With a structural realignment, the Hannover Messe 2026 trade fair is sending a clear signal: for the first time, the world's largest industrial trade fair is dedicating a separate hall to the topic of research and technology transfer. Under the annual motto "Think tech forward," it is specifically highlighting the role of science as a driver of innovation for industry. As one of Europe's leading research institutions, KIT is actively shaping this change and will be presenting technical solutions and application-oriented research results in Hall 11, Stand B06. The booth is positioned as a contact point for company representatives from development, production, and innovation management.

Responses to industrial challenges

At the KIT booth, the focus in 2026 will be primarily on technologies and applications that exemplify the path from scientific idea to industrial implementation or cover important future fields of the "High-Tech Agenda Germany." Three of the exhibits on display come from the fields of robotics and additive manufacturing – key technologies that are fundamentally changing production processes. These examples show how closely research and industrial challenges are linked.

1.  Safe, cooperative robotics from the Institute for Control Engineering and Regulation (IRS)
   Researchers have developed a novel control system to enable the qualitative use of cooperative robots. Two physically coupled industrial robots jointly operate a tool and can thus perform demanding tasks such as milling or bending metal parts. Special planning and control methods ensure that the robots follow the specified motion sequences precisely and in a load-optimized manner. The system is completed by a model-based user interface that translates voice commands from people into robot tasks.

2. Printed multi-material ceramics from the wbk Institute for Production Technology
   Thanks to their high strength and chemical resistance, ceramics are suitable for many applications. Additive manufacturing using bath-based photopolymerization enables the production of complex ceramic components. Researchers at the wbk Institute for Production Technology have developed a material system for combining different ceramics during the printing process. This material system forms the basis for multi-material additive manufacturing (MMAM). In a single printing process, two ceramic materials can be processed and combined into a component with different functional, mechanical, electrical, or thermal properties.

3. Calibration of camera-guided industrial robots from the Institute of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (IPF) – Machine Vision Metrology (MAV)
   The use of camera-guided industrial robots is now standard in production. Based on camera images and special image processing, objects can be recognized and their position in space determined so that they can then be grasped or processed by the robot. Regular robot calibration is essential for applications that require high accuracy. A newly developed calibration method from KIT uses the existing camera for object recognition or position determination. The result is a cost-effective, user-friendly, and highly accurate calibration solution that can be ideally integrated into industrial production environments.

Take advantage of our exhibition to discover these and other technologies and talk to researchers and innovation management staff. In addition to the exhibits at the booth, the digital technology platform offered by KIT provides additional networking opportunities. Interested companies can get an overview of available technologies and services that are open for cooperation.

Why it's worth a visit

KIT's presence at the trade fair is not solely for presentation purposes, but also for active exchange with visitors from various disciplines and industries. You can find out about potential partnerships and the range of current research topics on site and talk to scientists. This open approach reflects KIT's transfer strategy: research results should not remain in the laboratory environment, but should be available as impetus for industrial innovations.

Einladung zum Dialog

Die Hannover Messe setzt ein deutliches Zeichen: Technologietransfer ist kein Randthema mehr, sondern ein zentraler Baustein industrieller Zukunftsfähigkeit. Das KIT richtet sich gezielt an industrielle Akteurinnen und Akteure, die nach innovativen Lösungen und verlässlichen Forschungspartnern suchen. Ob als Entwicklungspartner, Lizenznehmender oder Impulsgeber für neue Projekte – Besuchen Sie uns am Messestand für einen ersten Austausch.

Alle aktuellen Informationen zu den Exponaten, den Präsentationen auf der Expert Stage und den Angeboten der Technologiebörse finden sich im Vorfeld der Messe online in der digitalen Pressemappe. Diese wird bis zur Messe stetig mit Updates gefüllt.