A New Era in Catalysis: ASCEND Launch in Berlin, €30 Million in Funding

On 11 June 2026, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) in Adlershof hosted the launch of ASCEND (Accelerated Solutions for Catalysis using Emerging Nanotechnology and Digital Innovation). The event took place in the presence of the Minister of Research, Dorothee Bär, President of the Helmholtz Association, Prof. Dr. Martin Keller, and President of the Max Planck Society, Prof. Dr. Patrick Cramer. Bringing together leading partners from industry and research, ASCEND is supported by BMFTR with €30 million in funding and officially started on 1 April 2026. The initiative aims to accelerate the discovery of next-generation catalysts and enable more sustainable chemical processes.

ASCEND brings together digital catalysis, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), simulations, and self-driving laboratories, with advanced thin-film technologies to develop more efficient catalysts and enable sustainable fuels and chemicals. The five-year initiative unites six partners from research and industry: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society (FHI), BASF, Siemens Energy, Dunia Innovations, and the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin)/BasCat.

At the launch on 11 June 2026 in Berlin-Adlershof, Federal Minister Dorothee Bär (BMFTR) emphasized in her keynote speech the significance of ASCEND within the German research landscape: “Through the Hightech Agenda Germany, we are providing targeted support for technologies that are vital for industrial transformation, future-proofing energy supplies, and climate action. The ASCEND project is an excellent example of this. The combination of AI-based research and industrial application strengthens Germany’s position as a leading hub for innovation.”

Prof. Dr. Martin Keller reinforced in his opening remarks the message: “AI-powered autonomous laboratories like ASCEND will be the game changers of tomorrow. That is why it is crucial to start today in order to sustainably secure Germany’s technological sovereignty. This is made possible through close collaboration between stakeholders from science, industry, and politics. It is precisely these kinds of partnerships that will drive Europe forward. I would like to thank everyone involved for the excellent cooperation and wish them every success.”

AI applications to accelerate development

Aiming to accelerate the development of next-generation catalysts, ASCEND places AI at its core. Together with automation and robotics, AI enables self-driving laboratories to significantly accelerate scientific experimentation. These systems continuously develop and refine digital twins of the systems under investigation and use them to guide experimental design. Experiments are carried out by automated platforms in iterative learning cycles, where each result feeds back into improving subsequent steps. 

While AI greatly increases speed and efficiency, human expertise remains essential for defining research directions and guiding the overall strategy. More than a simple catalyst development project, ASCEND is designed to change how catalyst discovery is done: moving from routine, trial-and-error experimentation toward closed-loop, AI-guided discovery, where models, high throughput automated experiments, materials characterization and human expertise continuously work in unison.

The emergence of artificial intelligence as a key driver of scientific discovery across disciplines was also highlighted by Prof. Dr. Patrick Cramer, President of the Max Planck Society: “Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in research throughout the Max Planck Society, enabling us to explore scientific data with unprecedented depth and speed. Building on the strengths of the Max Planck Society and the Helmholtz Association as leading German institutions in AI for science, ASCEND aims to accelerate development cycles of new catalysts for sustainable chemistry. The project exemplifies that machine learning, when combined with experimental science, can open up entirely new avenues: from gaining understanding of fundamental processes to developing scalable applications.”

The scientific vision of ASCEND was then presented by the project coordinators, Prof. Dr. Karsten Reuter (FHI) and Dr. Michelle Browne (HZB), who outlined the approach of combining digital innovation and nanoscience to accelerate catalyst design. The launch concluded with a panel discussion titled “Materials of the Future: How Industry–Research Collaboration Can Drive Innovation in Catalysis,” featuring Alice Glättli Senior VP Digitalization Automation and Innovation Management at BASF, Elfriede Simon Program Manager for Innovative Electrolyzer Technologies at Siemens Energy, Michael Paul Managing Director & COO, hte GmbH, and Marcus Tze-Kiat Ng Founder & CTO, Dunia Innovations.

Background to ASCEND

According to S&P Global Ratings, the chemical industry accounts for around 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions, comparable to the annual emissions of the European Union (EDGAR). These emissions mainly stem from fossil-based energy use and the production of essential materials such as plastics, fertilizers, and pharmaceuticals. Given that around 85% of chemical products involve catalysis, innovation in this field is key to achieving climate-neutral production by 2050.