Innovative
and
Competitive

The year 2025 marked our 35th anniversary. Since 1990, we have been supporting innovators in the development and implementation of R&D projects. We guide them from the initial idea through the financing and management of innovative international projects right up to the preparation for market launch. With pride we can look back on over 35 years during which we have advised more than 12,000 people from over 7,000 organisations, submitted over 1,000 applications to the EU on behalf of ourselves and our partners, and secured more than 250 projects for Steinbeis Europa Zentrum.

As a highlight of our anniversary campaign, we planted a Steinbeis Europa Zentrum Forest, comprising 400 trees, near Karlsruhe in January 2026. Each tree symbolises the innovative ideas, joint research projects and collaborations between Baden-Württemberg and Europe over the past 35 years. Just as the trees grow and flourish, so too should our ideas and partnerships grow and bear fruit. Planting the trees is a symbol of our shared commitment and our contribution to the future of Europe.

Companies very often come to us with questions about reducing costs, improving quality, developing new product and service functionality, and innovation partnerships with organizations in other countries. Developing innovative products and services is a risky business.

We help to minimize these risks. To do this, our clients need know-how, resources and funding. Whether start-ups, SMEs or large corporations, we support all businesses and find suitable funding programmes and partners.

Financing innovation

We help to identify suitable funding opportunities and support them in drafting funding applications. We provide comprehensive information on current calls for proposals, funding criteria and administrative requirements. Our consultancy services range from programme screening, proposal submission and partner search through to project coordination, and the dissemination and communication of project results. Clients can expect a 60% probability of success with us.

International cooperation

Another key focus is strategic partnerships. Our clients are keen to build networks and enter into partnerships with foreign businesses, research institutions and public agencies. We help them initiate and implement international partnerships, especially in the fields of innovation, research and technology transfer. As an Enterprise Europe Network partner, we can provide access to the largest technology transfer network worldwide, as well as promoting transnational cooperation.

SMEs face challenges such as limited financial and human resources and complex regulatory requirements. In particular, coordinating an EU project with more than 20 partners and ensuring their own visibility within the consortium can be demanding.

At Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, we have seen that there are certainly companies that are willing to take on the coordination of an EU project. Other SMEs play the role as project partner.

Novis BioBased Technology GmbH, based in Tübingen, is a partner in the EU project CAPTUS, which is dedicated to the production of renewable liquid fuels from carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, we have brought Novis on board as a partner in the EU project FABULOSE. The project is working on new sustainable bio-based production routes for animal-free leather alternatives. Novis is working on optimising and scaling up bacterial cellulose production from waste streams such as rapeseed oil residues, grape marc and paper waste.

Since 2018, Dr. Petra Püchner, Commissioner for Europe of the Minister of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Tourism Baden‑Württemberg, has been working with the team of Steinbeis Europa Zentrum to build strong bridges to Brussels, where the rules for innovation, competitiveness, and funding are shaped.

Petra Püchner supports and coordinates this mandate, acting as a driving force in the European innovation landscape and connecting actors from business, politics, and research. The result: clear added value for companies in Baden‑Württemberg.

SME voice and innovation ecosystems: impact through direct communication

In 2025, close exchange with the European Commission and key innovation stakeholders again shaped the year, especially in areas where small and medium‑sized enterprises are otherwise rarely heard.

With our support, SME representatives from Baden‑Württemberg were able to present their concerns directly at EU level and benefit immediately. This included in‑depth technical discussions with experts in Brussels, including those from the Directorate‑General for Justice, on AI liability and regulatory legal certainty, creating an important mutual learning process. The exchange we initiated between Department 3 of the Baden‑Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs and the European expert group on “Rare Hard Magnets” further strengthened shared understanding and opened the door to future industrial‑policy dialogue. Moreover, conversations with entrepreneurs in Baden‑Württemberg provided valuable insights into how companies, especially SMEs, can strategically use EU‑funded projects and partnerships to advance their innovation agendas.

