Annual Report
2021

Enabling Innovators to Grow

01 Foreword

Welcome of the Executive Board

Foreword
Welcome of the Executive Board

Foreword
Welcome of the Executive Board

An eventful 2021 lies behind us. In the second year of the pandemic, we were again able to further develop important innovation projects with our customers. The focus was on solutions for a sustainable and climate-neutral future, with a view to sustainability, digitalisation and regional and social transformation. With numerous examples to choose from, you can read a selection of the success stories of our customers and project activities that we would like to share with you in this report. Let these stories inspire you!

As you may have noticed, in 2021 we realigned our corporate identity with fresh new colours under the umbrella brand ‘Steinbeis Europa Zentrum’ and restructured our portfolio with a fresh range of topics. With the newly designed website and our monthly newsletter, we offer you insights into current activities, exciting technologies, projects, funding schemes and success stories.

For us, it is a priority to accompany each of our customers and partners for the long term and to enable you to progress in your sustainable and innovative development. Our slogan ‘Enabling Innovators to Grow’ is an expression of our strong commitment to respond to your innovation needs and offer personalised support on an international level.

With the new premises our Stuttgart colleagues moved into in December 2021 in the west of the city, we are even better equipped and ready to welcome you and assist you with our expertise.

We would like to sincerely thank all our partners for the good cooperation, the joint development and implementation of new ideas as well as the interesting projects and topics that we were able to design and implement successfully together with you. Let's continue to work together to strengthen and advance European cooperation. We look forward to your ideas.

Yours
Petra Püchner

Commissioner for Europe of the Minister of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism Baden-Württemberg; Head of Steinbeis EU FOR YOU und Steinbeis IDEA EUROPE

Yours
Dr. Jonathan Loeffler

 

CEO Steinbeis 2i GmbH

Drag this way

02 Figures 2021

Figures at a glance

Figures
2021 AT A GLANCE­

Figures
2021 AT A GLANCE­

Enabling Innovators to Grow

European Innovations for a sustainable society and ­ responsible industrial transformations

We continued to be committed to this mission statement in 2021 and implemented it through the following services for our clients:

370 clients
were provided with advice on innovation financing
Over 100 clients
were provided with advice on internationalisation and market access
51 SMEs
received a multi-day coaching in innovation management
73 applications
were submitted to the European Commission
140 million € in EU funding for international consortia
were acquired through our involvement in applications for the coming years
10.4 million €
of funds returned from the EU to Baden-Württemberg for us and our clients

Our turnover in 2021 is made up of three sources: the largest part - 71% of project funds - comes from funding measures of the European Commission, 18% results from services we provide on behalf of clients, 11% of the funding came from the federal and state ministries.

Drag this way

03 Client Journey
Baden-Württemberg

Client Journey Baden-Württemberg

Client Journey
Success story Baden-Württemberg

Client Journey
Success story Baden-Württemberg

From the research idea to new markets and the founding of a company - Towards sustainable and secure supply chains for rare earth-based permanent magnets in Europe

Since 2010, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum has been highly committed to supporting Prof. Carlo Burkhardt, who now heads the Institute for Precious and Technology Metals at Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences. What began with EU research projects has led to the establishment of a Europe-wide value chain for a circular economy of permanent magnets based on rare earths; an area that is of great importance for our industry and everyday life - from consumer electronics to medical technology, mobility, sensor technology and renewable energies. The example of this Client Journey shows how effective and successful years of mentoring can be with the help of EU networks such as the Enterprise Europe Network, as well as with access to EU funding and to the European institutions.

EU-funding for Prof. Carlo Burkhardt (Foto: Axel Grehl, University Pforzheim)

1. How the journey began

The journey began for the professor from Pforzheim many years earlier with a mentoring program of Steinbeis Europa Zentrum in 2010. The trainings and workshops on EU application and project management combined with his great passion for research on the recycling of rare earth magnets led to the application of the first research project in 2013 and subsequent follow-up projects based on it with the strong support and involvement of Steinbeis Europa Zentrum.

 

2. Project successes

In 2014, the REProMag research project was awarded over 5.7 million euros in the EU's research and innovation programme Horizon 2020. The focus was on establishing sustainable recycling processes and the efficient production of permanent magnets from recovered rare earths.

SUSMAGPRO Container with scrap

In 2019, Carlo Burkhardt and Steinbeis Europa Zentrum were again able to convince the reviewers of the European Commission and won further crucial co-funding from Horizon 2020 for the next stage. The SUSMAGPRO project makes it possible to bring the mature technologies and processes to industrial scale with further European partners.

SUSMAGPRO is funded under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 636881.

