Steinbeis Foundation's Transfer Award – Löhn Award
Innovation meets SuccessThe Steinbeis Foundation's Transfer Award – the Löhn Award – has been recognizing outstanding transfer projects between academia and industry since 2004. Projects that demonstrate exceptional quality, speed, and economic value are awarded. A jury comprised of members of the Steinbeis Foundation's Executive Board, as well as the Chairman and Honorary Trustees of the Steinbeis Foundation's Board of Trustees, decides on the prize winners.
The Transfer Prize was initiated by the Steinbeis Foundation to honor the unique achievements of Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Johann Löhn. In addition to a unique sculpture, prize money can be awarded to support innovative, transfer-oriented projects.
Award Winners 2026
Award-winning project: Development of a hardware and software platform for fire service operations
Project partners: TOPAS Industriemathematik Innovation gGmbH, TOPAS Industriemathematik Transfer GmbH (Bremen) in collaboration with Alpha Robotics Germany GmbH & Co. KG (Vechta)
The project on autonomous fire-fighting robotics, which won the 2026 Transfer Prize, is setting new standards for the use of intelligent robotics in the fire service. It aims to make fire-fighting robots more efficient, safer and quicker to deploy through the use of modern assistance systems. The focus is on the practical further development of existing robotic platforms using innovative technologies such as dynamic 3D mapping, AI-supported object recognition, robust sensor fusion and semi-automated navigation.
The systems developed support emergency services personnel, particularly in dangerous and confusing situations, such as those involving heavy smoke or unstable buildings. They enable a faster assessment of the situation, improve the basis for decision-making during operations and reduce risks to firefighters.
The project demonstrates how scientific methods can be successfully translated into concrete applications. TOPAS Industriemathematik contributes expertise in mathematical methods, including technologies from the field of autonomous driving. This is resulting in a high-performance assistance system for operational robotics and, in the long term, the ‘TOPAS Autonomy Framework’ as a basis for further autonomous applications.
Alpha Robotics Germany complements the project with its established hardware platform and extensive practical experience from real-life fire service scenarios. The close collaboration between the partners makes it possible to test and validate new technologies at an early stage under realistic conditions. This ensures a particularly effective transfer of research findings into practice.
The project is part of the ‘#MOIN – Model Region for Industrial Mathematics’ initiative, funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space as part of the ‘T! Raum – Transfer Spaces for the Future of Regions’ programme. It strengthens innovation at the interface between science, industry and public safety, and demonstrates the potential of intelligent assistance systems for future disaster management.
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