As of June 1, 2018 the Freiberg based research institute appointed Dr Michael Meyer take scientific leadership of the institute. With this, he takes over the responsibility for the institute´s research and development activities.

Dr. Michael Meyer studied biology at the University of Freiburg specialising in zoology, microbiology and genetics. In 1994, he acquired his diploma in the field "Toxicity and Mutagenicity of Waste Water of the Textile Industry before and after Treatment in Sewage Plant Simulations".

Thereafter, he attended postgraduate studies in process engineering at the Technical University of Bergakademie Freiberg and finished them as graduate engineer in 1997.

With his dissertation about "Thermo-mechanical Solubilisation of Collagen from Bovine Hide" he graduated as Doctor of Chemistry at the Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry of the Technical University of Dresden in 2002.

From 1994 to 1998, Dr Michael Meyer worked for several companies, last as head of the product development department of Häcker GmbH, where he was engaged in developing new adhesives based on gelatine.

In 1998 Dr Michael Meyer became scientific assistant at the Research Institute for Leather and Plastic Sheeting gGmbH (FILK) in Freiberg and has managed research projects in the development of new products and technologies in the field of leather and collagen, before he took the lead of FILK´s department of leather and biopolymers in 2001. At the same time he was appointed to lecture on "Manufacturing of Leather and Gelatine" at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg.

Dr Michael Meyer is author of five patent applications and numerous scientific publications. He is member in the VGCT (German association of tannery chemistry and tanning equipment) and represents the German Association in the International Union of Leather Technicians and Chemists Societies (IULTCS). He is also member of the scientific committee of IULTCS. By TU Bergakademie Freiberg he is appointed lecturer for „The Manufacturer of Leather and Gelatine”.

With the appointment of Michael Meyer as Scientific Director the institute consequently continuous its strategic development. Under the lead of Michael Meyer, research competences will be further extended and diversified. In this context, next to existing research teams there will be established new scientific research groups reflecting the new focuses of the institute´s research activities. With the new structure, the scientific works will be concentrated and organised across disciplines.