Photo: MIMplus Technologies GmbH & Co KG

In parallel to SUSMAGPRO, the third successful project REEsilience will intensify the work on a resilient supply chain for rare earth-based magnetic materials as of Summer 2022. Recycling alone will not be able to meet the large and increasing demand for rare earth magnets in Europe and still needs some time to overcome the final technological, but above all economic and political hurdles, especially as long as primary raw materials and their processing are cheaper than secondary ones. 12 million euros of EU funding will go to the project consortium. Almost 2.5 million euros will go to Pforzheim University, and another 550,000 euros to the newly founded university start-up HyProMag GmbH.

3. Market development in Baden-Württemberg and Europe

With the results from the projects and the good cooperation in Europe, the start-up HyProMag GmbH could be founded in 2021, which stands for the establishment of a production facility for recycled rare earths in Europe as a secondary, high-quality material for the production of magnets for high-tech applications of motors, generators and sensors from all relevant industries.

4. Shaping the framework conditions for innovation

With regard to the stabilisation of European supply chains, it became clear that the EU framework conditions for the new innovative processes must be adapted in order to establish the circular economy in this area in Europe and to ensure a more secure supply for Europe. Steinbeis Europa Zentrum therefore organised talks with Members of the European Parliament and representatives of the European Commission with the support of the Commissioner for Europe of the Minister of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism Baden-Württemberg. They discussed hurdles and needs together and gave impulses for necessary measures.

Drag this way

04 Success Stories for a sustainable future

Cities of the future - Positive energy balances in cities

Success Stories
Cities of the future

Success Stories
Cities of the future

Three out of four Europeans live in cities, and this figure is set to increase even further. Cities are a major burden to the climate, accounting for 65% of global energy use and 75% of greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, cities are quick to make changes and, therefore, have a key role in achieving climate and energy goals.

Project ATELIER
Positive energy balances in cities

So far, more than 100 cities have received funding from the European Commission to test new forms of cooperation and become innovation centres in their own right. This way, they act as role models for sustainable urban development.

In this respect, it is not enough to simply renovate individual buildings. A new approach includes the creation of a network between entire building complexes, so-called Positive Energy Districts (PEDs). PEDs are CO2-neutral city districts, which produce more energy than they use. Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is a partner in the EU-funded Smart Cities project ATELIER, in which PEDs are being created in the cities of Amsterdam and Bilbao. Over 30 partners from 11 countries are working together on innovative and replicable solutions. These involve a more efficient energy use, local energy generation, e.g., through geothermal or photovoltaic plants, a flexible system of energy use and storage, e-mobility concepts and a smart integration into the surrounding energy infrastructure.

€ 19.6 million
11/2019 – 10/2024
EU-Funding for ATELIER
Amsterdam is transforming an industrial area into a positive energy district
"The colleagues at Steinbeis Europa Zentrum are strong partners for the dissemination and communication of the ATELIER project in which they share their broad know-how and networks with many relevant stakeholders. Furthermore, they play a key role in the exploitation of the project results - from the identification of potential business models to market analysis and support with intellectual property issues. The colleagues show strong commitment, openness, and creative thinking, which is very fruitful for me as international project coordinator as a source of information and for exploring innovative approaches.”
Frans Verspeek, Stadt Amsterdam, Koordinator von ATELIER
Our Role in ATELIER
Communication, Technology Transfer, Market Access
ATELIER Stories: Amsterdam - Groundworks Republica - YouTube
Please accept marketing-cookies to watch this video.
Drag this way
Smart Cities Marketplace

Solutions
Smart Cities Marketplace

The Smart Cities Marketplace offers solutions for the use of renewable energy in cities, sustainable mobility concepts, digital applications and the participation of citizens. Over 1,000 members from cities and industries, 345 of which are partner cities, are contributing to the market transformation by developing and replicating successful measures at scale. Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is responsible for the platform's communication activities on behalf of the European Commission and is thus well connected with urban innovation actors. In 2021, an interactive brochure and numerous podcasts were implemented to support dissemination of this exciting initiative.

District of Malmö Sweden, Foto: Han Vandevyvere
345
Cities
185
examples of demonstrations
Over 80
Smart Cities Projects
Drag this way
Sustainable mobility - Robust and powerfull fuel cell systems for new vehicles

Success Stories
Sustainable Mobility

Success Stories
Sustainable Mobility

Traffic is responsible for around a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. Electromobility, fuel cells and hydrogen are promising areas of innovation for the automotive industry. Two project examples of Steinbeis Europa Zentrum show what is possible.

