference Review
This year’s DGBM Annual Conference took place from 6–8 November 2014 in the new building of the DFG Research Centre and Cluster of Excellence for Regenerative Therapies (CRTD) in Dresden. A total of 300 participants registered for this very successful conference. This represents a slight increase compared to previous years and demonstrates that our annual conference is becoming increasingly popular. Fortunately, even the train drivers’ strike, which was called at short notice, could not dampen the event.
Geoff Richards, Director of the AO Research Institute in Davos (Switzerland), then introduced the scientific programme. Another keynote speaker on the first day was Jiang Chang, who had travelled specially for this conference from the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, an institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Both gave impressive presentations on topics relating to translational research, a key focus of this annual conference.
As in previous years, around one-third of the participants were early-career researchers. Special attention was paid to them through the Young Scientist Forum and the in-depth poster sessions. From the 150 posters submitted, the following colleagues were identified as deserving of awards: Johannes Wendler (Dresden) for his contribution “Textile-based sensors for the monitoring of chronic wounds”, Michael Hans (Saarbrücken) for “Copper as an antimicrobial agent for metallic surface design in the healthcare sector” and Andreas Blaeser (Aachen) for “Micro-valve-based 3D bioprinting system for the additive construction of alginate structures loaded with living cells”.
On Friday afternoon, some of the 67 presentations accepted for this DGBM Annual Conference were also spread across two parallel sessions. After a few initial technical difficulties (the audio from one session was being broadcast into the adjacent room), attendees could choose from four different topics ranging from metallic and polymeric biomaterials to calcium phosphates, in vitro testing and tissue engineering.
A particular highlight was this year’s joint organisation of our annual conference with the Polish Society for Biomaterials. Prof. Chlopek, the Chair, delivered a welcome address and opened the series of presentations in the joint session with the Transregio SFB 67 on the topic of bone replacement and matrix engineering.
As is customary at DGBM annual conferences, there was no shortage of social interaction. The organisers had invited attendees to a social evening at the German Hygiene Museum. Following a very interesting guided tour, during which participants could learn a thing or two about their own perception through hands-on experiments, guests were invited to a buffet.
In connection with the annual conference, so to speak as a warm-up, the DGBM also focused on continuing education, not only for young researchers but also for experienced scientists. On this occasion, Prof. Rammelt organised a workshop on 5 November 2014 on the topic of ‘Biomaterials in Surgical Applications’. In addition to applications in trauma surgery and orthopaedics, his colleagues PD Dr Reißfelder and Dr Schulz also introduced the specific challenges of visceral, thoracic and vascular surgery, as well as oral and maxillofacial surgery.
The practical exercises using original instruments on models of long bones and the jaw proved very popular. Alongside case studies that weren’t too gory, the audience was offered a wealth of insights into surgical practice. This could then be tried out first-hand during the practical session. Bone models were drilled into and ‘treated’ with screws or plates. Anyone who had always wanted to understand what the dentist does to teeth was able to try it out for themselves using training models. The feedback was so unanimously positive that a follow-up event will be organised.
Regine Willumeit, Geesthacht and Stefan Rammelt, Dresden
Conference Review
The Annual Conference of the German Society for Biomaterials, which took place in Erlangen from 26–28 September 2013, was a special event: we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the DGBM’s founding. Consequently, in addition to another superbly curated programme, there were various honours and awards dedicated to outstanding individuals and their commitment to the DGBM.
A total of 282 participants attended the conference, just over a third of whom were early-career researchers competing for various prizes with short presentations in the Young Scientist Forum and during the poster sessions. The winner in the ‘Best Short Presentation’ category was Ms Nadine Lang (Erlangen) with the topic ‘Effects of matrix stiffness and steric hindrance on cell migration in 3D’. This prize was endowed with €300, donated by the first DGBM Chair, Prof. Groß. The poster prizes (also €300 each) went to the authors Michael Meyer, Kathleen Seipel, Kathrin Leppchen-Fröhlich, Ina Prade, Alexander Felix, Roland Haseneder and Uwe Repke from Freiberg for their work “Sterilisation of collagenous medical products using supercritical carbon dioxide”, as well as to the team of Susanne Stählke, Friederike Kunz, Andreas Körtge, J. Barbara Nebe from Rostock for “Analysis of intracellular calcium mobilisation in osteoblasts on defined microstructures”. Jonas Daenicke from Erlangen was honoured for the poster “Resilience of silicone breast implants – new insights by mapping the mechanical properties of implant shells”.
