On 16 December 2019, the Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV) in Industry and Craft at RWTH Aachen University was informed that approval had been given for further construction to be carried out at IKV's site in Aachen Melaten. By the year 2022, the "Plastics Innovation Centre 4.0" (PIC 4.0) will be built at Seffenter Weg – a completely interconnected research and development environment occupying a total area of 4,200 square metres. The cost of the project will be 19.5 million euros, to be funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).