iL-CURRENT
October 23, 2025
Reactions to the CTID & STID:
"The future was made here!"
The review of the CLEAN TECH INNOVATION DAY & SOLAR TAP INDUSTRY DAY 2025 shows the InnovationLab organization team that the mix of topics and content was right for the more than 70 guests at the Heidelberg Congress Center. In this survey, speakers and participants provided us with reactions and reference scores that will help iL with regard to future events.
"Clean tech meets the future - an event full of energy!" wrote Professor Ulrich Paetzold, representing the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Dr. Jens Hauch from co-organizer Solar TAP summed up the multifaceted forum for hydrogen and solar energy as follows: "The event impressively demonstrated the importance of close collaboration between research and industry." Formats such as CTID & STID are so valuable because "they combine scientific ideas with the reality of production", as Dr. Sebastian Gatz (VON ARDENNE) inspiringly remarked.
With power: The CLEAN TECH INNOVATION DAY & SOLAR TAP INDUSTRY DAY presented itself in Heidelberg as a high-quality event with lots and lots of energy. And the speakers were given suitable gifts afterwards ... Picture: Lukas Adler
Nice mix of technology and business
Dr. Gunter Erfurt, keynote speaker, entrepreneur and start-uppromoter: "I really enjoyed the CLEAN TECH INNOVATION DAY & SOLAR TAP INDUSTRY DAY. Focused and clear - a nice mix of presenting the state of the art and business. The focus was very clear: we need to promote clean tech now, especially for economic and resilience reasons! Otherwise Europe will be left behind. In my opinion, the forum could be even more "European" and could also be larger. The Heidelberg Congress Center certainly has large halls ... (smiles). I learned a lot technologically about OPV, H2 and PVD processes and made lots of great new contacts in the network."
Lin Zheng, keynote speaker, Fraunhofer ISI: "I really enjoyed the CTID - it was a colorful mix of industry representatives, start-ups and research institutions. The varied program and the nice catering provided numerous opportunities for exchange and further networking. It was very inspiring to come together with so many technical experts and to discuss current research and developments in the field of innovative materials and processes. These new market developments are extremely important for Fraunhofer ISI to stay up-to-date and the knowledge gained will give new impetus to our own research."
Dr. Jens Hauch, co-organizer and manager of Solar TAP: "Today's event has impressively demonstrated the importance of close cooperation between research and industry. Only in this way can we quickly bring innovative photovoltaic solutions out of the laboratory and into marketable applications."
Wolfgang Mildner, participant, Solar TAP Network: "Among the participants were also members of the Solar TAP industry network. The network supported Solar TAP and VDI/VDE+IT in developing market and technology perspectives for emerging PV in the Solar TAP Roadmap and Market Analysis. Both documents have now been published and are available free of charge to members of the Solar TAP network."
Ulrich Paetzold from KIT: "An event full of energy!"
Professor Ulrich Paetzold, participant, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Group Leader at the Institute of Microstructure Technology: "Clean tech meets the future - an event full of energy! The CTID & STID 2025 in Heidelberg was a real highlight for everyone who wants to actively shape the energy transition with new technologies. Rousing presentations and inspiring discussions showed just how much dynamism and innovative power there is in the European clean tech scene. Whether solar, hydrogen or new materials - the future was not just discussed here, it was made. A day full of ideas, impetus and a real spirit of optimism!"
Dr. Paul Harten, participant, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Head of Technology Transfer and Innovation: "I liked the event. I was able to catch up on the latest industrial products. It was exciting to see that printed electronics and PEM stacks for electrolyzers, including associated production equipment from laboratory scale to series production, such as repeatability and automation, are finding their way into scientific laboratories. The format of the CLEAN TECH INNOVATION DAY & SOLAR TAP INDUSTRY DAY fits the bill. It would be great if there was a bit more policy background in the future - apart from the keynote speech by Dr. Gunter Erfurt - as well as other presentations."
Talk at the table: Professor Ulrich Paetzold (center) from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) felt right at home at the HCC. Picture: Lukas Adler
Scientific ideas and the reality of manufacturing
Dr. Sebastian Gatz, Speaker, Vice President Renewable Energies & Strategic Partnerships at VON ARDENNE: "I particularly appreciated the thematic breadth and depth of the contributions at CTID & STID - from innovative materials and new processes to specific applications. At VON ARDENNE, we combine high-tech and sustainability. The open exchange in Heidelberg was the perfect platform to initiate new collaborations between research and industry. Innovation only unfolds its full effect when it reaches industrial scale. That's why formats like CTID & STID are so valuable - they combine scientific ideas with the reality of production."