Preparations for FP10, the next European Research and Innovation Framework Programme starting in 2028, have been a priority since mid‑2025. Discussions with DG GROW and DG RTD focused on simplification, competitiveness, excellence, and the role of regions. Topics such as regulatory sandboxes, SME instruments, and the start‑up and scale‑up strategy were also central, areas of high strategic relevance for Baden‑Württemberg.

In Strasbourg, talks with the French Grand Est region reaffirmed existing cooperation agreements and clarified what companies need in order to benefit from EU innovation funding in interregional partnerships. At the European Research & Innovation Days in Brussels, the team also met with Michiel Scheffer (EIC) and other key stakeholders. The event marked a preliminary peak in the FP10 debate, from the future of the EIC to dual‑use innovation and AI‑in‑science initiatives such as RAISE.

We continued to be committed to this mission statement in 2025 and implemented it through the following services for our clients:

10 projects are funded by INTERREG programmes. 2 projects received regional funding from the state of Baden-Württemberg. 1 project received national funding.

The 10th virtual network meeting in the Beteiligungsprogramm@MINT programme showed how AI can be meaningfully integrated into companies and what skills professionals – especially women – need to do so. The focus was on practical ideas, research and recommendations. AI skills are crucial for new business models, emphasised Dr Birgit Buschmann, Head of the Economics and Equality Department at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism. Women continue to be underrepresented in AI professions, which is why more training and visibility are needed.

Steinbeis Europa Zentrum organised the online event. It was responsible for the conception, implementation and follow-up of the event, including the agenda, speaker management, and technical support.

Since 1990, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum has been supported innovation actors - companies, applied research institutions and public authorities - in research funding, proposal writing, project management innovation and international partnerships.

With more than 160 project participations in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe we are the Number One company for EU projects in Germany (as of 01/2026).

Since April 2023, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum has been supporting the nanodiagBW future cluster as an innovation partner, helping members to apply nanopore technologies for faster and more accurate diagnostics. In the first implementation phase, which ended in March 2026, we took on key tasks such as market and technology monitoring, competitor and trend analyses, research into EU funding opportunities and updating the cluster strategy. Through strategic impetus, workshops and participatory formats, we have continuously sharpened the cluster's common focus.

The second implementation phase, which has been approved in February 2026, will seamlessly continue this work from April 2026 onwards. Steinbeis Europa Zentrum will continue to monitor the market and technology and expand this to include the systematic identification and prioritisation of previously unmet needs of potential end users from clinics, patients, pharmaceutical companies and diagnostics. These findings will flow directly into strategic development and the derivation of market-oriented innovations. In addition, under the leadership of cluster manager Hanna Hasselblatt, Hahn-Schickard, we are supporting the development of a qualitative and quantitative needs and impact analysis for the continuous self-evaluation of the cluster.

With the EU project MASTT2040 Steinbeis Europa Zentrum and five more partners have investigated how Manufacturing as a Service (MaaS) as a new business model can be exploited by industry to provide more flexible, resilient and efficient manufacturing of products while also considering how industry can embrace the Circular Economy and more human-centred approaches. To reflect this, they applied a number of participatory and forward-looking tools and methods. Based on this, the project gives concrete recommendations to foster MaaS for the benefit of European economy, society and the environment.

As a crucial project partner Steinbeis Europa Zentrum contributed its expertise in foresight and ecosystem development. It co-designed the development of scenarios and industry recommendations, and coordinated the roadmapping activities. This included identifying and connecting relevant stakeholders from a variety of European expert communities Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is active in, such as Factories of the Future (EFFRA), Advanced Data and Robotics (ADRA), Manufacturing Data Spaces, and the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) for an effective knowledge transfer between relevant projects and initiatives.

EcoReFibre addresses a key gap in the wood-based materials industry: post-consumer fibreboards (MDF/HDF) have hardly been recycled into high-quality wood-based materials to date. The project demonstrates a technology chain ranging from AI-supported sorting and the extraction of chips and fibres to testing in pilot products. The overall goal is to make the recycled material industrially usable and to replace 25% of the fresh fibres in new wood products.

