Accelerating Innovation, together – Hi-Acts stays on course for innovation

Hi-Acts stays on course for innovation

For nearly three years now, Hi-Acts (the Helmholtz Innovation Platform for Accelerator-based Technologies and Solutions) has proven its value. Launched in January 2023 after winning a Helmholtz Association call for proposals, the platform brings together five Helmholtz research centers and has since connected countless companies and organizations with the right Helmholtz experts to tackle technological challenges through accelerator-based solutions driving innovations that benefit society.

An independent review panel has now evaluated the platform’s success and further potential. Hi-Acts has so far gained more than 116 external companies and research organizations as community partners, with over 200 individual representatives from these institutions actively exchanging ideas via the Hi-Acts platform. Over the years, the Hi-Acts team has organized eight major events with more than 400 participants, featuring workshops and collaboration meetings. In addition, Hi-Acts has participated in over 100 other events such as trade fairs and conferences, secured around €22 million in third-party funding for joint projects, and awarded about half a million euros annually for so-called Use Case Initiatives. These initiatives provide seed funding of up to €100,000 per year for accelerator-based collaboration projects between Helmholtz researchers and industrial partners. For 2026, Hi-Acts has doubled this funding pool to nearly €1 million.

Beyond the Use Case Initiatives, the platform offers numerous other services such as Hi-Acts Connect which is a simple way to propose projects: just fill out a short online form describing your technical challenge, and Hi-Acts takes care of the rest. The platform also connects industry partners with research experts for webinars, workshops, and short-term placements, and organizes online meet-ups between representatives from industry and academia.

Hi-Acts further operates five distinct Technology Labs, which provide external institutions with targeted access to accelerator-based methods and infrastructures that are typically available only at large-scale research facilities. The Technology Labs have proven to be effective bridges between scientific discoveries and their real-world, market-ready applications. Starting in 2027, they will be opened to all five centers through a structured call process, similar to the Use Case Initiatives. Each Technology Lab may receive up to €1.2 million in funding over three years.

Hi-Acts is now set to continue and expand this work. “I congratulate Hi-Acts on its success and wish the initiative continued progress and outstanding achievements in technology transfer in the coming years,” wrote Helmholtz President Otmar D. Wiestler in a letter to the boards of the participating Helmholtz Centers. “Hi-Acts strengthens top-level research and strategically connects it with industrial needs.” The independent international panel confirmed that the consortium offers an excellent combination of scientific expertise and unique technological infrastructure.