INN-BALANCE
Robust and powerfull fuel cell systems for new vehicles

The optimization of fuel cell technology, with a focus on the peripheral components of the fuel cell, the so-called "Balance of Plant" components, was the subject of the EU project INN-BALANCE. For this purpose, new concepts were developed, e.g., for the supply of hydrogen and oxygen in the fuel cell, for thermal management and function monitoring of the entire fuel cell system. After completion of a first prototype, the functionality and compatibility of the components at system level were successfully tested in a fuel cell test bench. The new developments were installed in a vehicle platform to evaluate the performance of the overall system.

€ 5 million
01/2019 – 10/2021
EU-Funding for INN-BALANCE (Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking)
“Steinbeis Europa Zentrum supported us very well in the implementation of INN-BALANCE. As coordinator, we led a consortium composed of key industry players, research, and technology organisations. This enriched our expertise in hydrogen technologies and management of a multidisciplinary team. At the same time, we were responsible for developing an application to better assess the costs of BoP components. In both activities we were supported by Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, in bringing the developed application online and in disseminating the project results.”
Jose Manuel Garcia Campos, Fundacion Ayesa, Coordinator of INN-BALANCE
Our Role in INN-BALANCE
Exploitation, Technology Transfer & Market Access
Drag this way
Sustainable mobility - Lightweight components for electric vehicles

Project LEVIS
Lightweight components for electric vehicles

In the LEVIS project, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is partnering with twelve industry and research organizations from six countries in the development of cost-efficient lightweight components for electric vehicles using eco-design and circular approaches. As electric cars are powered by heavy batteries, car manufacturers must look for new lightweight technologies to compensate for this extra weight in other vehicle components.

Recyclable and biologically-produced resins and recycled carbon fibres are used to manufacture the target components. In addition, component life will be maximised, and all structural components will be designed to allow for easy and effective disassembly and reuse of components.

€ 4.9 million
02/2021 – 01/2024
EU-Funding for LEVIS
Our Role in LEVIS
Exploitation, Technology Transfer & Market Access, Communication
Drag this way
Biobased circular economy - Extracting phosphorus from sewage sludge

Success Stories
Biobased circular economy

Success Stories
Biobased circular economy

The circular economy focuses on the value and conservation of materials and resources. The fewer products we throw away and the more we return to the product cycle, the fewer raw materials need to be newly extracted. This offers great potential for innovations and business models. Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is showcasing innovative processes in two fantastic projects.

FlashPhos
Extracting phosphorus from sewage sludge - the first and only technology in Europe

Under the leadership of the University of Stuttgart and partnership of Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, a thermochemical process for the sustainable production of high-quality P4 for the chemical industry using sewage sludge on a large scale, is being developed as part of the EU project FlashPhos. This is made possible by an economically and ecologically viable  and climate-friendly circular process which will be demonstrated in a pilot plant with up to 250 kg/h sewage sludge throughput. The first pilot plant is to be built in Europe by 2025. Together with an international consortium, production on an industrial scale is to begin in 2028.

€ 12 million
05/2021 – 04/2025
EU-Funding for FlashPhos
Tapping of a Flash Reactor
"FlashPhos is the first and only technology in Europe that produces white phosphorus for the chemical industry from secondary raw materials and at the same time offers a solution for the problematic disposal of sewage sludge. Steinbeis Europa Zentrum helps us to develop an effective communication strategy and to successfully disseminate and exploit the project results. In addition, it provides valuable support in administrative and financial project management."
Matthias Rapf, Institute of Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality & Waste Management, University Stutt
Our Role in FlashPhos
Application, Project & Knowledge Management, Exploitation, Technology Transfer & Market Access
Drag this way
Biobased circular economy - Recycling nutrients from agriculture

Agriplus
Recycling nutrients from agriculture - innovative fertilisers

In 2020, the company Agro Energie Hohenlohe GmbH built a plant for the extraction of storable and transportable nutrient products from farm manure. In the process, the residues from energy recovery (residues from fermentation) are converted into a soil conditioner, phosphorus and nitrogen fertiliser. These innovative fertilisers can now be used in a targeted and efficient manner in agriculture or transported at low cost to areas with a prevailing nutrient deficiency. In November 2020, Agro Energie Hohenlohe received the Bioeconomy Innovation Award Baden-Württemberg 2020 for its AgriPlus project.

The project was financed by the European Union and Ministry of Rural Areas and Consumer Protection Baden-Württemberg within the framework of the European Innovation Partnership ‘Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability' (EIP AGRI).

