Parliamentary State Secretary Connemann opens LuFo Info Day 2026
April 24, 2026
Parliamentary State Secretary Connemann opens LuFo Info Day 2026
Gitta Connemann, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and Commissioner for SMEs, attended and played a key role in shaping the LuFo Info Day 2026 on 23 April 2026.
At the LuFo Info Day, the State Secretary provided information on the realignment of the LuFo aviation research programme as part of the 10 fields of action for sustainable aviation, as well as on the expansion of funding for SMEs in aviation research as part of the next LuFo VII-2 call. Over 800 guests took part in the hybrid event.
Parliamentary State Secretary Connemann at the LuFo Info Day 2026
Gitta Connemann, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and Commissioner for SMEs, gave the opening speech for LuFo Info Day 2026 on 23 April 2026
State Secretary Ms Connemann gave the opening speech at the LuFo Info Day 2026, which served to present the new LuFo VII-2 funding call. Her speech focussed on supporting research projects in civil aviation, promoting SMEs and the technological future of the aviation industry. The Parliamentary State Secretary emphasised that, in her role as the Federal Government's Commissioner for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, the particular strengthening of SMEs is a personal concern of hers. She was therefore personally pleased that the SME presence in the programme is to be increased once again, starting with LuFo VII-2. Mrs Connemann sees SMEs in the aviation industry as the main pillar of innovation capability. She announced that from LuFo VII-2 onwards, the funding quotas for SMEs will be increased from the previous maximum of 65% to a future maximum of 75%. This measure is intended to specifically minimise the financial risk for SMEs in research and support small and medium-sized enterprises in conserving their own funds while still being able to carry out ambitious R&D projects.
The LuFo Info Day 2026 as a hybrid event
This year, the LuFo Info Day took place as a hybrid event, both in person at the Berlin office of the Project Management Agency for Aviation Research and digitally. The event was accompanied by an exhibition of SME research projects from LuFo.
Introductory remarks by Mr Bode, Head of Programme Management Agency for Aviation Research
In his presentation, Jan Bode, Head of the Programme Management Agency for Aviation Research, and his team will present the main contents of the next LuFo call.
During the subsequent tour of the manufacturers' exhibition in the foyer, Ms Connemann gained insights into specific research projects on aviation research by SMEs. During this tour, she engaged in direct dialogue with various SMEs in the aviation industry. In the discussions with the SMEs, the role of SMEs in the research and innovation ecosystem of the federal aviation research programme LuFo was explored in greater depth. In particular, the focus was on the experiences of SMEs in previous LuFo calls, as well as the current challenges facing companies with regard to the current economic and labour market situation. Another focus of the discussions was the added value of SMEs in the research chain of the aviation industry, which is strongly OEM-driven, but innovations are often also contributed button-up by German SMEs.
ZAL in conversation with Mrs Connemann
A decentralised, energy-efficient data platform for future aircraft cabins was developed as part of LuFo.
The LuFo research projects presented by this SME were a project on high-frequency sensor technology for monitoring the condition of aircraft components, a virtual antenna array for energy-efficient flight guidance, and an investigation into new antenna topologies for electronically steerable antenna front ends and their core components for aviation platforms.
The SME Vecto Flow presented the research project of an integrated air data probe for safety-critical aircraft applications to Ms Connemann and Mr Riedel.
The visit by Parliamentary State Secretary Ms Connemann underlined the importance of aviation research for Germany as a business location, particularly with regard to innovations from SMEs.
Dr Daniel Riedel, Head of Division IVA7 BMWE, and Jan Bode, Head of the Programme Management Agency for Aviation Research, then jointly presented the key content of the next call of the aeronautics research programme. In addition, numerous initiators from industry, major research institutions, universities and SMEs explained the current industry-specific challenges and research topics for aviation as well as their future development.
For all those interested in the forthcoming announcement of the LuFo VII-2 call, we recommend subscribing to the newsletter of the Programme Management Agency for Aviation Research: Newsletter - Aviation Research Programme
If you have any questions about the event, please contact Dr Anne Lohoff at the Programme Management Agency for Aviation Research by phone or e-mail.
