Small and Medium-Sized Industrial Enterprises: Best-Practice Projects from Collaborative Research

With the High-Tech Agenda Germany (HTAD), the federal government is setting new priorities for research into forward-looking key technologies. The Industrial Collective Research (IGF) funding program ensures that these technologies reach small and medium-sized industrial enterprises – across all sectors and with an open scope of topics. The program’s successes are highlighted through monthly presentations of best-practice projects. Companies are given low-threshold access to research projects and their results. The first quarter was entirely dedicated to artificial intelligence.

Practical solutions for small and medium-sized businesses

A key priority for the HTAD is to significantly accelerate the transfer of research into practical application. This is precisely where the IGF of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) comes in: for decades, it has served as a bridge between science and industry. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and craft businesses can test new technologies, reduce risks, systematically build innovation capabilities, and thus maintain their competitiveness.

Water treatment, production planning, and muscle analysis using artificial intelligence

In the first quarter of 2026, three AI projects were featured in best-practice articles:

• As part of the ClearWater (Website only in German) project, the Research Institute for Water Management and Climate Future at RWTH Aachen University (FiW) and the Society for the Advancement of Applied Computer Science (GFaI) have developed an AI-based measurement and analysis system for industrial water treatment processes. Through continuous analysis and demand-based dosing of flocculants, the system enables companies to make their water treatment more economical and environmentally friendly.

• KIbaroP (Website only in German) uses artificial intelligence to predict production disruptions and risks in production planning at an early stage. The work conducted by the Forschungsinstitut für Rationalisierung (FIR) at RWTH Aachen University and the Technical University of Munich has resulted in more stable production processes and greater planning reliability. KIbaroP thus serves as a prime example of how application-oriented research makes digital innovations specifically accessible to small and medium-sized manufacturing companies.

• The iSi-Care project, carried out by the FILK Freiberg Institute and Technical University Dresden, makes a significant contribution to improving treatment decisions in clinical practice: the prototype developed represents a novel, AI-based diagnostic support system that enables an objective and rapid functional analysis of the musculature in cases of joint injuries.

Pre-competitive research as a driver of innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises

The future made in Germany: By providing technology-neutral funding for pre-competitive research and development projects, the IGF is sustainably strengthening the innovative capacity of SMEs, including the skilled trades, and making a direct contribution to the implementation of the HTAD. The three projects presented here demonstrate how pre-competitive research strengthens SMEs, promotes technological sovereignty and establishes Germany as a leading hub for future technologies in the long term.

Key topics by quarter

In the second quarter of 2026, the focus will be on the key technologies of climate-neutral energy generation and sustainable mobility. In the third and fourth quarters, the key technologies of microelectronics and biotechnology will follow.

Further information on the individual projects and upcoming articles can be found on the IGF website, in the IGF newsletter (only in German) or on the associated LinkedIn channel.