ECOMAT , the ‘Center for Eco-efficient Materials & Technologies’, was opened in Airport-Stadt Bremen at the end of April. Some 500 specialists will develop and research new materials for lightweight construction in the new 22,000 m2 center. As the main tenant, aircraft manufacturer Airbus plans to employ 300 workers; other tenants include Airbus subsidiary Testia , Faserinstitut Bremen (FIBRE) research institute for materials science on fibers and fiber products, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM , and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) . ECOMAT is intended to complement the work of research centers CFK NORD in Stade and the Center of Applied Aeronautical Research (ZAL) in Hamburg.

The €73 million project has been financed by Bremen's economic development agency WFB Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen GmbH; the center was constructed by H.A.G.E. - Grundstücksverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. It is anticipated that the center will fully refinance itself through its rental income over a 33-year period.