The Jury
With Expertise and Vision
Winning over the jury of the German Innovation Awards shows: this innovation looks to the future, captures the spirit of the times, and is recognised by experts as a true breakthrough.
The Evaluation Process
The evaluation is carried out by an independent, interdisciplinary jury of experts from the fields of technology, digitalisation and science. The jury reviews, compares, discusses and decides on the awards for all entries.
Main Jury Evaluation Criteria
Products and services will be assessed for exceptional qualities in the following areas:
- Benefit for the user
- Innovation strategy
- Social, ecological, economic sustainability
- Functionality and usability
- Synergy effects
- Economic efficiency
- Consideration of energy/resource use
- Location and employment potential
- Durability and quality
- Overall concept
- Market maturity, technical quality and function
- Technological progress
- Future viability
Manufacturing technique and quality The jury is free to determine the weighting of individual criteria during evaluation. The order of the criteria listed does not imply any hierarchy or priority. Participants will receive a written notification of the jury’s decision; legal recourse is excluded.
The jury reserves the right to assign a project to a different category.
Isabelle Gola is responsible for the global establishment and strategic development of the sustainability function. After studying international business at Furtwangen University, she has been with Bosch Power Tools since 2006, holding various international roles in marketing and sales. Since 2020, she has been driving sustainable transformation with a focus on sustainable product design and materials, circular economy, responsible supply chains and effective partnerships, including with the WWF.
Mara Hummel is Global Studies Leader at Roche, with a focus on clinical trials, digital innovation and team leadership. In her role, she combines scientific expertise with strategic thinking and works on advancing clinical research in an international context. Her focus lies on efficient structures, innovative approaches and strengthening patient-centred perspectives in clinical development.
Dr. Elias Knubben is Vice President and Head of Corporate Research and Innovation at Festo. He oversees research and advanced development of automation solutions for factory and process automation, spanning perception, intelligence and motion, as well as Future Concepts such as SupraMotion on levitation and the biology-inspired projects of the Bionic Learning Network. He studied industrial design in Stuttgart, earned his doctorate at the University of Stuttgart and completed an Executive MBA at the Technical University of Munich.
Dr Christian Lerch leads the Industrial Transformation and New Business Models business unit at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI. After studying technical economics at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and earning a doctorate in innovation management at the Free University of Berlin, he has been working as a project and business unit manager since 2008. His research focuses on digital transformation, including Industry 4.0, digital business models, platform economics and artificial intelligence.
Marcel Moritz heads up BLANCO's global design and innovation organisation and is driving the company's development from a component manufacturer to a system specialist. He translates technology, user focus and system logic into precise innovation strategies and has developed a uniform design and innovation line. Influenced by his studies in Barcelona, he previously worked in international automotive design – from Ferrari and Audi to global development projects.
Dr Christopher Stillings has been Director Global Strategy and Innovation Healthcare at RENOLIT SE, a global market leader in medical technology materials, since January 2025. Previously, he headed the Color & Design (CMF) department at Covestro and held various roles in China and Germany across business development, marketing, strategic planning and innovation management. He was part of the founding team of a nanotechnology start-up and studied polymer chemistry and physics in Marburg and Galway.
Sabina Strasser is Senior Director Brand Experience EMEA at Adobe. In this role, she oversees brand partnerships, events, the Creative Studio and content operations across Europe. Her work focuses on creating relevant brand experiences at the intersection of design, creativity and technology. Driven by strong insights and a high standard of quality, she aims to develop solutions that make brands clearer, more beautiful and more impactful.
Prof. Dr. Anabel Ternès von Hattburg is one of Europe's leading experts on sustainability, innovation and leadership. A Stanford graduate, futurologist, multi-award-winning entrepreneur, former top manager and media maker, she is CEO of Sustain Plus, Experts for Life and SRH Institute for Innovation & Sustainability. As president of the Club of Budapest Germany, member of the Club of Rome, the Atlantik-Brücke and other international think tanks, she inspires people around the world with her courage, vision and empathy.
“Despite the diversity, the jury quickly agreed on the winners. Digitalization and sustainability were the most common themes among the innovations submitted this year.”
