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NRW Innovation Congress 2026: Ideas That Shape the Future

Image source: VDMA NRW

Experience innovations, connect ideas, shape the future: At the NRW Innovation Congress 2026, powerful ideas met practical solutions-and ProduktionNRW was right in the thick of it.

The NRW Innovation Congress 2026 took place in Düsseldorf in September. The Innovation Congress is aimed at stakeholders in the NRW innovation ecosystem as well as those interested in NRW as a hub for innovation. These include representatives from business, academia (universities and research institutions), intermediaries (e.g., innovation promotion agencies, clusters, networks, economic development organizations, and chambers of commerce), and politics. It serves as a platform for networking and offers the opportunity to discuss current issues facing the region as a hub for innovation.

The event was opened by Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection, and Energy. She emphasized the importance of innovation and future technologies for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The congress offered far more than a traditional lecture program: Six thematic hubs hosted hands-on workshops where ideas were generated and potential solutions were discussed collaboratively. At the information booths, approximately 90 institutions and companies presented their projects, technologies, and opportunities for collaboration. As in previous years, the mechanical engineering cluster ProduktionNRW was represented with a booth. Congress attendees actively took advantage of the opportunity to exchange ideas.

The highlight of the congress was the presentation of the NRW Innovation Award by Mona Neubaur. Outstanding ideas and research achievements were honored. The 2026 award winners:

  • innovation4transformation: The Operating System for Greater Public Good (Dr. Katharina von Stauffenberg)
  • innovation4people: Biochar from crop residues as a long-term CO₂ sink (Linda Lingenauber)
  • innovation2business: From a Waste Disposal Problem to a Closed-Loop Solvent Cycle (Christine Batsch)
  • innovation: Long-Term Monitoring and Improvement of Brain Health (PD Dr. Elma Kerz)

This year’s Innovation Congress highlighted the diversity of the innovation landscape in North Rhine-Westphalia and its significance for competitiveness, sovereignty, and social change.