Results of the RIS Monitoring 2023/24: Thüringen continues to invest in its future.

The new factsheet of the Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS Thüringen) monitoring shows which research and development (R&D) projects companies, universities and research institutions in the Free State initiated in 2023 and 2024, which topics were in focus and which funding at the state, federal and EU levels made these projects possible. From microelectronics to the hydrogen economy, ideas emerged here that went far beyond the state's borders. 

Background on the RIS monitoring

The RIS Thüringen in the funding period 2021–2027 is accompanied by monitoring that makes the projects in the specialization fields visible and provides a well-founded decision-making basis for the steering committee. The strategy monitoring is coordinated by Innovativ Thüringen in partnership with the Thuringian Ministry for Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Rural Areas (TMWLLR), the Thüringer Aufbaubank (TAB) and the Thuringian State Office for Statistics (TLS).

Results

Between 2023 and 2024, 849 R&D projects were carried out in Thuringia with the participation of at least 319 actors. A total of around €382.8 million in funding flowed into projects relevant to the specialization fields of the RIS Thuringia. Companies were particularly active: an above-average number of companies (266) were represented in the projects. They implemented 427 projects with grants totaling around €184 million. 

Evaluations by funding programs 

Particularly striking is the increase in state-level FTI funding: in 2024, with 248 recorded projects and funding of €90.4 million, almost twice as many projects were launched as in 2023 (79). For federal programs, 2024 saw a decline (184 projects with €250.9 million) compared to 2023 (336 projects).

At the EU level, Thuringia continues to be strongly represented: 80 projects from Horizon Europe were funded with €42.2 million. The latter focused primarily on the cluster "Digitalization, Industry and Space“. 

Evaluations by Specialization Fields

Activities in the specialization field of "Information and Communication Technologies" are particularly visible (see Figure 1). Of the €74.46 million in grants, €47.9 million alone went to Thuringian projects as part of the European initiative IPCEI Microelectronics and Communication Technologies (IPCEI ME/KT), which is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

In terms of the number of projects, the specialization field "Sustainable Energies and Resource Use“ leads with 269 projects. In 2023, more than 100 projects from the programs "Innovation & Structural Change“ and the "Future Cluster Initiative“ of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) emerged here – with around €34 million in funding. An outstanding example is the Thuringian Water Innovation Cluster (ThWIC) in Jena. In 2023, it started implementation with 44 R&D projects and around €13.7 million in funding.

Positive Trends

The result indicators of the RIS monitoring also show a positive development:

• The number of participating companies increased from 163 (2023) to 266 (2024).
• More and more companies were involved multiple times – in 2024, there were 86 companies with at least two projects. That is more than twice as many as in the previous year.
• Patent intensity rose from 24 to 25 applications per 100,000 inhabitants. This puts Thuringia in 5th place nationwide and at the top of the ranking among the East German federal states.

You can find the detailed factsheet here: