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ePaper created 2015-05-06, 08:22:31 | version 1.38.0
14 Research and development The further development of the existing product portfolio by means of organic growth is reflected in the various fields of research and development (R&D) that are being pursued within the individual business groups and increas- ingly also on a Group-wide basis. Total R&D expenditure amounted to €85.8 million last year. Group-wide cluster projects were launched in which inter disciplinary development teams worked on various fields. The Precious Metals business group, for example, was strongly represented in the cluster initiatives focused on areas such as displays and consumer electronics, and renewable energies. The other business groups turned their attention to a range of different fields, ensuring that the Group is well placed for various future developments. A particular focus for the Materials Technology business group was the consolidation of packaging technology activ- ities for the electronics industry. In 2014, the business group also made substantial future-focused investments in functional materials and related manufacturing processes. The Sensors business group expanded its existing product portfolio by launching new product lines. The Biomaterials and Medical Products business group won an award last year in recognition of its research findings and was included in the top 100 list of the most innovative medium-sized companies in Germany. For the Quartz Glass business group, the main focus in 2015 was on optimizing cost structures and on harnessing synergies between the various production lines. In contrast, the activities of the Specialty Light Sources business group centered on the expansion of the product portfolio and resulted in the development of new lamps for diverse applications, includ- ing in the medical sector and the semiconductor industry. In 2014, the internal Heraeus Innovation Prize for the best product and process innovations was awarded for the twelfth time. The winner in the best product inno- vation category was a new conductive adhesive with reduced silver content. Conductive adhesives are used in smartcards, displays, and sensors to join electronic and electrical components. In the best process innovation category, the winner was a new recycling process for palladium-based catalytic converters. These are needed to manufacture the basic chemical monoethylene glycol (MEG), a vital ingredient in polyester and in PET bottles. Using an innovative dissolv- ing process, the development team was for the first time able to recycle nearly all components of the used catalytic converters, including both the palladium and the catalyst substrate spheres.