Globally successful, at home in Thuringia.

Thuringia is proud of its companies: More than one hundred of them are among Thuringia's hidden champions. As global market and technology leaders, they excel in high-tech niches that are crucial for our future. With their expertise, they amaze even the layperson with the kind of ideas from our state that are in demand worldwide – from high-precision mirrors in NASA space probes to cutting and piping machines for slices of cream cake. With the "Hidden Champions Thuringia" campaign, we are bringing these companies to where they absolutely belong – into the spotlight on the big stage.

Or up onto the roof: Just like in May 2026 at the fourth ChampionsMEET in Apolda. The Eiermann Building – an imposing industrial building in the Bauhaus style, where fire extinguishers were once developed – provided the perfect setting to welcome three new global and technology leaders into the family of Hidden Champions. With this, we are sending a clear message: Take a look! Discover with us what this country and its companies have to offer.

This perspective seems more important than ever in light of geopolitical and economic upheavals: The world is undergoing more profound change than previously thought, demanding an industrial transformation from many companies that is more than challenging. The breakdown of familiar structures and disruptions necessitate continuous change – yet they also present an opportunity: for innovations and ideas that will prevail.  

How companies transform these innovations into economic successes, and what they need for this, is impressively demonstrated by all those companies that we at LEG Thüringen , together with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, are making visible as part of the "Hidden Champions Thüringen" campaign.

OptiX fab GmbH from Jena is one of three companies recently honored in Apolda. Torsten Feigl and his team manufacture high-precision IOV mirrors. These are essential components for today's and tomorrow's high-tech chips. They are also indispensable for exploring the universe: NASA relies on OptiX fab mirrors for observing the sun in the extreme ultraviolet range.

And even further east, in the more rural town of Korbußen near Greiz, one would hardly expect to find a company that is globally successful in its field. BIKAR Aerospace proves otherwise: Now in its third generation, this family business manufactures semi-finished aluminum products and blanks that must meet the highest standards. Since 2016, the company has been a sought-after and certified supplier to the aerospace industry.  

“Germany and its companies thrive on innovation and driving development. That’s why campaigns like ‘Hidden Champions Thuringia’ that highlight this are so valuable. For us, this award is both a great recognition of our work and an incentive to keep going,” explains Dr. Jonas B. Weber, Head of Digital Innovation at Bikar Aerospace.

Every company we identify as part of the campaign undergoes a multifaceted quality assurance process to determine where and how a company is successful and truly a global market leader in its field. This was also the case with Paceteq, the third company we recognized in 2026. Based in Leinefelde-Worbis, Paceteq specializes in AI-powered real-time data analysis and performance intelligence for professional sports and the automotive industry, and is in demand worldwide, not just by Formula 1 teams. This demonstrates that Thuringia's cities with high-tech optical hubs like Jena and Erfurt attract companies, but the Free State also offers a perfect ecosystem for world-class performance in its central regions and its more rural outskirts.

More about the campaign