Recap: Industry Impulses "Strengthening Innovation"

Industry in Transition: Innovations, Collaborations, and Solutions

How can industrial transformation be successfully achieved? Which technologies deliver real impact – and how can research, business, and policy work together to shape change? The event "Industry Impulses" on March 27th, 2025, in Vienna provided answers to these questions. As part of the FTI Initiative for Industrial Transformation, the Climate and Energy Fund invited participants to exchange ideas – featuring top-class experts, practical project examples, and exciting insights from the NEFI+ innovation lab.

International Perspectives: Cooperation and Trust as Keys to Success

Camilla Oliveira (Agora Industry): Green Iron Trade

Global collaboration is essential for industrial transformation. In her keynote, Oliveira emphasised that the Global North relies on clean raw materials and affordable energy from the Global South – while the Global South depends on stable partnerships and investments. The steel sector is a prime example of potential win-win collaborations that reduce emissions, create jobs, and strengthen competitiveness.

Johanne Bø (Holcim AG): Building Trust and Driving Innovation

Innovation requires more than just technology – it needs new business models, clear political frameworks, and strong alliances. Technologies such as CCUS are key tools in this process, but trust between industry, research, finance, and government is crucial. Transformation is already happening – every day, on a large scale.

NEFI+: Where Industrial Innovation Takes Shape

A key focus of the event was the latest developments in the NEFI+ innovation lab. As the heart of the FTI Initiative, NEFI+ supports industrial transformation – bringing together research institutions, businesses, and technology providers.

In six specialised NEFI Innovation Hubs, concrete solutions for major challenges are being developed, tested, and evaluated:

• CCUS
• Circular Economy
• CO₂-Neutral Gases & Hydrogen
• Electrification & Energy Efficiency
• Flexibilisation
• Industrial Symbiosis

NEFI+ acts as a catalyst: With structured impact assessments, methodological support, and international visibility, the innovation lab accelerates the implementation of pioneering technologies in industrial practice.

Projects with a Strong Signal Effect

One of the highlights was the presentation of the NEFI research project Industry4Redispatch. Its goal: To make industrial energy supply so flexible that renewable energies can be integrated efficiently and securely – a crucial building block for the energy transition.

The new NEFI research projects HIPI (High-Temperature Heat Pumps for Industry, INNIO & AIT) and ImpreDry (Energy-Efficient Paper Impregnation, Fundermax & AIT) also impressively demonstrated that NEFI+ bridges the gap between theory and practice – achieving measurable CO₂ savings and serving as an international role model.

FTI Initiative: Boosting Innovation

The FTI Initiative for Industrial Transformation – funded by the BMK and implemented by the Climate and Energy Fund – is a key support instrument for bringing innovative technologies to market quickly. It enables research, pilot projects, and qualification measures across the entire industrial value chain.

The objective is clear: To unite climate protection and competitiveness – through bold projects, strong networks, and shared visions.

Exchange & Cooperation: Match-Making as a Catalyst

To conclude the event, a workshop and match-making format brought together key players from research, industry, and technology development. In direct discussions, project ideas were exchanged, partnerships initiated, and new collaboration approaches developed.

The format once again confirmed: The future is created through dialogue. And NEFI+ provides the ideal platform for it.

Conclusion

Industrial transformation is not a distant vision – it is already a lived reality. Thanks to initiatives like NEFI+, committed businesses, and an excellent research landscape, Austria is on a clear path towards a climate-neutral industry.

Overview of Funding Opportunities: Presentation (in German)

For the press release from the Climate and Energy Fund: Industrial Transformation Requires Innovation and Flagship Projects – Climate and Energy Fund.