Round 3 of the CARS 2.0 InnoRegioChallenge 2026 has begun

March 31, 2026

As part of the ‘Building a University Partnership Network’ initiative under the CARS 2.0 project – a transformation network for automotive and mechanical engineering – the InnoRegioChallenge brings together innovative minds from academia and industry. The aim is to strengthen the transfer of knowledge and technology between academia and industry and to jointly develop practical solutions to current challenges.

CARS 2.0 InnoRegioChallenge Round 3: Students, researchers and start-ups from universities in the Stuttgart and Neckar-Alb regions are now invited to work on real-world challenges from industry.

Practical challenges from industry
This year’s challenges cover a wide range of future-oriented topics, including:

  • AI methods in vehicle thermal management
  • Digital and AI-supported optimisation of manufacturing processes
  • New applications and markets for piping systems
  • Digital material twins for textile vehicle development
  • Natural fibre composites and their optimisation
  • Simulations for vehicle development
  • Autonomous management agents for production

The tasks have been set by start-ups and SMEs and offer direct insight into current industrial challenges.

Process and Prospects
Participants will work in teams to develop innovative solutions, which they will present at the hackathon competition on 20 May 2026.

Further development of the projects in collaboration with the participating companies is possible, but does not constitute an automatic commitment.

Regardless of this, the InnoRegioChallenge offers a valuable opportunity to:

  • gain practical experience in tackling real-world problems
  • establish contacts within industry
  • showcase your own ideas and skills

Selected projects may also be eligible for funding from the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation.

Participation and registration
Interested parties can receive the full challenge descriptions by email on request.

📧 Contact & registration: challenges@traces.uni-stuttgart.de
⏰ Registration deadline: 30 April 2026

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