NEFI International

International Collaboration for Industrial Transformation

The transition of energy-intensive industries towards climate neutrality is a global challenge. To accelerate the development of innovative solutions and bring them into industrial practice, NEFI – New Energy for Industry actively engages in international research, innovation, and collaboration networks.

Through close cooperation with leading research institutions, industrial companies, and policy-makers, NEFI contributes to increasing the international visibility of Austrian innovations, initiating new projects, and actively shaping knowledge transfer for a climate-neutral industry.

Strong International Partnerships

NEFI is part of major international initiatives supporting industrial transformation and contributes Austrian expertise in industrial energy systems, demonstration projects, and applied research to global innovation processes.

A particular focus lies on the collaboration with Mission Innovation’s Net-Zero Industries Mission (NIM). This international initiative aims to accelerate the development and scale-up of technologies that support the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries worldwide.

In addition, NEFI participates in European research and innovation programmes such as Horizon Europe and the Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP), as well as in international research and industrial consortia.

Founding Partner of the NIM Global Research Network

In 2026, NEFI became a founding partner of the newly established NIM Global Research Network, launched during the Annual Conference of the UK's Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) in Manchester.

The network aims to strengthen international knowledge exchange and collaboration among national industrial research programmes such as NEFI, IDRIC (UK), HILT CRC (Australia), and other leading organisations. Its focus includes the implementation of joint research and demonstration projects along strategic transformation pathways, access to research infrastructures, and stronger collaboration between industry, research, and policy communities.

Through its participation, NEFI contributes to building global partnerships for industrial transformation while strengthening the international visibility of Austrian expertise.

1) Innovation Hubs

The NEFI Innovation Hubs connect companies, research organisations, and other stakeholder groups across key technological fields of industrial transformation. They identify research needs, develop technology pathways, and initiate new research and demonstration projects.
As such, they provide an important foundation for both national and international innovation collaborations.

2) Transformation Scenarios

NEFI's transformation scenarios provide the scientific framework for the technological transition of industry towards climate neutrality. They integrate technological, economic, and policy developments and translate them into sector- and technology-specific transformation pathways that support decision-making for industry, policy-makers, and infrastructure planning.

3) NEFI Labs

NEFI Labs offer state-of-the-art research, testing, and demonstration infrastructures for national and international partners. Facilities such as AIT's Virtual Industry Lab and the Energy Systems Lab of the Technical University of Leoben provide ideal conditions for the development, validation, and demonstration of innovative technologies under realistic operating conditions.