€ 1.3 million
01/2019 – 02/2022
Funding by the EU and the Ministry of Rural Areas and Consumer Protection Baden-Württemberg
Plant for the recycling of agricultural residues in Füßbach
Please accept marketing-cookies to watch this video.
Bioökonomie im Ländlichen Raum: Effizienzsteigerung und Ressourcenschutz im Ackerbau - YouTube
Our Role in AgriPlus
Application, Coordination, Knowledge Management, Exploitation, Technology Transfer & Market Access
Drag this way
Digitalisation for SMEs - Energy from magnetic fields

Success Stories
Digitalisation for SMEs

Success Stories
Digitalisation for SMEs

Small and medium-sized enterprises account for over 99% of all European businesses, but lag behind large companies in digitalisation. Only 17% of SMEs have successfully integrated digital technologies into their business models. In a variety of projects, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum supports SMEs in actively shaping the digital economy.

DigiFed
Energy from magnetic fields - optimizing power grids with IoT

Under the EU project DigiFed, 80 SMEs have benefited from individual grants, known as cascading funding, to develop innovative digital solutions in different application areas. The TWIN application experiments offer grants of 100,000 euros for co-created projects involving two SMEs.

With this funding, the Spanish start-up ENERGIOT has developed a battery-free IoT device that draws its energy from the magnetic field of power lines. In cooperation with a French software company, ENERGIOT is developing a low-cost wireless solution for the massive deployment of IoT to reduce maintenance and optimise the operation of power grids. The goal is to increase grid capacity by up to 30% and save up to 20% of maintenance costs. The future market is estimated at 7.9 billion euros.

€ 8.4 million
01/2020 – 12/2022
EU-Funding for DigiFed
"DigiFed was exactly what we needed. We were able to involve our software partner and use the grant to accelerate the advancement of our product, which was still at an early stage of development. With this collaboration, we want to bring a first commercial version of our autonomous IoT device for smart grids to the market."
Pablo Ribeiro, ENERGIOT DEVICES S.L., Spain
Our Role in DigiFed
Creating Strategic Partnerships
Drag this way
Digitalisation for SMEs - Smart Anything Everywhere and Digital Hubs for SMEs

Smart4Europe
Smart Anything Everywhere and Digital Hubs - for SMEs from non-high-tech sectors

Through its project activities, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum aims to inspire SMEs to integrate breakthrough technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, blockchain, clouds, and High Performance Computing (HPC). In cooperation with a growing network of Digital Innovation Hubs, it supports new partnerships so that SMEs can benefit from the know-how of European research institutions on the one hand, and enter cooperations with midcaps and large companies on the other.

With the projects DigiFed, Smart4Europe and Smart4Europe2, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is involved in the Smart Anything Everywhere Initiative. SMEs from non-high-tech sectors also gain access to the relevant technologies and are supported in business initiation and marketing.

Focusing on supporting smart solutions in the area of Artificial Intelligence in the manufacturing industry, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is also generating impact for Europe through the AI REGIO project. Here, SMEs are connected through application experiments with thirteen regional Digital Innovation Hubs, which are also working on consolidating and improving their offers for SMEs.

Please accept marketing-cookies to watch this video.
YouTube Highlights - Final Event of the CSA Smart4Europe 1+2 - YouTube
Our Role in Smart4Europe
Coordination, Exploitation, Technology Transfer & Market Access, Creating Strategic Partnerships
Drag this way
Health - Personalised risk assessment of biomaterials

Success Stories
Health

Success Stories
Health

Engaging in the fight against diseases, developing new diagnostic methods, creating therapies for curative treatment and prevention, as well as designing new digital health solutions, are the challenges for innovation within the health sector. Two projects completed in 2021 show successes of Steinbeis Europa Zentrum in the field of personalised medicine and international cooperation with China.

PanBiora
Personalised and generalised integrated biomaterial risk assessment

Standardising the evaluation of biomaterials has been the main objective of the EU research project PANBioRA, administratively coordinated by Steinbeis Europa Zentrum. The project results make it possible to predict the patient-specific response to a given biomaterial. For the benefit of the patient, the clinician can assess the risks and select the best biomaterial and thus significantly mitigate and reduce possible post-implantation complications.

The instruments developed within the project have promising market opportunities, shown for example by the success of the spin-off Spartha Medical, which was founded as a result of PANBioRA’s predecessor project IMMODGEL. Thanks to PANBioRA, Spartha Medical received enormous momentum for growth. Among other initiatives, it applied for the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Programme and was awarded the EU grant of 2.4 million EUR at the end of 2021.

