We! use our potential

The BMBF programme family

In the coalition agreement of the 19^th legislative period, the Federal Government set the goal of specifically addressing structural weaknesses and creating equal living conditions in the Federal Republic of Germany. With the “Innovation & Structural Change” programme family, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) supports structurally weak regions in setting new impulses. The funding programmes primarily support strategic alliances in further developing regional innovation potential.

The programme family BMBF Innovation & Strukturwandel

The WIR! programme

The “WIR! – Change through Innovation in the Region” programme provides the impetus for new regional alliances and sustainable innovation-based structural change in structurally weak regions of the Federal Republic of Germany. WIR! is primarily addressed to regions that have not yet developed a nationally visible profile in their innovation fields and have untapped innovation potentials.

Thus, at the beginning of 2020, more than 130 alliances applied with an outline for the second round of funding. WIR! recyceln Fasern (We recycle fibres) is one of the 23 most convincing applications whose project will be funded. As an alliance, we are consequently striving to optimally exploit the potential of our region. To this end, we will establish new co-operations between companies, non-university and university research institutions and other actors. In addition, we will jointly transcend sectoral, institutional and administrative boundaries. In doing so, we will also involve civil society organisations and actors with little experience of innovation.

In the long term, we and the BMBF hope that the resulting partnerships will form sustainable and self-supporting structures.

The programme WIR! – Wandel durch Innovation in der Region

The region „Elbtal Sachsen“

Our region is characterised in particular by its openness to innovation and adaptability in the textile, mechanical engineering and lightweight construction technology sectors. The characteristics of the region “Elbtal Sachsen” region have been acquired through more than two hundred years of competitive activity on international markets.

As early as the 19^th century, for example, the strategic partnership between the textile industry and mechanical engineering represented the decisive success factor for Saxony’s industrial upswing. In the post-war period, the old industrial sectors continued to play an important role in the revitalisation of Saxon industry and employed large parts of the working population until German reunification. However, the lack of technological innovation that existed during this period still led to a lack of competitiveness at the end of the 20^th century.

As a result, a targeted process of restructuring the industry took place, since then the local companies as well as research and development institutions have concentrated on the knowledge-intensive field of technical textiles, but also specifically on carbon concrete construction. Thanks to such a high concentration of regional knowledge, the “Elbe Valley Saxony” region offers an optimal basis for the development of a sustainable alliance for the recycling and resource management of fibre composites.

As of 2024-02-13