The metaphorical institute name SCION stands for the New Zealand Forest Research Institute. The research facility, based in Rotorua, specializes in research and technology development in the fields of forestry, wood products, wood-based and other (bio) materials.

Before the cooperation agreement was signed in the spring of 2017, several meetings had already taken place in which the respective competencies of the partners involved were analysed. On this basis, initial approaches for joint projects were developed. The focus will be on the utilisation of tree bark.

Representatives of SCION were also able to present this promising cooperation to the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who made a state visit to New Zealand at the beginning of November during his trip to Asia and learned more about the country's research landscape.

The next steps within the framework of the cooperation between Fraunhofer IGB and SCION are reciprocal visits by scientists to the institutes now. For example, SCION expert Dr. Warren Grisby already visited the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical Biotechnological Processes CBP in Leuna in November for a coordination meeting. The IGB institute has been working on the utilisation of wood and wood components for a long time. Fraunhofer CBP has particular expertise in the field of upscaling of manufacturing processes. In return, Susanne Zibek, who heads the Institute's Industrial Biotechnology Research Group, will visit SCION next year.