From more than 183 submissions across four categories, along with special and individual prizes, the jury selected four outstanding projects, with support from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, STIFT, TÜV Thuringia, and the Ernst Abbe Foundation.
Prize winners 2025:
- Light & Life: Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH received the prize for “Lightfield 4D”, a cutting-edge light-field laser scanning microscope providing real time 3D imaging of living structures.
- Tradition & Future: WERT GmbH (Fambach) for the Multifix Shredder “Phantom”, which uses a quick change shaft system to efficiently shred various materials.
- Industry & Material: Vacom Vakuum Komponenten & Messtechnik GmbH for the miniaturized vacuum sensor “Cassini”, which integrates three physical measurement principles in a thumbnail sized device and delivers exact readings over nine pressure decades.
- Digital & Media: Spleenlab GmbH impressed the jury with its AI powered software platform “Visionary”, which supports autonomous systems in agriculture and other sectors with precise environmental perception.
Additionally, the Ernst Abbe Prize for Innovative Entrepreneurship was awarded to Martin H. Kühn, CEO of NT Neue Technologie AG, Erfurt.
With prize money totaling around 100,000 euros, the Thuringia Innovation Prize reaffirms its position as one of Germany’s most highly endowed awards. Minister Colette Boos-John and Head of the State Chancellery Stefan Gruhner praised Thuringia’s inventive spirit and long-term competitiveness, emphasizing the importance of such innovations in driving Thuringia’s economic and technological development.
