Winners announced: Seven highly innovative companies honoured with the Münsterland Innovation Award
Out of 97 applications from across the Münsterland region, the following seven companies were selected: Sommer GmbH & Co. KG from Hörstel, Vemaco e.K. from Gescher, agriportance GmbH from Münster, Börger GmbH from Borken-Weseke, DI MATTEO Förderanlagen GmbH & Co. KG from Beckum, CLK GmbH from Altenberge and Brüninghoff GmbH & Co. KG from Heiden. On Tuesday evening (29 September) at the Schlossplatz in Münster, in front of around 350 guests, their innovations were honoured with the Münsterland Innovation Award 2025/26 across six categories and with the special ‘Transformation Award | Impact on Sustainability’.
“Once again, the Innovation Award demonstrates just how much inventive spirit there is in the Münsterland region,” said Andreas Grotendorst, Chairman of Münsterland e.V. “From AI-supported heavy-goods logistics to reusable ribbed blankets: our prize-winners demonstrate that our economy is already building the solutions of tomorrow today.”
Münsterland e.V. presents the Münsterland Innovation Award every two years in collaboration with the competition’s sponsors: the savings banks in the Münsterland region, Provinzial Versicherung AG, Westenergie AG and Stadtwerke Münster GmbH. Under the motto ‘Together. Growth. Strengths. The Münsterland region thinks ahead.”, 19 companies were nominated this year in the categories “Digital Business Models”, “Small and Clever”, “Start-up”, “Business_Large Enterprises”, “Business_SMEs” and “Science Meets Business”. A total of 81 companies had applied for the special prize.
An overview of the winners:
‘Digital Business Models’ category
The Münsterland Innovation Award in the ‘Digital Business Models’ category was presented to Sommer GmbH & Co. KG from Hörstel for ‘AGNES & AGNESX’. The solution combines highly detailed infrastructure and route data with AI-analysed authorisation notices to create a self-learning planning system for large-scale and heavy goods transport, thereby establishing an end-to-end process from route planning to the authorisation application.
“The AI analyses thousands of past authorisation decisions and, for the first time, makes them truly usable. This means that each route no longer has to be checked again and again,” said Saskia Kemner, Regional Manager for Münsterland/East Westphalia at Westenergie AG. “For us at Westenergie, too, digitalisation plays a key role in making processes simpler and more efficient. We are therefore delighted that Sommer GmbH & Co. KG is taking this approach. The company demonstrates just how much potential for digitalisation lies even in supposedly analogue sectors.”
‘Small and Clever’ category
In the “Small and Smart” category, Vemaco e.K. from Gescher came out on top with “PV-MDAZ”: an innovative, rail-free mounting system that allows photovoltaic modules to be fitted directly onto existing double-bar fences without any structural alterations.
“Until now, a fence was considered an unspectacular component. Vemaco asked itself why it couldn’t also supply electricity,” said Katharina Brunert, Head of Strategy & Policy at Stadtwerke Münster, who presented the award. “Minimal materials, simple installation, maximum impact: that is innovation in the very best sense of ‘small but clever’.”
‘Start-up’ category
agriportance GmbH from Münster won the “Start-up” category with its software, which integrates software-supported mass balancing directly into the existing greenhouse gas accounting platform for biofuels, thereby reducing sources of error in certification.
“In the biomethane market, even a single decimal place out of order in a table can cost you certification,” said Frank Knura, board representative of Sparkasse Münsterland Ost, speaking on behalf of the savings banks in the Münsterland region. “agriportance turns this error-prone mandatory task into a reliable digital management tool.”
Category “Business_Large Enterprises”
In the “Economy_Large Enterprises” category, Börger GmbH from Borken-Weseke impressed the judges with the “OrbitGrinder”, a grinder for solids in liquids. A rotating cutting basket replaces the traditional perforated disc and ensures a uniform peripheral speed. Its main area of application is the more than 10,000 sewage treatment works in Germany and beyond, throughout the world.
“The OrbitGrinder offers a fresh approach to a decades-old physical problem whilst also saving 25 per cent in drive energy,” said Heiko Hüntemann, a member of the board of Sparkasse Westmünsterland, speaking on behalf of the savings banks in the Münsterland region.
‘Business_SME’ category
The “Economy_SME” category was awarded to DI MATTEO Förderanlagen GmbH & Co. KG from Beckum for its “ODM – Inline Air Classifier IPS”. The patented process separates bulk materials directly within the conveyor line using gravity alone.
“It’s simple yet ingenious: DI MATTEO uses a principle that is thousands of years old to separate impurities and applies it to modern conveying technology,” said presenter Peter Scholz, Deputy Chairman of the Board at Sparkasse Münsterland Ost, speaking on behalf of the savings banks in the Münsterland region. “Over 40 systems are already in operation worldwide, from the Münsterland region all the way to Australia – a magnificent achievement.”
‘Science Meets Business’ category
In the “Science Meets Business” category, CLK GmbH from Altenberge came out on top with “DeepHyperCheck”, developed in collaboration with Nuremberg Tech. The system is the first to reliably detect coloured plastic foreign bodies in food.
“DeepHyperCheck makes visible what has hitherto remained invisible to every inspection technique. The close integration of research and industrial implementation makes this innovation a true role model for the category,” said Prof. Dr Frank Dellmann, President of Münster University of Applied Sciences, in his laudatory speech.
Transformation Award | Sustainability Impact
The Transformation Prize was awarded to Brüninghoff GmbH & Co. KG from Heiden for its reusable and recyclable wood-concrete composite (HBV) ribbed ceiling, which, after its initial phase of use, can either be reinstalled as a whole or sorted by type and recycled.
“What we know from the building blocks of our childhood now also works in house construction. The ribbed ceiling can be dismantled without leaving any residue, rather than simply leaving rubble behind at the end, and can thus make the construction sector more circular,” said laudator Sebastian Jurczyk, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Münster.
All award winners receive prize money of 4,000 euros as well as a promotional or product film produced specifically for their company. Further information on the Münsterland Innovation Award is available at www.muensterland.com/innovationspreis.
