Welcome to the IIP 
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Deputy Director DFIU
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Institute for Industrial Production (IIP)
Campus West, building 06.33 Phone: Fax: +49 721 608-44682 |
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Chairs at the IIP
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On July 30, the IIP-Bridge association held its annual event, during which the IIP-Bridge Sustainability Awards for Bachelor’s and Master’s theses in the fields of production and energy economics were presented. Awards were given to Mr. Patrick Schneider (Bachelor’s thesis) for "Techno-economic system optimization of utility-scale PV-BESS plants to quantify the divergence between yield maximization and market profitability" (small image) and to Mr. Niklas Spachmann (Master’s thesis) for "From newspaper articles to knowledge graph—LLM-supported extraction and analysis of climate-related connections from regional reporting in the Black Forest." The award ceremony took place as part of a public event hosted by the association and was complemented by a keynote lecture from Dr. Emil Kraft titled "On the Art and the Science of Battery Evaluation (at EnBW)." To conclude the event, participants had the opportunity to discuss current issues in production and energy economics over cold drinks and a barbecue.
The third network meeting of the projects in the funding program “Initiatives for the Further Development of the Baden-Württemberg Leading Region for Sustainable Bioeconomy” was held in Stuttgart on July 28, 2026. The focus was on cross-project exchange and progress to date. The BioCyclesRN project, in which KIT/IIP is participating together with the City of Mannheim, presented its two flagship projects for the first time. These projects focus on regional natural fibers for industrial lightweight construction applications and on bio-based heat storage panels for the construction industry. The meeting also provided an opportunity to share experiences, identify synergies, and strengthen further collaboration among the funded projects.
The LandWandel research project, which focused on developing practical approaches to help rural regions adapt to the impacts of climate change, has been successfully completed. A key outcome of the project is the digital “AnLand” catalogue, which supports municipalities in identifying climate risks, assessing their impacts, and deriving suitable adaptation measures. The IIP contributed its expertise particularly in impact analysis as well as the evaluation and prioritisation of adaptation measures. The project results are now available online.
The heat wave in June 2026 demonstrated the significant impact of extreme temperatures on meteorology, water levels, energy, and health. A new CEDIM report provides precise analyses and graphics on this topic. Both IIP chairs contributed to the report.
Go to the CEDIM overview page:
https://www.cedim.kit.edu/2926.php
Directly to the full report:
https://www.cedim.kit.edu/download/CEDIM-FDA-Report_HeatWaveJune2026.pdf
As part of the Circular Economy lecture series, a field trip was held on June 23, 2026, to Heinrich Feeß GmbH & Co. KG in Kirchheim unter Teck.
On site, participants gained practical insights into the circular economy of mineral building materials, the processing of construction waste, and the production of high-quality recycled building materials. The field trip vividly complemented the lecture content and highlighted the technical, economic, and regulatory challenges involved in returning building materials to the economic cycle.
The IIP would like to thank Heinrich Feeß GmbH & Co. KG for the informative tour and the engaging discussions.
The IIP congratulates Thorben Sandmeier, who successfully completed his doctoral examination on "Transmission Grid Operation and Congestion Management in Future Renewable-Dominated Power Systems“ on June 15th, 2026.
On 22 May 2026, the IIP welcomed Dr Jason Harold from the University of Galway to an institute colloquium entitled “Consumer Acceptance of Time-of-Use Tariffs: The Role of Information and Price Salience”.
The interesting presentation was followed by a lively and engaged discussion.
The three‑day Spring Meeting of the EERA Joint Programme on Energy Systems Integration brought together leading researchers from across Europe to discuss current challenges in resilience, market design, and system integration. High‑level presentations and interactive workshops covered topics such as demand‑side flexibility mechanisms, integrated bottom‑up modelling of the building sector, CCUS systems, and synthetic fuels. In addition, a steering‑committee exchange allowed participants to develop joint strategies for the coming year.
A particular highlight was the exclusive tour of Energy Lab 2.0, where electrical, thermal, and chemical energy flows are linked with advanced information and communication technologies. Real consumption data are used there to simulate future energy systems under realistic conditions, thereby providing the basis for a sustainable and resilient energy future.
The IIP congratulates Raphael Heck, who successfully completed his doctoral examination on "Towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy: An Investigation on Biorefinery Adoption and System Design for Germany“ on May 11th, 2026.
The IIP congratulates Nina Treml, who successfully completed her doctoral examination on "Evaluating Sustainability in Pork Production“ on April 14th, 2026.
As an expert, Dr. Sonja Rosenberg participated in a panel discussion on March 24, 2026, at the Food Forum “Crisis Proof” event organized by the German Food Association (Lebensmittelverband Deutschland e. V.). Together with experts from politics and industry, she discussed key issues related to food security.
The event provided numerous new ideas and food for thought - particularly on how to make the food supply more resilient even in times of crisis.
On March 24, 2026, the networking event "GetReady!" took place at the MAFINEX Technology Center in Mannheim. Within the framework of the BioCyclesRN project, implemented by the City of Mannheim and the KIT-IIP (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), stakeholders from agriculture and industry were brought together in a structured "search-offer" matchmaking process to identify potential for the circular use of biogenic residual and by-product streams in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. The focus was on material flows from industry and agriculture, including their quantities, qualities, current utilization, and potential development prospects. Many thanks to all participants for their contributions.
The IIP congratulates Uwe Langenmayr, who successfully completed his doctoral examination on „Techno-economic and Environmental Assessment of Electricity-based Renewable Hydrogen and its Derivatives“ on March 17th, 2026.
The IIP congratulates Leandra Scharnhorst, who successfully completed her doctoral examination on „Behavioral and Structural Drivers of Energy Demand Flexibility“ on March 16th, 2026.
The IIP congratulates Vivian Anthony Britto, who successfully completed his doctoral examination on „Optimal Consumer Adoption of Energy Efficiency“ on March 6th, 2026.