A new feature of this conference was the introduction of a parallel session to accommodate as many rapid-fire presentations as possible. This was also necessary, as 72 of the 219 abstracts submitted were selected for oral presentations and 147 for posters – it was once again a packed programme! In addition, there were invited speakers: Prof. Dietmar Hutmacher (Brisbane/AU), Prof. Peter Fratzl (Potsdam) and Prof. James Kirkpatrick (Mainz). The keynote address marking the 20th anniversary of the DGBM was delivered by the founding member and first chairman, Prof. Groß. In a fascinating manner, he combined philosophical aspects with scientific insights drawn from his many years of practical experience.
During the general meeting, the opportunity was taken to honour long-standing members of the DGBM for their outstanding work and their commitment to the Society: Prof. James Kirkpatrick (Mainz), Prof. Heinrich Planck (Denkendorf) and Prof. Hartmut Worch (Dresden) were appointed honorary members. As scheduled, a new Executive Committee was also elected: Prof. Nebe (Rostock) and Prof. Worch (Dresden) have stepped down, whilst Prof. Jahnen-Dechent (Aachen) and Dr Ewald (Würzburg) have joined. The Society will therefore be represented for the next three years by: Prof. Rammelt (Dresden) as Chair, Prof. Jahnen-Dechent as Deputy Chair, Prof. Willumeit as Secretary, Dr Ewald as Treasurer and Prof. Epple as a member for special tasks.
Alongside exciting presentations and in-depth discussions, the DGBM conference participants in Erlangen certainly had their fair share of festivities. The social evening took place at Atzelsberg Castle. This was also an opportunity to thank the outgoing board members and, of course, the organisers. Prof. Boccaccini, who was still in the midst of the stress of moving house during the conference, and his team put together an excellent conference. After a sumptuous dinner featuring regional specialities, everyone took to the dance floor.
All in all, a thoroughly successful event, which once again makes it clear that the DGBM is a very special professional society with a close bond among its members.
Regine Willumeit, Geesthacht
Conference Reports
The annual conference of the German Society for Biomaterials (DGBM e. V.) took place from 1–3 November 2012 in Hamburg. The impressive Chamber of Crafts of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg served as the conference venue. Against this beautiful backdrop, a total of 68 presentations on current topics in the field of biomaterials were delivered across seven sessions at a breathtaking pace with little time to catch one’s breath. The organisers registered a total of 290 participants, including ten exhibitors, 69 DGBM members, six keynote speakers and 101 students.
On the evening of the first day of the event, all conference participants were invited to a Senate reception at the City Hall of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and were welcomed by the Second Mayor, Dr Dorothee Stapelfeldt, who had also assumed patronage of the annual conference. In her speech, Dr Stapelfeldt emphasised the important future role of biomaterials and encouraged interdisciplinary collaboration and early cross-disciplinary discussion in order to better understand and interlink the aspects of research, development, production and clinical application. After a few small but delicious canapés, we made our way back to the hotel via a detour along the Reeperbahn and a stop at a ‘fast-food burger restaurant’ to rest up for the next long day.
The conference programme resumed punctually at 8.30 am the following morning. Whilst the morning’s three sessions, featuring 15 presentations, focused on the scientific aspects – particularly biodegradable metals and tissue engineering – the afternoon saw the DGBM General Assembly alongside the Young Scientist Forum, which aroused great interest among all participating PhD students. Dr Barbara Hoffbauer outlined various career paths for PhD graduates in the natural sciences and encouraged them to be more self-assured during job interviews.
In the evening, guests were invited to a social gathering on the Landungsbrücken aboard the historic sailing ship “Rickmer Rickmers”, built in 1896. In addition to the dining room, there was also a ship’s museum on the lower deck featuring original preserved cabins to admire. Following the official address by Prof. Willumeit and the impressive buffet, all participants – whether professors, PhD students or staff – danced exuberantly to classics such as the Macarena, ABBA and even the new “Gangnam Style”. This demonstrated once again how well the DGBM family gets on with one another even outside the academic sphere.
There was little time for rest, as the next morning saw proceedings resume early at 8.30 am, true to the motto “If you can party, you can work”, with the final sessions of the annual conference and a surprisingly well-attended Chamber of Crafts. Finally, awards were presented for the best doctoral and master’s theses, as well as the best posters. The Chairman of the German Society for Biomaterials, Prof. Matthias Epple, presented Maria Jäckel, Henning Menzel and Anja Lode with the prizes for the best posters, each worth €300.
Before the participants set off on their return journey, Prof. Aldo Boccaccini extended an invitation to next year’s annual conference of the German Society for Biomaterials, to be held from 26–28 September 2013 in Erlangen, Middle Franconia. Although Hamburg 2012 will be hard to beat, Prof. Boccaccini’s speech gave a foretaste of Franconian hospitality and the interesting conference programme.
Gregor Dördelmann and Carola Fischer (Essen)
