Forschungsvereinigung Elektrotechnik beim ZVEI

What Forschungsvereinigung Elektrotechnik beim ZVEI does

Forschungsvereinigung Elektrotechnik beim ZVEI e. V. (FE) is a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, operating under the umbrella of ZVEI (Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie e.V.), the German Electrical and Digital Industry Association. With a staff of approximately 5 employees, FE functions as a coordinator and catalyst for publicly funded industrial research projects in electrical engineering rather than a product company.

FE's core activities are structured around two mechanisms: Verbundprojekte (Joint Research Projects) and IGF (Industrielle Gemeinschaftsforschung / Industrial Collective Research). Through these programs, FE bundles knowledge across companies, universities, research institutes, and start-ups to develop industry-specific and application-oriented solutions, with research results made publicly accessible. Its primary beneficiaries are small and medium-sized enterprises (KMU), which gain facilitated access to practice-oriented research they could not easily pursue independently. Specific initiatives include SmartLivingNEXT (smart building ecosystem transitioning to real operational deployment in 2026), SECAI (AI-based heating optimization), COMET (data sovereignty for Smart Living services, led with Goethe-Universität Frankfurt), and Antrieb 4.0 (industrial drive system digitalization services).

FE does not sell commercial products or services and has no disclosed revenue. Its business model is sustained by public R&D funding channels (notably IGF) and institutional affiliation with ZVEI. Leadership overlaps with ZVEI: Wolfgang Weber serves as CEO of ZVEI, while Gunther Koschnick is Bereichsleiter Industrie at ZVEI and a board member (Vorstand) of FE, alongside Professor Dr. Holger Borcherding and Dr. Jan Stefan Michels. Distribution is via the FE website, LinkedIn, YouTube, and the SmartLivingNEXT content platform covering digitalization, buildings, energy, and industry topics.

Name

Forschungsvereinigung Elektrotechnik beim ZVEI

Legal name

Forschungsvereinigung Elektrotechnik beim ZVEI e. V.

Website

https://fv-elektrotechnik.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Forschungsvereinigung Elektrotechnik beim ZVEI is a non-profit research association under the ZVEI umbrella that coordinates publicly funded industrial research projects in electrical engineering, bundling knowledge across companies, universities, and institutes to give German SMEs access to practice-oriented research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Research Coordination Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHALAL

ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Research, Analytics & Expert Services

SECONDARYBPAHAJAH

Sustainability, ESG & Climate Risk Advisory

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Consulting

SECONDARYIMAIAAAM

Energy & Sustainability Management (Energy Audits/Optimization/Carbon & ESG Programs)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Services & Facility Operations/Facilities Management (Integrated FM)

Keywords

• Industrial collective research
• Pre-competitive research
• Research project coordination
• Industrial research association
• Publicly funded research

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt am Main

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Forschungsvereinigung Elektrotechnik beim ZVEI (FE) is a German non-profit research association that initiates and coordinates publicly funded research projects in electrical engineering. It connects companies, industry associations, and research institutions to bundle knowledge and develop industry-specific and application-oriented solutions, particularly benefiting small and medium-sized enterprises (KMU/SMEs) through its Industrial Collective Research (IGF) and Verbundprojekte (Joint Research Projects) programs. Results of IGF research are publicly accessible, strengthening the competitiveness and innovation power of the German electrical industry.

Product overview

Forschungsvereinigung Elektrotechnik beim ZVEI e.V. (FE) is a research coordination body, not a traditional product company. It operates as a catalyst for innovation in Germany, initiating and coordinating publicly funded research projects. The organization bundles knowledge from companies and research institutes through two main mechanisms: Verbundprojekte (Joint Research Projects) and IGF (Industrielle Gemeinschaftsforschung/Industrial Collective Research). These programs support specific research initiatives including SmartLivingNEXT (smart building ecosystem), SECAI (AI-based heating optimization), COMET (data sovereignty for smart living), and Antrieb 4.0 (industrial drive digitalization). FE acts as a bridge builder between disciplines, generations, and visions to achieve technological excellence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IGF - Industrielle Gemeinschaftsforschung (Industrial Collective Research) Publicly funded Industrial Collective Research program that facilitates access to practice-oriented research for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs/KMU) in electrical engineering. Companies, associations, and research institutions collaborate on industry-specific and application-oriented solutions with publicly accessible results.
• Verbundprojekte (Joint Research Projects) Publicly funded joint research projects coordinated by FE that bring together companies, associations, and research institutions to develop industry-specific and application-oriented solutions in electrical engineering.
• SmartLivingNEXT Ecosystem initiative focused on smart living and digitalization of buildings, transitioning from research into real operational deployment across digitalization, buildings, energy, and industry topics.
• SECAI Research project delivering an AI-powered heating solution for buildings that reduces energy consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 18 percent through intelligent building optimization.
• COMET Research initiative coordinated with Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main focused on data sovereignty as the foundation for innovative Smart Living services.
• Antrieb 4.0 Research service providing update and security notifications for industrial drive systems, supporting the digitalization of industry.