€ 8 million
01/2018 – 12/2021
EU-Funding for PANBioRA
"SPARTHA benefited tremendously from the PANBioRA project's multidisciplinary network, leveraging the technologies developed to test its anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory formulation. The project helped the company grow and position its expertise in the international field of medical technology."
Dr. Nihal Engin Vrana, CEO SPARTHA Medical, France, Coordinator of PANBioRA
Our Role in PanBiora
Application, Coordination, Project Management, Exploitation, Technology Transfer & Market Access
Drag this way
Health - European-Chinese cooperation in the field of health

SENET
European-Chinese cooperation in the field of health

To expand cooperation between the EU and China, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum has drafted a roadmap and strategies for future cooperation in the field of health. Over the course of the three-year support measure project, SENET (Sino-European Networking Hub), innovation priorities in the health sector were identified via user surveys, research and interviews with important funding institutions in Europe and China  mapped. In addition, training and awareness-raising activities, as well as virtual hackathons on research and innovation funding, were conducted to launch Sino-European collaborations. A final Strategy and Action Plan with recommendations for action was drafted for the European Commission.

€ 920.000
01/2019 – 12/2021
EU-Funding for SENET
Our Role in SENET
Creating Strategic Partnerships
Drag this way

05 Services and References

Innovation management

Services
Sharpening Innovation management

Services
Sharpening Innovation management

New impulses for your company! The competitiveness of companies depends significantly on generating innovations, and further developing and implementing them successfully in the market.

We can analyse your innovation potential and develop an innovation strategy specifically tailored to your needs. You will receive recommendations for action with regard to strategic partnerships, open innovation or growth financing. We actively support change management processes and always see opportunities in challenging times; opportunities for new products, processes and business models.

120 clients
were advised on innovation management
51 SMEs
from Baden-Württemberg received several days of coaching
Drag this way
Innovation management

Success Story
1.94 million euros for new motor winding technology

SciMo - Elektrische Hochleistungsantriebe GmbH from Karlsruhe received extensive consulting from Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, which analysed the innovation potential and identified suitable financing mechanisms for them. The consultation led to a successful EU application. SciMo received 1.94 million euros of EU funding in the EIC Accelerator programme for its project "eMONIC - The Next Generation of Automotive Electric Motor". The start-up has developed a new motor winding technology that makes it possible to increase the power density of electric traction motors up to 10 kW/kg, saving around 75% of motor weight and thus also 75% of resources such as copper, steel and rare earths. In the eMONIC project, the necessary automation of the production of this winding for series production is to be developed.

"Steinbeis Europa Zentrum supported us at each stage of the application process and helped us from the video pitch and a project abstract to the written application and the interview with valuable tips and expertise. We were very satisfied with the whole process."
Dr.-Ing. Patrick Sauter, SciMo – Elektrische Hochleistungsantriebe GmbH
Drag this way
Your Path to EU-Funding

Services
Your Path to EU-funding

Services
Your Path to EU-funding

European funding programmes and the participation in EU projects secure competitive advantages and help access new markets in Europe. We find the right funding and guide you through the application process and project implementation.

370 clients were advised on innovation financing. These included 205 companies (of which 178 were SMEs), 141 universities and research institutions (of which 91 were universities of applied sciences and cooperative universities) and 11 cluster initiatives.

140 million €
EU-Funding
For international consortia
4.6 million €
for SMEs
in Baden-Württemberg
5 million €
for Universities of applied Sciences
in Baden-Württemberg

73 project applications were submitted to the European Commission with our help. Our success rate is currently 30%, twice the statistical average.

More than 140 million euros of EU fund­ing budget for international consortia were acquired through our involvement in applications for the coming years. These funds go to international and Baden-Württemberg companies, re­search institutions and other organisa­tions.

Around 4.6 million euros in EU funding will go to SMEs from Baden-Württem­berg. Around 5 million euros in EU fund­ing will go to universities in Baden-Württemberg.

With our support, project funds from the European Commission totalling 10.4 million euros flowed to Baden-Württem­berg in 2021.

Return of funds in the last 6 years: over 50 million euros (2016-2021)

93 representatives of universities of applied sciences from Baden-Württem­berg and the Baden-Württem­berg Cooperative State University were informed in the context of web seminars on Horizon Europe: on the topics: Smart Cities and Urban Change, Health, European Innovation Council and Sustainable and Resilient Process Industries.

10.4 million €
return flow
to Baden-Württemberg
50 million €
return flow
in the last 6 years
Testimonial

"As a filtration expert, how can MANN+HUMMEL contribute to cleaner mobility, cleaner air and cleaner water in EU-funded projects? Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is a valuable partner for us: its holistic approach, its many years of experience and expertise allow us to make sound decisions. Steinbeis Europa Zentrum's extensive network opens up additional opportunities. We would like to thank the entire team for their commitment to developing excellent proposals and look forward to further cooperation!"
Dr. Martin Lehmann, Mann + Hummel
Testimonial

"In 2021, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum successfully analysed the complex EU funding landscape for the City of Stuttgart with reference to the city's needs. The analysis provides a very good basis for us to apply for EU funding ourselves in the next step, to work as a partner in international project consortia or to act as a pilot city.
In addition, it became clear that the major strategic topics of the EU 'Green Deal' and 'Digitalisation' correspond to the major strategic policy topics of Stuttgart. This shows the importance of the EU for the City at the municipal level.”
Dr. Frédéric Stephan and Verena Neubauer, City of Stuttgart
Drag this way
International markets

Services
International Markets

Services
International Markets

As a member of numerous European networks, such as the Enterprise Europe Network, ENRICH in Africa and the Districts of Creativity, we accompany our clients in strategic partnerships, offer custom-fit technology and market monitoring and open up access to new markets.

