News Entry

New MWIKE programmes promote innovations from NRW

29.01.2025

Digitale Zukunft Künstliche Intelligenz (Digital Future Artificial Intelligence) and innovation2business.nrw strengthen the competitiveness of companies, universities and research institutions

The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MWIKE) is launching two new programmes: The ‘Digital Future Artificial Intelligence’ funding programme, together with the AI Village, aims to promote the transfer of research results to companies for the development of innovative AI applications. The ‘innovation2business.nrw’ programme, on the other hand, is aimed at universities and research institutions and strengthens the commercial exploitation of patents.

‘Digital future Artificial Intelligence’
As part of the new ‘Digital Future Artificial Intelligence’ funding programme from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and AI Village, the sustainable economic, ecological and social transformation in the Rhineland region is to be driven forward. Whether AI-supported automation, data-based decision-making processes or innovative services: The funding programme supports companies in turning their visions of AI applications into reality and benefiting from research results from the scientific community. Both joint and individual projects are funded in the AI programme. The prerequisite is that the projects or products aim to transfer and further develop innovative technologies or processes. A total of around 10 million euros from the federal government’s STARK programme is available for the funding call.

‘innovation2business.nrw
In order to bring innovations from universities and research institutions into commercial application more frequently and more quickly, NRW is reorganising its patent exploitation programme under the name ‘innovation2business.nrw’. This follows on from the successful predecessor programme ‘NRW Hochschul.IP’. The 28 universities in NRW participating in the programme will receive a total of 7.5 million euros over the next three years for the professional protection and transfer of their intellectual property. The funding can be used for innovations for which there is a firm intention of commercialisation in companies.