What is the ERDF?

In order to overcome Thuringia's existing structural weaknesses, it is still necessary to strengthen research, technological development, and innovation, and to expand research and innovation capacities.

To this end, the Thuringian research landscape must be further developed, existing knowledge must be made available to companies on a cooperative basis, and it must be made easier for them to absorb know-how and adapt technological developments. 

In particular, networking between commercial enterprises and with the scientific community offers potential for development that specifically addresses existing structural deficits and helps to overcome them.

Support for young knowledge- and technology-intensive companies is essential in order to overcome Thuringia's existing structural weaknesses in terms of growth and competitiveness, stimulate growth, promote the creation of tomorrow's jobs, and effectively support the recovery process following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

At the same time, promoting investment in smart growth for existing companies should serve to boost productivity growth among Thuringian SMEs. On the other hand, resource-efficient and effective economic development should be supported.

Around 40% of total CO₂ emissions are generated in the building sector, including public properties and buildings. Therefore, primary energy consumption in these buildings must be reduced to a minimum and the share of renewable energies in energy consumption in public buildings and infrastructure must be substantially increased.

At the same time, public heating networks play a central role in Thuringia's heat supply, and this role is set to grow in the future. Heating networks contribute to a resource-efficient and climate-friendly heat supply. The heat to be distributed should be produced with low CO₂ emissions or contain an appropriate proportion of renewable energies or waste heat. 

Existing heating networks must be prepared and adapted for this purpose. At the same time, new and existing heating networks are to be newly built, converted, expanded, and densified using intelligent storage devices and sector coupling.

In the past, flooding has caused considerable damage in Thuringia. As a result of climate change, a further increase in extreme events is to be expected. 

These consequences must be countered by measures to improve flood protection and hazard prevention, by measures to restore and connect near-natural watercourses, and by measures to renature and connect habitats in the vicinity of watercourses. In addition, structures for municipal flood hazard prevention must be established.

Without a successful transport revolution, climate targets cannot be achieved. In order to achieve a sustainable reduction in CO₂ emissions, public transport in particular must be strengthened so that private transport can be reduced. 

The modernization of public transport, in particular through the use of innovative and low-carbon drive systems in urban areas and user-friendly urban-suburban networks, is an indispensable part of implementing a sustainable climate policy.

The spatially balanced and sustainable development of cities and regions is of central importance for cohesion within the European Union. Cities are home and urban environments for those who live their lives there. They are centers of social, cultural, and economic life and thus contribute to people's sense of identity. This applies regardless of their size. 

As centers of social, economic, and cultural life, functioning, attractive cities are also the basis and cornerstone of regional development. Cities must increasingly face new challenges to improve ecological quality of life, conserve resources, and deal with the consequences of climate change.