© BMWK / Funding provided by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action in 2023
Research for the energy transition
As we move towards a climate-neutral and secure energy supply, we need innovations which can be quickly rolled out in practice. Such innovations are the cornerstone of the energy transition. The Federal Government is therefore funding research institutions and especially companies that invest in energy research and innovation.
In 2023, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action disbursed €599 million in funding for innovative projects as part of the Federal Government’s 7th Energy Research Programme. Some 21 per cent of this funding went to research institutions. Large companies and universities each received 24 per cent. Small and medium-sized enterprises received the largest share of the funding, at 28 per cent. In 2023, a total of 5,482 ongoing research projects were able to benefit from the funding. The €270 million of own funding that companies invested in newly approved research and development projects was also a significant amount.
The 2024 Federal Report on Energy Research (in German only) adopted by the Federal Cabinet in mid-July of 2024 presents both the funding provided by the Federal Government in the course of the 7th Energy Research Programme as well as the research funding issued by the Länder and European and international cooperation in energy research. The report also includes very interesting examples of projects which have particularly impacted the progress of the energy transition, including, for example, district heating networks optimised using artificial intelligence, and ideas for recycling hydrogen in the photovoltaic and semiconductor industries.
The goal of the funding is to facilitate research findings that can quickly be put into practice. Some very interesting examples of this can be seen in the work to develop blueprints for the energy world of tomorrow through the Living labs of the energy transition.
As of 2024, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is funding research for a climate-neutral and resilient energy system as part of its 8th Energy Research Programme. In doing so, the Ministry is pursuing a mission-oriented innovation policy for applied energy research.