Review of the NEFI Technology Talk “From Idea to Impact – Industrial Symbiosis in Austria”
The transformation of industry towards climate neutrality and resource efficiency requires new forms of collaboration. Industrial symbiosis represents a promising approach in this regard: by strategically interconnecting companies, energy and material flows can be utilised more efficiently, emissions reduced, and the resilience of industrial sites strengthened. The NEFI Technology Talk on “Industrial Symbiosis” addressed these issues and brought together representatives from industry, research, and regional initiatives for an intensive exchange.
NEFI as a Platform for Industrial Symbiosis
Following a joint get-together, Christian Kapfenberger (Siemens Energy) and Wolfgang Gruber-Glatzl (AEE INTEC) opened the event. The new Siemens Energy site, featuring innovative energy supply concepts, was presented. In addition, the introduction of the innovation network NEFI – New Energy for Industry and the Innovation Hub “Industrial Symbiosis” highlighted NEFI’s central role as an innovation-driven network in developing cooperative solutions for climate-friendly industry.
The event was organised by the Hub Co-Leads Wolfgang Gruber-Glatzl and Kerstin Pfleger-Schopf (Technical University of Leoben) and provided a clearly structured framework for knowledge exchange and discussion. A strategic impulse was subsequently delivered by Claire Cance (Climate and Energy Fund), who presented the RTI initiative for the transformation of industry. Her contribution outlined concrete funding opportunities and provided space for addressing practical questions related to planned project submissions.
Practical Impulses: Best-Practice Examples from Europe and the Region
The best-practice presentations offered a comprehensive overview of international developments and regional implementation examples of industrial symbiosis.
Kerstin Pfleger-Schopf (Technical University of Leoben) presented recent findings from the EU project “IS2H4C – From Industrial Symbiosis to Hubs for Circularity”. Drawing on concrete examples, she demonstrated which symbiotic pathways have already been realised and highlighted the role of system integration and demand-side management as key levers for resilient and competitive industrial sites.
Simon Moser (Energy Institute an der Johannes Kepler Universität Linz) examined industrial symbiosis from an international perspective. His presentation underscored the importance of cooperation as a decisive success factor. Many of the challenges associated with implementing industrial symbiosis can only be addressed collaboratively—an aspect that is still insufficiently considered in site development processes.
A particularly illustrative regional example was presented by Günther Maier (EnergieZukunft WEIZplus) and Joachim Kelz (AEE INTEC) through the EnergieZukunft WEIZplus initiative. The intermunicipal heat network and energy communities demonstrate how symbiosis can be implemented in practice. The involvement of numerous stakeholders creates a strong regional network, opens up new opportunities for energy exchange, and at the same time highlights the organisational and technical challenges involved.
Deepening the Dialogue: Results of the Interactive Workshops
The interactive workshop session focused on the screening of industrial–urban symbiosis pathways within the region. Participating companies jointly identified potential sources and sinks for energy and material flows. Specially prepared opportunity cards supported the structured assessment of possible symbiosis pathways and facilitated a more robust evaluation of their technical and economic feasibility.
Particularly encouraging was the fact that concrete approaches for new symbiosis pathways were already identified during the workshop and are to be further developed in follow-up meetings. The workshop demonstrated that structured methods combined with collaborative dialogue can accelerate the transition from initial idea to practical implementation.
Conclusion: Cooperation as the Key to Industrial Symbiosis
The NEFI Technology Talk made clear that industrial symbiosis can be successfully initiated through close collaboration between companies, research institutions, and public stakeholders. Key strategic success factors include high-quality data, systemic planning approaches and—particularly in the case of energy-based symbiosis—integrated demand-side management concepts.
NEFI provides a central platform for pooling knowledge, fostering cooperation, and jointly taking concrete implementation steps. The event demonstrated that industrial symbiosis constitutes a key building block for a sustainable and competitive industry of the future.