Over 100 clients were advised on internationalisation and market access including 65 SMEs, 25 universities and research institutions and 3 cluster initiatives .

21 cooperation agreements were successfully concluded with research and innovation partners from abroad within the framework of the Enterprise Europe Network.

Success Story
African entrepreneurs explore the European market

The Bees Soft-landing programme of the ENRICH in Africa project enabled ten African start-ups to explore the European entrepreneurial ecosystem from September to December 2021. The awardees from Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa and Madagascar took part in a trip to France, run by project partner Bond'innov. An intense boot camp provided training on fundraising, intercultural management and the European ecosystem. This was followed by visits to BPI France, Paris&Co, the Paris Economic Development and Innovation Agency and Station F, the world's largest start-up campus. Each winner received an assessment of their international potential and an individual roadmap for further development.

ENRICH in Africa is coordinated by Steinbeis Europa Zentrum and strengthens the European-African innovation community.

107 start-ups
have been supported
through needs assessments, investor pitch events, and the ‘Accelerator Squared’ programme
Over 40
accelerators and incubators
from Europe and Africa are engaged as members
Over 260
European and African members
have joined the EuroQuity platform, including start-ups, investors, incubators and accelerators
€ 3,6 million
01/2021 - 12/2024
EU funding for ENRICH in Africa
Drag this way
International markets

Success Story
Enterprise Europe Network

The partnership in the Enterprise Europe Network, the world's largest network for technology transfer, will enter a new round in 2022. In the EU's 2021 call for proposals, the Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, together with the Baden-Württemberg consortium led by Handwerk International Baden-Württemberg, participated successfully and was once again awarded the contract.

The annual conference in autumn 2021 in Stuttgart was also crowned with success. As a success story from Baden-Württemberg, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum featured Industrial Solar GmbH from Freiburg on the podium. The SME received funding of 60,000 euros for its 'SolarSteam-CL' idea via Steinbeis Europa Zentrum funding support to access the EU’s INNOWWIDE funding measure.  With this funding amount, the SME is preparing a profitability calculation for the implementation of solar steam projects in Chile as part of a heat contracting model in cooperation with local stakeholders.

Dr. Petra Püchner presents Industrial Solar at the Annual Conference of the Enterprise Europe Network in 2021, Stuttgart
"For smaller companies, such as Industrial Solar, it is important to use existing resources efficiently when internationalising and further developing innovation. That is why we have been using the wide range of services offered by Steinbeis Europa Zentrum for a long time."
Martin Haagen, Head of Sales Industrial Solar GmbH
Please accept marketing-cookies to watch this video.
Enterprise Europe Network Baden-Württemberg: So kann Sie das Netzwerk unterstützen! - YouTube
Drag this way
Regional transformation

Services
Regional & social Transformation

Services
Regional & social Transformation

Besides classic funding advice, screening of European, national and regional funding programmes and support for international cooperation and exchange, our measures for regions also include instruments to support social innovation.

Success Story
Strategies for regional development

In the Finance4SocialChange project, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum developed the first 'Social Impact Investment Strategy for the Danube region'. This improved access for social enterprises to innovative financing instruments in the Danube region and built a supportive business environment. In addition, the project published 130 hours of educational material in the educational programme 'Accelerating Investment Readiness - #AirMOOC' , and organised the pitching and business plan competition '#AirCompetition' and related training programmes to empower social enterprises.

Drag this way
Regional transformation

Success Story
Strategy for the Alpine region

A new approach to social innovation that meets the economic and social challenges of the Alpine regions has been developed by Steinbeis Europa Zentrum with other partners in the Interreg project ‘ASIS’ (Alpine Social Innovation Strategy). To support real change, an innovative platform, trainings, strategies and a simulation model for public actors, were launched. The results and recommendations for action were documented in a white paper.

