From over 183 submissions in four categories as well as special and individual awards, the jury selected a total of four outstanding projects – supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, STIFT, TÜV Thüringen, and the Ernst-Abbe Foundation.
Award Winners 2025:
- Light & Life: Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH received the award for the „Lightfield 4D“, a state-of-the-art light field laser scanning microscope that enables 3D imaging of living structures in real time.
- Tradition & Future: WERT GmbH from Fambach with the Multifix-Shredder „Phantom“, which efficiently shreds various materials using a wave quick-change system.
- Industry & Material: Vacom Vakuum Komponenten & Messtechnik GmbH with the miniaturized vacuum sensor „Cassini“, which combines three physical measurement principles in a thumbnail format and measures precisely over nine decades.
- Digital & Media: Spleenlab GmbH impressed with its AI-supported software platform „Visionary“, which supports autonomous systems in agriculture or other industries with precise environmental perception.
Furthermore, the Ernst Abbe Prize for innovative entrepreneurship was awarded to Martin H. Kühn, CEO of NT Neue Technologie AG, Erfurt was awarded.
With a total prize money of around 100,000 euros, the Thuringia Innovation Award underscores its role as one of the highest-endowed awards in Germany. Minister Colette Boos-John and Head of the State Chancellery Stefan Gruhner praised the inventive spirit and future viability of Thuringia and emphasized how essential such innovation achievements are for the economic and technological development of the Free State.
