The Rhineland-Palatinate Innovation Award recognizes innovative products, processes and services from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Rhineland-Palatinate. The aim of the award is to support companies in establishing their innovations on the market more quickly and to highlight the importance of innovations for the region.

Participation

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs*) that are headquartered or located in Rhineland-Palatinate are eligible to participate. The companies must start in one of the categories "Enterprise", "Crafts" or the "Special Prize of the Minister of Economic Affairs 2025 - Innovations for Agriculture" and fulfill the following criteria:

• Companies: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are members of a chamber of industry and commerce. In the case of dual membership (IHK and HWK), the category with the higher priority takes precedence.

• Crafts: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that belong to a chamber of crafts. The category with higher priority also applies here in the case of dual memberships.

• Special prize: This category recognizes innovations for agriculture that are commercially available and include, for example, innovative equipment, machines, digital processes or smart farming concepts.

SMEs are defined as companies with fewer than 250 employees, an annual turnover of no more than EUR 50 million or a balance sheet total of up to EUR 43 million in accordance with the EU definition of May 6, 2003.

Innovations submitted

Applications for products, processes and services that were developed in Rhineland-Palatinate and whose main value creation takes place in the region are eligible. The prerequisite for participation is that the innovation has been on the market for a maximum of four years and has already achieved significant sales. The Innovation Award is expressly not a research or start-up award and requires that the innovation is successfully established on the market at the time of application.

Application deadline

Applications must be submitted exclusively via the online application portal at www.innovationspreis.rlp.de The deadline is November 15, 2024.