March 23, 2025
12 business associations receive €12.9 million for joint development of new products and processes in critical technology areas
The Thuringian Ministry of Economic Affairs is providing €12.9 million for research and development projects aimed at reducing the Thuringian economy's dependence on foreign technology and material supplies and improving the security of supply chains and energy supplies. "In view of growing geopolitical risks, we want to increase the technological sovereignty of Thuringia's economy and thus secure value creation in Thuringia," said Minister of Economic Affairs Colette Boos-John, explaining the rationale behind the funding. The aim is to minimize dependence on suppliers from crisis regions, for example, and instead rely more heavily on in-house technological developments and regional resources.The funding was awarded as part of the "Technological Sovereignty and Resilience" funding competition. Thuringian companies and research institutions that form research and development networks (R&D networks) and work together on new products or processes were eligible to apply.
The crises of recent years have clearly demonstrated how vulnerable global value chains, and thus the production and supply security of Thuringian companies, can be. "Therefore, we must work even harder in the future to catch up in key technologies, develop alternatives, and expand existing technological leadership," the minister stated, referring to topics such as energy and cybersecurity, as well as technology fields like electronics, artificial intelligence, pharmaceutical development, and recycling technologies. "The goal of our funding initiative is to strengthen the resilience and independence of the Thuringian economy, particularly in these areas."
In this funding round, a total of twelve R&D projects from Thuringian companies in the fields of optics, medical technology, energy technology, resource recovery, production and construction technologies, and mechanical engineering were selected. The Institute for Applied Building Research Weimar (IAB) was particularly successful, participating in three successful collaborative projects. This also demonstrates the growing importance of resource-efficient construction in Thuringia.
Examples of funded projects include:
- The development of a process for recycling high-purity quartz glass waste (project partners: Resch Quarz GmbH, TU Ilmenau, QSIL GmbH);
- The development of a process for the production of lightweight wood concrete building elements from recycled sands and wood residues (project partners: HABAU Deutschland GmbH, Heinz Werner GmbH Aschara, IAB Weimar);
- The development of a novel, cost-saving plastic powder material for 3D printing (project partners: Lean Plastics Technologies GmbH, Polytives GmbH, Thuringian Institute for Textile and Plastics Research eV);
- The development of a new process for urea removal in raw water for the production of ultrapure water for the semiconductor industry, which allows the use of treated surface water instead of expensive drinking water (project partners: Friedrich Schiller University Jena, WTA Unisol GmbH, X-FAB Semiconductor Foundries GmbH, IBL Maschinenbau Gotha GmbH).
The funded companies now have the opportunity to further develop their products in collaboration with research institutions and bring them to market maturity. Another open call for proposals for joint funding will start in May 2025. The funding program is financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and state funds.