IQ Innovation Award Central Germany 2021 started with digital live event

With a digital kickoff in front of around 100 spectators, the IQ Innovation Award Central Germany 2021 officially started on Wednesday. Until March 15, 2021, applications can be submitted in five central German key sectors for the cluster innovation competition in the central German metropolitan region.

"Central Germany is an incredibly innovative area where new business ideas can take off," emphasized Burkhard Jung, 1st Chairman of the European Metropolitan Region of Central Germany and Mayor of the City of Leipzig, in his video message to the around 100 viewers of the digital kick-off event. This is also possible thanks to the support of the successful format of the IQ Innovation Award Central Germany, a competition supported by the commitment of the private sector. "New, marketable ideas become public knowledge through the IQ and thus receive the necessary drive for a successful market entry," Burkhard Jung continues.

“Even in the 17th year of the IQ competition, we want to live up to our claim of being the region’s high-profile platform for promoting innovation in key Central German industries. Unusual times like today require new solutions. We therefore invite all founders, entrepreneurs and scientists to take part in the IQ Innovation Prize Central Germany 2021 and to make it their competition,” explained IQ project manager Hanka Fischer from the Metropolitan Region Central Germany Management GmbH at the start of the new IQ competition.

With the official start, applications for the IQ competition, which is endowed with around 15 euros, in the five clusters automotive, life sciences, chemicals/plastics, energy/environment/solar economy and information technology can be submitted online until March 2021, 70.000 at www.iq-mitteldeutschland.de be submitted. The independent local innovation awards in Halle (Saale), Leipzig and Magdeburg also take place under the Central German umbrella. The winners of the 17th IQ Innovation Prize Central Germany will be determined in a multi-stage jury process and announced on June 24, 2021 at a festive award ceremony.

The prize money of the competition is made possible by the commitment of numerous sponsors: The Automotive Cluster Prize is sponsored by the Automotive Cluster East Germany (ACOD GmbH). In the chemicals/plastics cluster, the cluster prize is awarded jointly by Trinseo Deutschland GmbH and the Association of the Chemical Industry – Northeast Regional Association. Together with Siemens AG, envia Mitteldeutsche Energie AG is committed to innovations in the energy/environment/solar economy cluster. GISA GmbH awards the information technology cluster prize together with envia TEL GmbH. The Life Sciences Cluster Prize is sponsored jointly by Serumwerk Bernburg AG and IDT Biologika GmbH. The cluster prizes are endowed with 7.500 euros each. The overall winner receives the prize money of 15.000 euros donated by the IHK Halle-Dessau, the IHK Ostthüringen zu Gera and the IHK zu Leipzig. TOTAL Raffinerie Mitteldeutschland GmbH is particularly involved in the Supporters category. The competition is also supported by Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH, the Central Germany Information Technology Cluster, SAB Sächsische Aufbaubank – Förderbank and Zschimmer & Schwarz GmbH & Co KG.

With the IQ Innovation Prize Central Germany, the European metropolitan region of Central Germany promotes new, marketable products, processes and services to increase innovation and competitiveness of the region's economy.

Source: Press release metropolitan region of Central Germany from November 27.11.2020th, XNUMX