Significantly strengthened with new partners

High quality and effectiveness of protective masks – especially for medical personnel – are essential prerequisites to provide protection against new infections and thus contribute to containing the Corona pandemic.

In the Mask Alliance Bavaria, three key companies from the industry joined forces in May 2020: The Sandler Group, a high-tech manufacturer of nonwoven fabrics from Schwarzenbach/Saale; the automation specialist PIA Automation from Amberg; and the Zettl Group from Weng, a leader in automotive interior components. They cover the entire value chain in Bavaria from raw materials and machinery to the production of the final product. The overarching goal of the alliance is to ensure high safety and quality standards as well as supply security for personal protective equipment beyond the Corona pandemic in the country. Dependence on foreign suppliers should be avoided in the future. Additionally, sustainable product solutions and maximum recyclability are the focus.

To improve the effectiveness, safety, compatibility, and also the sustainability of masks, new materials and procedures are continuously tested and evaluated. To further accelerate this development, new partners are invited to join the Mask Alliance Bavaria.

Infectiologist and specialist in Medical Microbiology and Infection Epidemiology from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Prof. Clarissa Prazeres da Costa, and her colleague Magnus Fröhling, Professor of Circular Economy at TUM, as well as microbiologist, pharmacologist, and toxicologist Prof. Franz-Xaver Reichl from Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (LMU), and safety experts from DEKRA, part of Jörg-Timm Kilisch's team, aim to contribute their comprehensive expertise specifically to the development of new medical masks.

Bayern Innovativ supports the consortium in identifying suitable funding programs and in developing additional competencies within its cluster and network activities.

The close collaboration among member companies, research institutions, and testing laboratories is intended to combine key competencies and enable swift transfer of knowledge and technology to small and medium-sized enterprises, the medical sector, and standardization. Insights gained from this collaboration could also be applied to masks suitable for children or the second generation of simpler mouth-and-nose protection masks.

The Mask Alliance Bavaria is taking the next steps to quickly and focusedly advance mask development and production in Bavaria.