On 8 September 2025, the Innovation Congress took place at the EUREF Campus. The Green Economy Network.NRW (KNUW) was also represented with a stand on that day. Prof. Dr. Martin Faulstich, Dr. Ewa Harlacz, Dr. Ulrich Teich and our doctoral students Konstantin Saure, Carina Diemel and Klara Theoabld were in attendance.

The congress was opened with a speech by Minister President Hendrik Wüst, who emphasised the importance of strengthening North Rhine-Westphalia as a location for innovation and start-ups through new ideas and innovations, thereby contributing to the state’s future viability. Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Neubauer and Minister for Science Brandes also addressed the audience.

The NRW Innovation Award 2025 was also presented in recognition of innovation in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Holger Stark (university professor of pharmaceutical and medical chemistry and managing director of the scientific institution Pharmacy at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf) won the ‘Innovation’ category, which comes with prize money of €75,000. Together with his team, he developed a new treatment method for glaucoma.

The ‘innovation2business’ category, with prize money of €15,000 twice, was won by Dr. Christian Schwarz (co-founder and managing partner of Numaferm GmbH, Düsseldorf) and Prof. Dr. Lutz Schmitt (Chair of Biochemistry I at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf) for the development of a sustainable biological process for the synthesis of proteins and peptides.

The prize for the ‘innovation2market’ category, with prize money of €15,000, was awarded to Dr. Martin Schleef (founder, long-standing managing director and shareholder of PlasmidFactory GmbH, Bielefeld). He succeeded in reducing the size of plasmid DNA so that it can be used in cancer therapy.

The audience award ‘innovation4transformation’, with prize money of €15,000, went to Dr.-Ing. Andreas Bremen (founder and managing director of Co-reactive GmbH, Düsseldorf) for the development of an innovative mineralisation process that converts CO₂ emissions into high-performance additives for cement.

We congratulate all winners and are delighted with the success of the Innovation Congress.