The winning teams of the 2026 Innovation Contest

The annual NEULAND innovation competition gives scientists at KIT the opportunity to present their promising research projects to an expert jury from industry. The jury evaluates the submissions in terms of their innovation potential and selects the winning teams. Prizes are awarded in two categories: the Idea Prize and the Technology Transfer Prize. The latter was reinstated after a one-year break and restructuring in 2025. Following the award, the winning projects will be actively supported by KIT's innovation management on their way to marketable application.

We congratulate the teams on their outstanding achievements and wish them every success in the further development and implementation of their ideas.

1st Place „PEReCO₂: Particle-electrode reactor for the electrification of the conversion of CO₂ to acetate“

The team behind PEReCO₂ has developed a new technical system that converts CO₂ into basic chemical raw materials such as acetate. Instead of consuming new fossil raw materials, this process allows CO₂ to be recycled. The system is designed so that it can also be used in large-scale plants. It runs on electricity and uses special copper-based materials to ensure the chemical reaction proceeds efficiently. This makes the technology suitable for industrial use. The team now plans to further develop the technology so that it can be adopted by companies or implemented through a spin-off.

Award Winners: Dr.-Ing. André Tschöpe, Dr. Katharina Bleher, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Franzreb

Institute of Functional Interfaces (IFG)

 

 

2nd Place „UniRe: Universe Refrigerator - Harvesting Cold from the Sky for Off-Grid Cooling“

The Universe Refrigerator is a cooling system that operates without electricity. The team led by Dr. Gan Huang and Haiying Cheng from the Institute of Microstructure Technology at KIT uses the principle of radiative cooling: A special material radiates heat into the sky, thereby providing cooling—even in direct sunlight. The modular system is particularly well-suited for applications without a stable power supply, such as food storage.

Award Winners: Dr. Gan Huang, Haiying Cheng 

Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT)

3rd Place „GreenGen-OME: f-OME Platform Chemicals as a New Generation of Green Building Blocks for the Chemical Industry“

The GreenGen-OME project is developing processes for producing more environmentally friendly chemical substances, such as plastics, fuels, and solvents. The team led by Professor Jörg Sauer at KIT’s Institute for Catalysis Research and Technology is specifically using chemical reactions to tailor the properties of these substances to meet various industrial requirements. The team is currently working on scaling up the process from the laboratory to a larger scale. 

Award Winners: Victor Kühnpast, Marius Drexler, Dr. Ulrich Arnold, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Sauer

Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology (IKFT)

 

Technology Transfer Award for the Battery Production of Tomorrow

The Technology Transfer Award was presented to the project “EXINOS2: From Prototype to Production Line: An Innovative, Continuous Stacking Process Combines Flexibility and Productivity for the Battery Production of Tomorrow.” The process for manufacturing batteries, such as those used in electric vehicles, was developed at the wbk Institute for Production Engineering in collaboration with industry partners acp systems AG, BST GmbH, J. Schmalz GmbH, Siemens AG, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Battery Cell Research and Production (FFB). It has the potential to make production faster, more flexible, and more efficient.

Award Winners: M.Sc. Stefan Gartzke, M.Sc. Sebastian Schabel, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Fleischer

wbk Institute of Production Science, Industry partners: acp systems AG, BST GmbH, J. Schmalz GmbH, Siemens AG, Fraunhofer-Einrichtung FFB

Thanks to supporting companies and the jury

Our sincere thanks go to the dedicated jury members and the KIT Campus Transfer GmbH, whose support made the Innovation Contest 2026 possible.

Supported by: KIT-Stiftung

In cooperation with: KIT Campus Transfer GmbH (KCT)

Images: Sandra Göttisheim / KIT