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Rauschert: TechCenter as workshops for idea generators and researchers
A melting pot of innovation
12.09.2025
We are in the middle of Bayreuth. A special place of the future has been created here: Rauschert's TechCenter. Here, scientists from the University of New Materials Bayreuth and the Fraunhofer TSC-HTL work together with experts from Rauschert. Together they try things out, gather know-how and tinker. Market-ready innovations are created in the think tank - for example, how ceramic production can be revolutionized.
What exactly is a TechCenter?
TechCenters are workshops for idea generators and researchers. They provide machines and workspaces in the Rauschert production facilities that would otherwise be inaccessible to scientific institutions or young start-ups. Processes can be tested and prototypes built here.
Rauschert has opened two of these centers in Bavaria: in Nuremberg and Bayreuth. In the latter, the technology group works closely with the University of Bayreuth - in particular with the Chair of Ceramic Materials headed by Prof. Schafföner. This is where research and practice come together.
Rethinking ceramics
A prime example of this collaboration is the CONSINTEC project. Together with the University of Bayreuth, Rauschert aims to significantly reduce gas consumption and CO₂ emissions in ceramic production - by up to 60 percent. The Federal Minister of Economics, Dr. Robert Habeck, personally handed over the 3.83 million euro grant for this project.
The focus is on electrically heated firing chambers, flexible energy management and innovative lightweight refractory bricks made from calcium zirconate, which make high-temperature kilns more efficient. This will be complemented by the expansion of renewable energies on site, such as photovoltaics with battery storage. The aim is to set up a demonstration plant in Bayreuth that will pave the way for sustainable ceramic production.
Bayern Innovativ and the cluster as enablers
Such projects do not come about on their own. Bayern Innovativ and the New Materials Cluster have actively supported the establishment of the TechCenter. There was also support from Invest in Bavaria. From the search for a location, to networking partners, to supporting funding applications.
The message is clear: innovation does not need glossy metropolises. It is created in factory halls, industrial areas, in the region. What is needed, however, is a culture of sponsors, idea providers and initiators who promote and support these ideas regardless of location. The Rauschert TechCenter in Bayreuth is the best proof that Bavaria is living this culture of innovation.