The German Southwest is one of the leading international locations for the aerospace industry. Around 200 companies with about 16,000 employees generate a turnover of over five billion euros here. The industry invests over 17 percent of its turnover in innovation every year. We are THE aerospace LÄND, which is why the state of Baden-Württemberg is continuously driving forward the industry and has been supporting it to the tune of 42 million euros since 2023.
The responsible ministries are strengthening the aerospace industry along the central focus areas of sustainability, digitalization and cooperation through numerous projects. The following selection highlights Baden-Württemberg's potential in the industry for companies looking to expand into THE LÄND:
Projects of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Tourism
- Zero emission: The German Aerospace Center's hydrogen site in Lampoldshausen demonstrates what opportunities lie in the widespread use of hydrogen in an energy-intensive industrial location. The DLR Institute of Space Propulsion has been using hydrogen in test benches for space propulsion systems at the Lampoldshausen site for over three decades. With the “Zero Emission” project, the institute is now systematically driving forward its technology transfer activities with hydrogen for the energy and transportation sectors.
- Integrated Research Platform for Affordable Satellites (IRAS): The project has already established continuous, joint research and development between industry, the University of Stuttgart and applied research institutions. Enormous potential for space travel has been tapped by incorporating technologies from other industrial sectors. It is the aim of the state government to continue and further expand this new culture of cooperation between research and industry based on innovative, secure cooperation platforms as part of the IRAS project.
Projects of the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts
As part of the aerospace strategy, the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts addresses the entire area of academic qualification from study and teaching to science and research as well as further training. A total of over 7.5 million euros is available for this purpose:
- As part of the measure “Promoting skilled workers for the future of aerospace”, universities are given the opportunity to use innovative concepts to get more new students interested in aerospace-related courses, for example by supporting study-related and practical projects.
- “Aerospace 2050” program: The University of Stuttgart's long-term research program has also been funded by the Ministry of Science since 2024 and complements the ongoing special research areas “SynTrac - Synergies of Highly Integrated Transport Aircraft” and “ATLAS - Advanced Technologies for Very Low Altitude Satellites” at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and Geodesy.
Project of the Ministry of Transport
- reFuels action plan: Alongside the lack of a funding program at national level, EU regulations remain a major challenge for the planned industrial plant for processing methanol produced from renewable sources at the Mineralölraffinerie Oberrhein MiRO in Karlsruhe. The implementation of the action plan is intended to make the ramp-up of reFuels, SAF and hydrogen more economical and attractive for companies and investors. In addition, research activities will be continued to ensure that they can start immediately if the framework conditions change. For example, the reFuels-DEMO project, led by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), has taken a major step in the preliminary planning of such a plant.
Source: Press release of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Tourism (only in German).