Drag this way
Initiating social innovation

Success Story
Initiating social innovations

Social innovations in the three thematic areas of ‘living conditions in rural areas’, ‘AAL - Ambient Assisted Living’ and ‘sustainable production’, were at the centre of the project 'Technological innovations to meet social challenges - Social Innovation Challenge Baden-Württemberg', which was carried out in cooperation with the Centre for Social Investment and Innovation at the University of Heidelberg on behalf of the Ministry of Economics, Labour and Tourism Baden-Württemberg.

Steinbeis Europa Zentrum identified needs and potentials in the field of social innovation in Baden-Württemberg and brought together idea providers at different event formats such as challenge events and co-creation workshops.
Heterogeneity, design thinking and cooperative processes are key factors for social innovation and are the basis for ensuring that the different perspectives and competences can flow into the development of solutions. Therefore, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum ensured good interdisciplinary cooperation between actors from the private sector and socially oriented organisations, as well as universities and colleges. This co-creation-inspired approach made it possible to reach the development of innovations beyond the boundaries of individual organisations or companies and thus apply the concept of ‘Open Social Innovation’. As a result, a guide for facilitating heterogeneous teams was developed. It presents a selection of innovation management tools specifically to support the development of social innovations. In the thematic field of ‘Ambient Assisted Living’ (AAL), a solution for a nationwide digital care provision was elaborated and the further steps for  implementation were identified. Among others, the company FLiXWORKER GmbH and the association Caritasverband der Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart e.V. participated.

Testimonial

"The co-creation approach used by Steinbeis Europa Zentrum and the very good facilitation helped us to further develop our ideas. The intense collaboration, especially with heterogeneous group members, and the different perspectives gave us decisive impulses for the development of ideas and the next steps."
Markus Gentner, CEO FLIXWORKER GmbH
Drag this way
Innovation policy - Vanguard initiative

Services
Shaping innovation policy

Services
Shaping innovation policy

Since the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a new awareness of the importance of the country's innovative strength in all sectors of the economy and society. Knowledge about European research and innovation policy is in demand and remains the core business of Steinbeis Europa Zentrum. At the same time, there is a growing need on the part of SMEs to tailor European measures even better and more precisely to their specific situation. In 2021, many discussions therefore took place on innovation policy framework conditions and opportunities, both with representatives in the state and with European institutions.

The Commissioner for Europe, Dr Petra Püchner, acts here as a link and a bridge to reflect the needs of the business community in Brussels at an early stage and to inform and help shape policy measures. She also takes up topics from Brussels to raise awareness in Baden-Württemberg politics and business regarding upcoming developments.

Success Story
Vanguard Initiative appoints hydrogen as pilot project

In 2021, the Commissioner for Europe and her team continued to work on setting the future course of the Vanguard Initiative with more than 35 regions in Europe. Among other things, a proposal was developed to give SMEs better access to the innovative technologies and applications from the initiative's pilot projects. The implementation will take place in 2022.

Through the Commissioner for Europe, Baden-Württemberg, raised the topic of hydrogen as the next important issue at informal and formal meetings of the regions. It became clear that this is an important future topic for many regions. At the Annual Political Meeting of the Vanguard Initiative in November 2021, the topic of hydrogen was chosen as the next pilot project. Steinbeis Europa Zentrum also prepared the ground for cooperation with the European Factories of the Future Research Association (EFFRA) and the Made in Europe Partnership.

“In the context of the Vanguard Initiative we have had close and very fruitful collaboration with Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, when it comes to regional cooperation on innovation policy and activities. We highly value both their passion and their ambition of translating innovation policy into practice on the European level.“
Eleanor Vaughan, Welsh Government
Drag this way
Innovation policy - Optimising funding instruments in 8 EU regions

Success Story
Optimising funding instruments in 8 EU regions

With the Interreg project UpGradeSME, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum has contributed to the promotion of the internationalisation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Europe through a broad dialogue between political and economic key actors. Different internationalisation instruments from various regions in Europe were analysed and optimised. Project partners from eight European regions participated: among them Baden-Württemberg, DE, Province of Friesland, NL, Norte Region, PT, Fomento San Sebastián, ES, as well as regions from Hungary and Romania.

The interregional exchange resulted in the elaboration of eight regional action plans with proposals for the improvement and implementation of the respective policy instruments. The Commissioner for Europe of the Minister of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism of Baden-Württemberg, Dr Petra Püchner, and project leaders from Steinbeis Europa Zentrum played a key role in the action plan for Baden-Württemberg.

Drag this way
Event management

Services
Event management

Services
Event management

Our expertise lies in holistic event , information and communication management. In 2021, the focus was again on hybrid, virtual and physical formats. Some highlights:

May 2021
Clean Energy for EU Islands Forum

As the lead partner for communication and partner in the Clean Energy for EU Islands secretariat, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum hosted their forum virtually on 20-21 May 2021. The secretariat was established by the European Commission and the EU Parliament to facilitate the transition to clean energy on European islands.

