Vogtlandpioniere research and develop innovative technologies, processes and methods for the preservation and revitalization of buildings worthy of protection. The focus of this regional network lies in Vogtland region. For historical and industrial reasons, there is a rich architectural and cultural heritage here. The aim is to establish a model region between Eastern Thuringia and Western Saxony and make it visible in representative pilot projects.

This overarching goal serves on the one hand the economic structural change and on the other hand the strengthening of the identification process of the people with their region by preserving its architectural cultural treasures. This project, to be preserved and used, is aimed at regional companies, research institutions and cultural and citizens' initiatives, with which a Germany-wide leading cluster in this field of innovation is to be developed. In the future, a place for the sustainability of the cluster in the Vogtland region called the Center for Innovations in Architectural Heritage (ZIB) (German: Zentrum für Innovationen zum baukulturellen Erbe) will be created. In 2021, the plans for the ZIB will be presented.

To strengthen regional innovation activities, the coordination office of the alliance of INNOVENT e.V. offers the opportunity to participate in semi-annual project calls and to become jointly active in research projects. The coordination office supports all members, partners and sponsors of the alliance through knowledge transfer, qualification offers and an interdisciplinary network.

Currently, the alliance has 65 members (institutions from science, business, culture, the creative industries and civil society) who want to advance and help shape their region through their binding commitment to Vogtlandpioniere.

Vogtlandpioniere are initially being funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with 6.8 million euros as part of the program "WIR! - Transformation through innovation in the region". The initiative is intended to lay the foundation for sustainable innovation-based structural change. Currently, 14 (collaborative) projects are funded through the Vogtlandpioniere. Further projects have been applied for at the project management organization Jülich (PtJ), after granting, a total number of more than 20 will be reached.

More information about the alliance can be found at www.vogtlandpioniere.de.