Technologie Impact Hubs Oberfranken (TIHO)

Establishment of a technology-oriented innovation ecosystem for the socio-ecological, sustainable transfer of ideas, knowledge, and technology to benefit Upper Franconia’s economy.

The goal of the “Technology Impact Hubs Upper Franconia” project is to use innovation labs to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region in discovering and implementing new and sustainable technologies. TIHO creates an infrastructural framework as a companion project to the RIA (Regional Innovation Architecture for Transformative Change). project.

Through the Impact Hub for Glass Technology (IHG), we will work with regional partners to develop, implement, and evaluate new and sustainable ideas and technologies in the field of glass, with the aim of facilitating their transfer to industrial applications.

Glass production is energy-intensive and associated with significant process- and raw material-related CO₂ emissions. The Impact Hub for Glass Technology promotes the transfer of ideas, knowledge, and technology to reduce CO₂ emissions in the production and use of glass products, as well as to increase the resilience of companies along the glass production process chain. Our goal is to establish an innovation lab that uses co-creation to pass on innovative ideas to SMEs. We focus on new electrothermal processes, closing material loops, and optimizing glass products in terms of their environmental footprint.

Project Profile

Duration: 01.07.2023 – 31.12.2027

Funding: Oberfrankenstiftung

Project Partners:               

• Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (IEI)
• Other laboratories and institutes at the University of Bayreuth
• SMEs in the region

Contact: Prof.-Dr.-Ing. Thorsten Gerdes, Müge Zuleeg