NEFI Conference 2024: Innovations as a Driver of Industrial Transformation

The transformation of the industrial energy system to a climate-neutral energy supply is a crucial step toward achieving national climate targets and can only succeed through innovations and the development of concrete solutions. The innovation network NEFI-New Energy for Industry invited national and international experts for the third time to present current scientific findings and discuss the energy transition in Austrian industry with high-level representatives from industry, research, and politics. The scientific contributions focused on the areas of the NEFI+ Innovation Hubs. The conference took place on October 24 and 25, 2024, at the Museumsquartier in Vienna, with around 200 participants. During the evening event, young talents from Lower Austria and Styria were honored with the NEFI Young Scientist Award.

Bernhard Gahleitner, NEFI Network Coordinator at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology: “The energy transition in the industry requires the involvement of all actors. Through successful collaboration with over 120 partners from industry, research, and politics, NEFI has set new standards in this field over the past six years. Currently, 24 projects are underway with an investment volume of over 100 million euros. The foundation of the transformation is industry-specific production technologies and relevant technological developments tested in our NEFI+ Innovation Hubs. We are pleased to discuss our solutions with international experts over these two days and further expand our international network.”

Thomas Kienberger, Head of the NEFI+ Innovation Lab and Chair of Energy Network Technology at the Montanuniversität Leoben: “Our success story continues with the newly founded NEFI+ Innovation Lab, which will advance key projects and technologies for a climate-neutral industry in Austria. Since our successful launch in June 2024, we have been able to discuss key topics over these two days in areas such as electrification and energy efficiency, flexibility, CO2-neutral gases and hydrogen, carbon capture & storage, circular economy, and industrial symbiosis. The next steps include implementing new projects and technological developments within the framework of the R&D initiative for the transformation of the industry. Austrian industry will have a total of 320 million euros in funding available until 2027 for this purpose.”

International Keynotes and Panel Discussion on the Status Quo and Outlook

In the first keynote, Melanie Jans-Singh and Alex Fitzgerald explained how the UK is positioning itself in international collaboration for industrial decarbonization. Reinhard Oswald provided insights into how an international energy corporation is addressing topics such as renewable gases, CO2 storage, and new infrastructures. On the second day, Johanna Mossberg outlined how international networks can drive the development and application of "breakthrough technologies."  
In the panel discussion with Thomas Bürgler (CEO of K1-MET GmbH), Philipp Irschik (Director of Strategy and Business Development, Energie Steiermark AG), Thomas Kienberger (Head of NEFI+ and Chair of Energy Network Technology at Montanuniversität Leoben), Andreas Kunz (CTO of INNIO Group), Elvira Lutter (Mission Director of the Net-Zero Industries Mission), and Isabella Plimon (Federal Ministry for Climate Action), moderated by Christiane Egger (NEFI Steering Committee, Deputy Managing Director of the Upper Austria Energy Agency), the representatives provided exciting insights into current activities on industrial energy transition and transformation from the perspective of their institutions.  
The conclusion of the discussion: The transformation to a climate-resilient industry is achievable and can provide a clear international competitive advantage for local companies. However, reliable framework conditions are needed for the large-scale transformation of the industry and for groundbreaking innovations. The current funding program for the transformation of the industry makes a significant contribution by supporting investment costs and increased operating costs. Research and innovation funding are also necessary, complemented by demonstration projects and large investment projects.

NEFI Young Scientist Award 2024: Dual Recognition for the Next Generation of Scientists

A particular highlight of the conference was the award ceremony for the NEFI Young Scientist Award, recognizing outstanding scientific submissions. From the 34 submissions, contributions from young researchers were evaluated based on scientific impact and the age of the applicants. Due to the outstanding ideas and high quality, two winners were awarded this year. Dana Orsolits (AIT Austrian Institute of Technology) and Ladislaus Lang-Hogrefe (Joanneum Research) were recognized for their scientific contributions. The award includes a cash prize of 1,000 euros, sponsored by Energie Steiermark and INNIO.

Award Winners 2024:

Ladislaus Lang-Hogrefe, Joanneum Research: Scientific paper on "Dynamic Prospective Life Cycle Assessment of Transition Paths for the Steel Industry."  
 The Graz native studied Industrial Engineering - Mechanical Engineering and “Advanced Materials Science” at the Technical University of Graz and is currently pursuing a PhD in Natural Sciences at the University of Graz. The submitted work deals with a methodological advancement of dynamic life cycle assessment for the stepwise alignment of scenarios with the decarbonization goals of the steel industry.

Dana Orsolits, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology: Scientific paper on "On the Advantages of Dynamic Simulations When Modeling Multi-node Blending of Green Hydrogen."  
The Lower Austrian native completed her bachelor’s degree in Physics at the Technical University of Vienna. Her bachelor’s thesis, titled "Dynamics of a Bose-Einstein Condensate: Comparison between the Truncated Wigner Approximation and the MCTDHB," was written in the field of theoretical physics. Currently, she is developing a modeling tool for injecting green hydrogen into gas networks as part of her master’s thesis at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology.