Knorr-Bremse plans to enter a new business field and invest in green tech as the global market leader for braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles. As part of an initial initiative, innovative green tech solutions are being sought in the areas of automated disassembly and critical raw materials recovery. With the help of artificial intelligence and robotics, high-tech components will be automatically disassembled and the raw materials recovered in the future. Start-ups and SMEs are now invited to apply for the Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award. The award comes with prize money of Euro 25,000 for each of the four winners. It also includes a budget of up to Euro 150,000 for a proof-of-concept project if one of the winning companies wishes to implement its idea with Knorr-Bremse.
Marc Llistosella, CEO of Knorr-Bremse AG: “Automated disassembly and recycling technologies are crucial for a robust economy. The recovery of raw materials has enormous growth potential and opens up exciting new business areas for us. With this award, we are taking a first step into an important future topic for Knorr-Bremse. We want to bring together the most innovative start-ups and SMEs in Europe and create further investment opportunities for green tech.”
At the Handelsblatt conference ‘Circular Economy 2026’, Knorr-Bremse announced the launch of the attractive Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award for innovations in the circular economy areas of automated disassembly and critical raw materials recovery. Knorr-Bremse and the Heinz Hermann Thiele Family Foundation are cooperating with CIRCULAR REPUBLIC, the circular economy hub at Europe’s largest innovation center, UnternehmerTUM. In close cooperation with the Technical University of Munich, UnternehmerTUM supports start-ups from the idea to market maturity, providing access to an excellent network of founders and industry.
Dr. Matthias Ballweg, co-founder of CIRCULAR REPUBLIC: “The Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award from Knorr-Bremse is a novelty and one of the most attractive start-up prizes that aims to promote the circular economy in the long term. Founders who want to create new circular economy solutions are essential for the future of our economy. As part of UnternehmerTUM, we offer founders the opportunity to increase their visibility and expand their network, and as a project partner, we look forward to working with Knorr-Bremse to find the most innovative green tech solutions.”
The jury includes Marc Llistosella (CEO of Knorr-Bremse AG), Julia Thiele-Schürhoff (Member of the Management Board of the Heinz Hermann Thiele Family Foundation), Dr. Erik Eschen (CEO of Vakuumschmelze), Roland Gauß (Director of EIT Raw Materials), Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Wirt. Ing. habil. Günther Schuh (RWTH Aachen University) and Philipp Rösler (former Vice-Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany). The application period ends on 2 March 2026. The winners will be announced on 6 May 2026 at IFAT, the world’s most important trade fair for water, sewage, waste and raw materials management.
Further information on the Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award can be found here: https://www.circular-republic.org/award/
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