The Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region and its adjacent areas host numerous world-leading companies across various sectors (chemistry, software, mechanical engineering), alongside an excellent array of universities covering all academic disciplines. With the establishment of InnovationLab GmbH as a shareholder, these organizations have evolved their collaboration from selective and bilateral partnerships into a joint, theme-oriented, and equitable research platform. The aim is to leverage collaborative research activities involving all stakeholders across the value chain to accelerate the transformation of fundamental scientific research findings into marketable products, while market-driven inquiries and industrial research outcomes simultaneously present intriguing challenges to the scientific community.

InnovationLab GmbH is jointly owned by academic and industrial entities. InnovationLab GmbH itself retains an 11% stake. The shareholders comprise the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) with 21%*, Heidelberg University with 21%*, and the corporate partners BASF SE (22%*), Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (20%*), and SAP SE (5%*).

*Abweichungen <1% auf Anfrage

The objective of iL is to establish a research and development platform where shareholders and partners, both regional and international, contribute resources and collaboratively conduct research on clearly defined thematic areas. iL assumes the management of this platform. Furthermore, iL convenes shareholders and partners for specific projects at its facilities and jointly defines topics for education and professional development. Additionally, the commercialization of functional, printed products is a key focus. iL provides a comprehensive, single-source solution. Since its inception, iL has been dedicated to advancing the future technology of printed and organic electronics. In 2008, iL successfully participated in the Leading-Edge Cluster Competition of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research with its focus on organic electronics. Building upon the results from organic electronics, further research and application areas are being developed in the fields of energy, environment, and health. Another goal of iL is the transformation of inventions into market-ready products. The combination of its own and the specific expertise of various partners enables InnovationLab to support the entire product process "from Lab to Fab." iL is a unique partner for the development and commercialization of processes and systems for printed electronic structures, circuits, and components, guiding clients from laboratory to industrial scale.

With comprehensive interdisciplinary expertise and state-of-the-art infrastructure, iL supports clients throughout the entire product development process. iL consults, develops, and produces from a single source.

iL serves as a common platform for science and industry, where defined research topics are addressed holistically along the value chain. Insights from basic research provide impetus for applications, while the needs of existing applications foster basic research. This approach leverages synergies and consolidates competencies.

Through intensive and targeted collaboration between companies and universities, the speed of developing new technologies and products is significantly enhanced, thereby consolidating or achieving technological leadership.

The stakeholders collaborating on the iL platform are among the international elite, are global leaders in their respective fields, and contribute their strengths to joint activities.

🟧 For industry, it offers the opportunity to advance innovation projects with leading scientists that are not feasible in day-to-day operations, and to reintegrate these into the company as needed. Furthermore, iL supports partners throughout the entire product process, from laboratory scale to production.

🟧 For science, iL facilitates the commercial utilization of inventions with the support of industrial partners who possess relevant market knowledge and access.

Through its approach of strategically networking science and industry, InnovationLab GmbH strengthens the innovative capacity of the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region and Germany, fosters innovation dynamics and the establishment of new companies, thereby securing growth, employment, and prosperity.