On 13 October 2026, the Green Tech Innovators Club, the flagship event of the Green Tech Valley Cluster, took place at Lakeside Park in Klagenfurt. Around 70 participants from industry and research across four countries came together to discuss the latest technological developments and initiate new collaborations. The University of Klagenfurt (AAU) was represented, amongst others, by members of the Smart Grids Group from the Institute of Networked and Embedded Systems.
Innovation insights from seven thematic areas
The programme featured seven keynote speeches by experts from industry and research. Topics ranged from the recycling of textiles and batteries, through efficient energy storage and the role of multi-occupancy buildings in the energy transition, to quiet and low-emission mobility, as well as autonomous, resilient and connected systems. The programme was complemented by six ‘Fresh Innovations’ sessions, in which companies from Carinthia and Slovenia presented their latest developments in one-minute pitches, covering areas such as solar thermal energy, energy monitoring and the circular economy.
Source2Car: Flagship project involving the AAU
A particular highlight from the AAU’s perspective was the presentation by Bart Scholte van Mast from the Carinthian charging technology company go-e. In addition to discussing go-e’s development from a start-up to an established company, he presented the flagship project Source2Car, in which the AAU’s Smart Grids Group is involved as a project partner.
Source2Car is funded as part of the Climate and Energy Fund’s FTI initiative for industrial transformation and, with €7.2 million in funding, is the project receiving the highest level of funding in the third call for proposals. The initiative supports companies and research institutions in developing climate-neutral production in Austria and implementing it on an industrial scale. For the Smart Grids Group, the project is an example of how research findings can be translated into practical applications through close collaboration with regional industry.
Networking as the basis for new collaborations
The Green Tech Innovators Club brings together established companies, start-ups and research institutions in a targeted manner. During the networking session that followed, representatives from AAU took the opportunity to strengthen existing contacts, discuss issues arising from research and practice, and explore avenues for future joint projects.
Outlook
The event highlighted the importance of collaboration between academia and industry for the energy transition in the region. The AAU will continue to actively promote this collaboration in the future, particularly in the fields of smart grids, energy storage and electric mobility.
