Innovation hub for sustainability

The motivation of the next-incubator

We are a team with a wide variety of skills and interests. But as a team, we all have one thing in common: a passion for sustainability.

The next-incubator was founded in 2017 as a subsidiary of Energie Steiermark to support energy projects and associated innovations as a think tank. With the conviction that real innovations must be innovations with meaning, we are now an innovation hub for sustainability.

We support companies, organizations and individuals with our know-how, whereby our focus is clearly on sustainable innovations. But that's not all! We also provide access to customers and partners in business, in the public sector and to innovation and sustainability networks. It is our goal to support energy innovations and other ideas that meet our sustainability criteria (economic, ecological, social) and our seven Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in order to create a future worth living in.

Our services

How we support you

Start-up projects
We support companies, organizations, communities and individuals in the most efficient and accessible way possible. From scouting services to project management and technical expertise to operational cooperation - we help exactly where it is needed.

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Research and Development (R&D)
We achieve progress through knowledge. Because we don't just want to let the future come to us. We want to actively shape it.
And in order for us to be able to do this, research and development are an important strategic element for the expansion of renewable energies and for achieving global climate protection goals. The current centerpiece in the area of ​​research and development is our leading role in the Green Energy Lab research initiative, the largest innovation laboratory for green energy technologies!

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Idea management
Do you want to lead your own business into a sustainable future? As an employee, do you want to actively help shape your own company? Then idea management is the ideal fertile soil for sowing ideas and allowing green innovations to grow.
With ideas management, we provide targeted impulses to sensitize employees to the topic of sustainability and to come up with ideas in order not only to think about sustainability, but to implement it!

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Funding management
We continuously monitor existing and planned funding opportunities (including EU, federal, state, organizations, funds), process them actively and act as the central information hub within Energie Steiermark. All this so that we can implement our R&D, qualification and investment projects in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency more innovatively and quickly.

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Our valuable network

Partnership for a future worth living

Sustainability is multifaceted. That's why we rely on a broad partner network with expertise in a wide variety of areas. This is how we can look after each project individually and shape our future together.

Our partners

Become a partner?

We are aware that knowledge grows when it is shared. For this reason we are constantly looking for innovation partners. Because together we can ensure real sustainability.

Our mission

Today for tomorrow

Sustainability is the anchor of our strategy. That is why we have selected seven sustainable development goals from the 2030 Agenda – the United Nations (UN) action plan for people, the planet and prosperity – to which all projects that we support are based. As a next-incubator, we want to be instrumental in achieving the following seven Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) contribute:

4 QUALITY EDUCATION:
Ensure inclusive, equitable and quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

7 AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY:
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

8 DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH:
Promote lasting, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, productive full employment and decent work for all

9 INDUSTRY, INNOVATION & INFRASTRUCTURE:
Build a resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and support innovation

11 SUSTAINABLE CITIES & COMMUNITIES:
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

12 RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION:
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

13 CLIMATE ACTION:
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

As a next-incubator, we not only want to help shape these changes, but also actively live them as a company. That's why we have one Pilot project with the start-up klima.metrix started to act CO2022-neutral by the end of 2, which we will also do with the EU Climate Pledge have submitted.

Team next incubator

The shapers of the future

Seeing the whole project through the eyes of the inventors - exactly our strength!
We burn for new ideas, extraordinary thoughts and live sustainability in all its different facets. Because together we can shape tomorrow today.

Thomas Wiedner

Head of next incubator

Gernot Schrock

Calls & startup projects, R&D projects

Andrea Prattes

Budget & organization

Matthias Schaffer

Head of R&D, Sustainability Strategy

George Nistl

Partner network, idea management

Barbara Huetter

Idea management & organization

Christian Orthofer

Subsidy management, project climate neutrality

Karin Pirolt

Funding management, competence building

Patrick Landerl

Projects Sustainable energy innovations

Christa Kloibhofer-Krampl

Marketing & Communication