Berlin Brandenburg Innovation Award: the winners

Brain City Berlin

The jury of the Berlin Brandenburg Innovation Award presented once again five awards and one special award for particularly innovative products, concepts and solutions from the capital region. 155 companies and cooperations had applied.

A painting robot for surface coatings that can orient itself independently in its environment, modular small wind turbines, a measuring device for proactive health care on the wrist, a digital voice assistant and a new technology for sustainable road construction – the five products and solutions that received the Berlin Brandenburg Innovation Award 2022 are all future-oriented. And they represent the innovative power of Brain City Berlin.

This year, 155 companies and cooperations based in Berlin and Brandenburg submitted proposals for the award, which is endowed with a total of 50,000 Euro. The awards were given to innovative products, concepts and solutions from the five clusters of the Joint Innovation Strategy of the States of Berlin and Brandenburg (innoBB 2025): Healthcare, energy technology, ICT, media and creative industries, optics and photonics as well as traffic, mobility and logistics. The special award was given for innovations that are particularly socially relevant. It is not associated with a monetary prize. However, as with the other award-winning companies, the award winner will also be integrated into the Innovation Award’s public relations work and receives a marketing package.

Highlighting the capital’s innovative spirit

The goal of awarding this joint prize each year by the States of Berlin and Brandenburg is to highlight innovations from the clusters and exemplify the innovative capabilities and economic strength of Berlin and Brandenburg. This has been successful even in this economically and politically difficult year. “Especially in the current complex crisis situation, it shows how important innovation and an inventive spirit are. They have contributed to the fact that Berlin’s economy has come through this period in a comparatively robust way. The ideas honoured here form the backbone for good economic development tomorrow and show the great potential in the capital,” says Stephan Schwarz, Berlin Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises. And Jörg Steinbach, Brandenburg’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Energy, added: “The competition for the Berlin Brandenburg Innovation Award showed again this year how diverse the economy in the capital region is. I am very optimistic that the innovations of the winners will be successful on the market beyond our national borders.”

40 years of tradition

The Innovation Award has been given by Berlin Brandenburg since 1992. It was awarded for the first time in Berlin in 1984. Business enterprises and institutions from the region are closely involved as award partners. The award is closely linked to the Joint Innovation Strategy of the States of Berlin and Brandenburg. Last year, 168 companies and collaborations took part in the competition. (vdo)

The award winners 2022

ConBotics GmbH (Link available in German only)
With the painter robot, ConBotics offers the automated solution for surface coatings. The mobile lightweight robot can carry out orders twice as fast and with fewer personnel expenses. It recognises and orients itself independently in its surroundings. The self-developed patented robot arm carries out the surface coating on walls and ceilings using airless paint spraying technology, taking care of large areas and hard-to-reach places. While the robot is working, the specialist can carry out other activities (e.g. preparing the rooms, masking, painting door frames).

ecopals GmbH
The company has developed a technology to convert non-recyclable old plastic into a qualitatively homogeneous, performance-enhancing bitumen substitute. EcoFlakes reduce CO2 emissions in road construction by 30 percent, extend the life of the asphalt, replace parts of the bitumen and reduce material costs by 20 percent.

Modulare Windenergieanlagen GmbH
For the first time, MOWEA combines standardised micro wind turbines into a wind energy system. Depending on the requirements, these systems can be flexibly combined and integrated into existing infrastructures. For example, they can be used for telecommunications, real estate or industrial applications. MOWEA therefore makes possible a low price, great flexibility and simple transport.

Quantune Technologies GmbH
The company has developed a high-precision IR spectrometer for the wrist, which for the first time combines the measurement quality of large laboratory spectrometers with the advantages of fitness trackers. It enables the non-invasive measurement of biomarkers such as glucose and alcohol – a real milestone for proactive health care, for example to prevent diabetes. The innovative infrared spectrometer from Quantune is small, suitable for everyday use and costs 300 times less to manufacture than today’s laboratory spectrometers.

voize GmbH
voize is a digital voice assistant for care documentation that nurses can use to enter care data directly into a smartphone. With the help of Artificial Intelligence, the entries made are implemented in existing documentation systems such as the Vivendi PD care management system. Thanks to the simplification of work processes, the nursing staff has more time for those in need of care.

HIIVE UG (Special award):
HIIVE offers honey bees a better home. Beekeepers can keep their bees in a more species-appropriate manner, as the natural behaviour of the bees is supported. In contrast to conventional beehives, which are primarily developed for honey production, HIIVE responds to the needs of the animals. HIIVE replicates the microclimate of a tree cavity, the natural habitat of the bees, as the special properties of the tree cavity have a positive effect on the honey bees.