The role of Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is to transfer the technology to the market: we have developed an exploitation methodology, structured the results and bundled them into Key Exploitable Results. We support the clarification of ownership claims, access rights and protection options. Building on this, we develop business models and utilisation scenarios and work with partners to develop possible business plan components. A technology and market watch keeps the competitive environment and market barriers up to date, and we outline the path to successful marketing.

As one of Europe’s largest mobility projects MOBILITIES FOR EU brings together seven cities, with Madrid and Dresden as Lead Cities and five other Replication Cities. With a €25 million budget, 11 pilots, and 27 solutions, the project creates real-world demonstrations. Madrid tests autonomous shuttles, hydrogen-fuelled bus fleets, and smart logistics. Dresden focuses on autonomous mobility, intelligent traffic and parking, and 5G-based solutions.

As lead partner for communication and dissemination, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum shares the project results with both expert audiences and the general public to foster acceptance and enable future scaling. It shows in various formats, such as video, print, and newsletters, how sustainable and user-centered mobility solutions can be implemented in practice.

In addition, Steinbeis is responsible for developing initial business models for suitable project outcomes as well as conducting market analyses and workshops for result exploitation. For example in the business model of “Mobility-as-a-Service”, mobility services (such as autonomous bus/shuttle operations) are planned, bundled, and delivered as a service. Through exploitation and business modelling workshops, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum works together with the result owners to structure the pathway from pilot to scale-up, define target segments and the value proposition, and document the outcomes in Business Model Canvas formats.

The glass industry is facing a profound transformation: energy-intensive processes must be rethought in order to achieve climate neutrality. This is precisely where H2GLASS comes in, laying the foundations for the sustainable competitiveness of the glass industry. The EU project demonstrates how green hydrogen can decarbonise the glass production process, from technology development to industrial demonstration.

22 partners from research, technology and industry are developing new burner and furnace technologies, flexible energy integration and digital tools. Six industrial partners from the glass and aluminium sectors are demonstrating their use in real-world operations.

Steinbeis Europa Zentrum plays a central role as a partner for communication and exploitation of the project results. It makes project results visible and organises the transfer of knowledge to companies, politicians and the public. The strategic communication measures include target group-specific formats, such as a colouring book, colouring postcards and events for children. Six videos have been developed for different target groups: other EU projects, industry players interested in the technology and the general public.

Through our communication in H2GLASS, we are showing that the future of the glass industry is sustainable and that hydrogen plays a key role in Europe's competitiveness.

The EU project REEsilience is establishing a resilient supply chain for magnetic materials based on Rare Earths. This will create new market opportunities for critical raw materials that are produced more sustainably on the continent.

In the third year of the project, the 16 project partners have made scientific, technical and strategic progress in all core areas – from transparency in the value chain for permanent magnets to production automation, scaling and standardisation in Europe. The focus is now on consolidating the expanded industrial facilities to ensure a sustainable and resilient supply of permanent magnets to European industries.

As a project partner, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is responsible for communication and supports the coordinator, Pforzheim University, with administrative and financial project management. In addition, it supports partners in developing long-term plans for the sustainable use of results beyond the end of the project. Through active press and public relations work, we succeeded in attracting the interest of several German media outlets. Particularly noteworthy here are the reports by ARD Plusminus, the Interview on Deutschlandfunk radio, and several trade journals.

Since 2012, the Steinbeis Europa Zentrum has been coordinating the Danube Transfer Centre (DTC) network, a key instrument for innovation and technology transfer in the Danube region. As a flagship project of the PA8 Working Group ‘Innovation and Technology Transfer’, recognised since 2023, the network comprises 16 entry points and 41 DTC hubs in 12 countries. It strengthens knowledge and technology transfer as well as the international competitiveness of the region.

A particular highlight was the 14th EUSDR Annual Forum in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in November 2025. Here, the existing network was expanded to include additional members: two new policy hubs from Sarajevo, the City Development Agency East Sarajevo (RAIS) and the Sarajevo Economic Region Development Agency (SERDA). A new business hub was added with the Pomurje Technology Park, Slovenia. At the same time, Steinbeis ensured close, practice-oriented cooperation with regular coffee kitchens and project-related exchanges, particularly around Interreg and Horizon Europe applications; initial results are expected in 2026.