The NEFI innovation network of science, technology providers and companies demonstrates a pathway towards the transformation of industry
NEFI – Austrian Industry and Technology Developers Tackling the Energy Transition
The switch to renewable energies to achieve the European climate protection goals is a major challenge for the Austrian manufacturing and energy-intensive industry. At the same time, Austrian technology providers have a great opportunity to expand their market leadership position worldwide and make a significant contribution to securing Austria as an industrial hotspot. NEFI – New Energy for Industry will demonstrate the pathway for the transformation of manufacturing and energy-intensive industry.
The transformation of industrial production processes towards climate neutrality requires new technological approaches, particularly in the field of industrial heat. A key lever in this context is the electrification of industrial furnaces, which makes it possible to replace fossil fuels with renewable electricity and thereby achieve a sustained reduction in emissions.
The NEFI Technology Talk, “Electrification of Industrial Furnaces”, focuses on practical implementation examples, current developments, and available technologies.
As part of the Future Heat Highway project, we invite you to an interactive workshop offering practical insights, concrete examples of application and space for exchange. Together with experts from research and industry, we will discuss success factors, challenges and lessons learned from existing projects – from industrial microgrids to cross-sector heat solutions.
At Hannover Messe 2026, it became clear where industrial energy supply is heading: direct current grids (DC grids) are becoming increasingly important for efficient and flexible energy use in industry. A key highlight was Siemens’ presentation of a new semiconductor power circuit breaker for DC applications. The SENTRON 3QD2, (Semiconductor Circuit Breaker, SCCB) (250 A, 1000 V DC), enables ultra-fast interruption of fault currents in the microsecond range on the basis of semiconductor technology.
On April 24th (5:00 – 11:00 p.m.), the “Long Night of Research”took place in Upper Austria. The NEFI partner Energiesparverband and STIWA invited visitors to Hagenberg, where they could playfully test the Energy.Factory, a programme targeting students (13 and 14 years).
“Energy transition as a career: How do I make the best, most efficient, and most sustainable chocolate?” was the motto of the station in the Hagenberg Software Park.