Dr. Markus Ohnmacht, speaker and exhibitor, Senior Project Manager/Lead of IPCEI at Robert Bosch GmbH: "I liked the fact that there were some exciting presentations from other fields of technology and innovation, new ideas and plenty of breaks for networking. I would have liked more questions after presentations in the plenary session, a focus on one conference topic and a higher proportion of women. My main insight was that Bosch's innovation and technology activities are not well enough known and therefore need to be spread more widely. I also learned that there are many contact opportunities in the field of shift technology and that innovation generally requires political support. Personally, I once again enjoyed being on the road for Bosch in Heidelberg."
Sabine Lantermann, participant and co-founder of SonnPower GmbH: "The setting was ideal for concentrating on the exciting presentations as well as for networking in between and afterwards. The bright, high-ceilinged rooms and the attentive and friendly service at the HCC provided an inspiring atmosphere on the first day. I also loved the more informal, smaller group on the second day at iL in the 'Turm'.
It was very important and motivating to find out where we as SonnPower GmbH stand with our technologies and that the market now recognizes us. The personal contact with the researchers and industry colleagues in the Solar TAP is of course the biggest advantage - few questions remain unanswered and the learnings and successes, for example of the Scripios, are great to hear. The combination of open, honest, respectful interaction with each other and brainstorming about what else we can get off the ground together is encouraging."
Jan Kotulla, participant, Economic Development Agency of the City of Heidelberg and representative of the Green Industry Cluster: "I was also very enthusiastic about the second edition of the congress, as the event showed that InnovationLab knows how to bring together national and international experts and exchange ideas. For us as the economic development agency of the city of Heidelberg and as a regional Green Industry Cluster, the following applies: We must continue to work together to promote the important future topics of sustainable energy sources, make them more widely known and thus enable links and cooperation projects."
Two examples dof the accompanying trade fair: InnovationLab and Solar TAP promoted themselves as co-partners of the event. A total of six exhibitors took the opportunity to distribute information material and hold in-depth discussions at the stand. Picture: Lukas Adler
Carl Dortmans: Need to act quickly
Ivo Aretz, Speaker, Process Engineer & Business Developer at SALD: "The event provided an excellent overview of the current state of the clean tech sector. Keynotes, thematic sessions and networking opportunities came together to form a coherent program. As SALD is part of the Solar TAP network, it was very fitting to share our story and show our involvement in this community. For our organization, the CTID & STID highlighted the importance of collaboration between industry, academia and policy to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy. The relevance of the participants and the organizations represented added significantly to the value of the event. Discussions on hydrogen and solar technologies provided practical insights, kept us up to date and gave us the opportunity to make new partners and contacts. It also gave us the opportunity to position ourselves in the perovskite community by showing how SALD can help solve one of the challenges perovskite solar cells face in actual commercialization - and how we can support this with our equipment and expertise. Personally, I found the keynote on the geopolitical challenges and Europe's position in the clean tech sector particularly inspiring. It emphasized the urgency of innovation and collaboration and offered new perspectives on how to contribute effectively as a professional. It was also very valuable to learn more about the equipment of other companies in the solar sector to better understand the broader ecosystem."
Carl Dortmans, participant, Provincie Noord-Brabant, International Relations Officer Germany: "It was a well-organized day. The introduction by Gunter Erfurt clearly showed the need to act quickly and, above all, to work together to strengthen Europe's position in the world. The combination with the topic of solar energy brought many synergy effects. As we in the province of Noord-Brabant are working on a new generation of electrolyzers as well as on perovskite solar cells and flexible films, the topics suited us very well. I don't see much room for improvement. The presentations were very practice-oriented and the companies present were well matched. Perhaps a company visit offered a welcome change: InnovationLab and FLEXOO were two participating companies within walking distance. It became clear to me at CTID & STID that different organizations are very similar in terms of knowledge and skills, so collaboration is obvious. In my opinion, the key here lies in the formulated call-to-action."
High Disk of discussion at the HCC: The geopolitical situation in particular is preoccupying experts from the hydrogen and solar energy sector. What does the near future look like in Europe and Germany? What role will politics and industry play? Picture: Lukas Adler
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