Matchmaking (ACT), exhibition (EXPLORE), visit of demo sites (EXPLORE), working sessions (ACT), plenary sessions (SHAPE & EXPLORE) and project presentations (ACT), were on the agenda.

270
Participants
Over 50
Speakers

November 2021
Business Congress BW meets UK

The congress took place within the framework of the Economic Partnership Initiative as a digital event via the event platform veertly on 24 November 2021. The audience was able to ask questions and talk to experts in seven specialist forums on various topics, including 'Customs and EU-UK trade in goods' and 'Employee secondment and business travel to the UK'.

120
Participants

June 2021
Open Innovation Congress

The Open Innovation Congress focused on the slogan ‘Together - target-oriented - future-oriented’. Once again it provided creative impulses for an open innovation culture The almost 1,600 received registrations and over 800 people at the event, showed that the topic attracts great interest among companies in the country. Experts provided information in workshops– among other things, on the development of digital business models with open innovation, on open innovation & artificial intelligence as well as on the topics of innovation drivers, creative AI and blockchain technology for open innovation.

1600
Registrations
Statements on the Open Innovation Congress

"Thank you very much for the organisation and the cooperation with you during the Open Innovation Congress 2021; it was very good. The selection of topics was good and the exchange with the organisers during the preparation was direct. Many thanks for the exciting virtual congress, through which some good contacts were established afterwards!"
Alexander Dregger, Forschungszentrum Informatik
"For me, your congress has now become a must-have event. Thank you very much for your great organisation."
Truong Le, Fraunhofer IAO

July 2021
4. @MINT Network Meeting

The 4th @MINT Network Meeting, an event organised by the Ministry of Economics, Labour and Tourism Baden-Württemberg, was conducted as a digital event via GoToWebinar by Steinbeis Europa Zentrum on 14 July 2021. The focus was on digital transformation and its importance for everyday (professional) life.

Over 70
Participants

More highlights in 2021

  • Virtual kick-off of PlegeDigital@BW | 11 February, 2021 | 366 individual views of the live stream
  • Smart Cities Marketplace Forum | 09-10 June, 2021 | 482 participants
  • French-German Partnering Event for Artificial Intelligence in Industry 4.0 | 18 June, 2021 & 07 October, 2021 | 100 participants
Drag this way
Training people

Services
Training people

Services
Training people

We have brought together our experience in proposal writing, coordination and project partnerships to build trainings that can ensure your success. In addition to various one to two-day trainings for companies, universities and research institutions, we offer a three-day certificate course on the application process for research funding. Our trainings can be booked as physical or digital events; also as in-house solutions.

Three virtual trainings for a total of 20 participants from Baden-Württemberg were conducted in 2021. In the last four years, a total of 22 trainings for 100 participants were organised. In 2021, the trainings were completely rebuilt and adapted to be delivered online .

12 trainings for a total of 322 participants on funding applications, innovation management, internationalisation and social innovation, were conducted in the Danube region.

26 Trainings
with 500 Participants
"The interactive trainings form a sound basis for my own work on applications and in projects. The concrete examples from real life as well as the expertise of the trainers helped me a lot to get a better feeling for the sometimes complex expectations of the EU."
Christian Engelhardt, Interplast Kunststoffe GmbH/Infinex Group

Second chance for Re-Start

Second-chance entrepreneurship was the topic of the EU project DanubeChance2.0. In cooperation with TEAM U Restart gGmbH, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum developed a training concept that accompanies people in or after an entrepreneurial crisis through providing  a protected space.

11 trainings with 160 participants on the topic of Re-Start took place in Baden-Württemberg in 2020 and 2021.

 

Drag this way

06 Projects

Projects

Projects
At a glance

Projects
At a glance

In 2021, we were involved in 77 projects with a total of 571 partners from 54 countries. Most of the funding came from the EU's Horizon 2020 programme.

12 projects are funded by INTERREG programmes. 8 projects received regional funding from the state of Baden-Württemberg. 2 projects received national funding.

77 Projects
54 Countries
571 Partners

In addition to content-related tasks and research support, we take on a variety of tasks and play different roles in our projects.

Find interesting projects - Steinbeis EN (steinbeis-europa.de)

Learn from clients and their successs stories how they manage technological trends, for example hydrogen mobility, renewable energy, sustainable solutions or artificial intelligence.

Do you have an idea for a research or innovation project?

Contact us or do the idea check on innocheck-bw.

www.innocheck-bw.de

or look for funding programmes in our topics:

Tackling future issues together | Steinbeis - Steinbeis EN (steinbeis-europa.de)

Drag this way