The new Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1743 “MY-CO BUILD” celebrated a successful launch in May 2026 with its first Annual Plenary Meeting. More than 60 researchers, PhD students and project participants came together for the first time as a full team to network, establish joint structures and shape their collaboration. The newly established Integrated Research Training Group (IRTG) complemented the programme with its own meeting for around 30 participants.

The event was opened by the CRC’s spokesperson, Vera Meyer, at the Si-M building at TU Berlin. The first day was devoted to networking, featuring activities such as improvisational theatre, speed dating and a film evening. Presentations by Sina Bartfeld, Philipp Misselwitz and Thorsten Philipp opened up perspectives on creative, sustainable and interdisciplinary research; TU Berlin President Fatma Deniz officially welcomed the participants.

On the second day, the focus was on professional exchange and further development. Presentations on open science, research data management and research transfer by Maxi Kindling, Michaela Voigt and Martin Rahmel were complemented by poster sessions, workshops and guided tours. The third day was dedicated to the IRTG, with seminars on good scientific practice (Michael Gommel) and research data management (Britta Steinke). The inauguration marked the launch of a new research network that brings together biotechnology, materials and process sciences, as well as architecture and art, and lays the foundations for long-term interdisciplinary collaboration.

The CRC1743 “MY-CO BUILD: Biotechnological Production, Characterisation and Sustainability Assessment of Fungus-Based Building Materials” is investigating the development of a new class of sustainable building materials based on fungi and renewable raw materials from agriculture and forestry. The CRC’s spokesperson is Vera Meyer from the Technical University of Berlin. In addition to TU Berlin, the research consortium includes TU Munich, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Bochum University of Applied Sciences, the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim (ATB) and Aalborg University. The Collaborative Research Centre will receive funding of around 10.3 million euros from the German Research Foundation (DFG) from 2026 to 2029.