Press release from the Thuringian Ministry for Economic Affairs, Science and Digital Society dated January 24, 2023
Projects are intended to ensure better energy and resource efficiency / State Secretary Dr. Böhler: “Business-oriented institutes translate research into marketable applications”
The Institute for Applied Building Research Weimar (IAB) received funding commitments today from the Thuringian Ministry of Economic Affairs for two technology projects. State Secretary Dr. Katja Böhler presented the two grant awards, totaling approximately €1.3 million, to Institute Director Dr. Ulrich Palzer. The funds originate from EU REACT resources and were available to Thuringian industry-related research institutions through the "WINAFO Invest" competitive bidding process. In total, 12 projects from industrial research institutions across Thuringia will receive nearly €7.4 million in funding in this round.
“Research institutions closely linked to industry translate research findings into marketable applications,” said Böhler. The current call for proposals focused primarily on technologies and processes for a more sustainable use of energy and resources. “The funded projects will also contribute to using energy and materials more efficiently at the IAB.” For example, the institute will install a new test bench to check whether gas fittings are suitable for transporting hydrogen and carbon dioxide; this will help to provide technical support for converting the existing natural gas infrastructure to green hydrogen. Furthermore, the IAB is developing a pilot plant for the CO2-neutral calcination (deacidification) of binders for cement production. Both projects will enable the IAB to acquire further research and development projects in the future and, within this framework, to develop new and improved products and processes for industry.
In Thüringen, there are a total of ten industry-oriented research institutions with 900 employees and a turnover of 90 million euros, which have joined forces in the Thuringian Research and Technology Association (FTVT) e.V. Their main task is the rapid transfer of research results into commercial applications, thereby strengthening the innovative capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The research profiles of these institutes range from microsensors, medical technology and biotechnology, manufacturing technology, construction and materials research, materials science, and textile and plastics research to applied hydrogen research.
(REACT = “Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe” is an initiative of the European Commission to continue and expand measures to address the economic consequences of the Covid-19 crisis.)