Quantifiable outcome

• SECAI research project demonstrates up to 18% reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions through AI-powered heating

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ZVEI - Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFE is the Forschungsvereinigung Elektrotechnik (research association for electrical engineering) operating under the umbrella of ZVEI. Wolfgang Weber serves as CEO of ZVEI and Gunther Koschnick serves as both Bereichsleiter Industrie at ZVEI and Vorstand (board member) of FE, indicating close operational integration.
• Universities and Research InstitutescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFE maintains a valuable network of universities, research institutes, start-ups, and industrial partners for synergies and new impulses. These institutions collaborate on branchenspezifische (industry-specific) and anwendungsorientierte (application-oriented) research solutions.
• Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am MaincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. K. Valerie Carl from Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main serves as Konsortialleiterin (consortium leader) for the COMET project, working with FE on data sovereignty and Smart Living services.
• COMET ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOMET is a research project focused on data sovereignty as the foundation for innovative Smart Living services, coordinated by FE and Goethe-Universität Frankfurt.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zerstörungsfreie Prüfung (DGZfP): DGZfP is a German technical-scientific society that coordinates research and standards for non-destructive testing — a domain that intersects FE's electro-industrial focus. It provides a comparable model of research coordination, training, and SME outreach within an electrical/industrial engineering niche.
• Forschungskuratorium Maschinenbau (FKM): FKM is the AiF research association for mechanical engineering. It coordinates IGF-funded pre-competitive research for SMEs in a similar manner to FE, serving as a sister organization across a different industrial vertical.
• Forschungsvereinigung Automobiltechnik (FAT): FAT is the AiF-member research association for automotive engineering under the VDA. It uses the identical Verbundprojekt/IGF coordination model that FE employs, making it the closest functional peer for cross-industry research association governance.
• Forschungsvereinigung Stahlanwendung (FOSTA): FOSTA is the AiF research association for steel applications. Like FE, it pools SME research demand and coordinates publicly funded projects through the IGF mechanism, making it a directly comparable institutional peer.

Broad incumbents

• VDE (Verband der Elektrotechnik, Elektronik und Informationstechnik): VDE is the larger technical-scientific association for electrical engineering in Germany. While FE operates under ZVEI (the industry/economic association), VDE sits in the adjacent technical-standards and applied-research space, addressing overlapping member audiences in electrical engineering.
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft industrieller Forschungsvereinigungen (AiF): AiF is the umbrella organization of the IGF (Industrielle Gemeinschaftsforschung) program that FE operates within. As FE's funding and policy backbone, AiF is the most directly comparable institutional peer for the structure and mechanics of publicly funded industrial collective research in Germany.
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: Fraunhofer is Germany's largest applied research organization and a major counterpart for publicly funded industrial R&D. It competes for the same SME research mandates and policy attention, making it a broad institutional peer for FE's coordination role.

Others

• TÜV SÜD: TÜV SÜD is a major German testing, inspection and certification provider adjacent to FE's industrial-electrical member base. While it is a commercial services firm rather than a research association, it engages with the same SME and ZVEI-member ecosystem around electrical safety and compliance.

Regional players

• Verband der Chemischen Industrie (VCI) – Forschungsgemeinschaft: VCI's research arm represents another German industry-association research coordination model. While focused on chemistry rather than electrical engineering, it offers a comparable institutional template for bundling SME research demand and channeling IGF-style funding.

Emerging players

• Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM Bonn): IfM Bonn is an independent research institute focused on SME economics and policy in Germany. It overlaps with FE's mission of strengthening SME innovation capacity, though from an economic-research rather than engineering-research angle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@forschungsvereinigungelekt55
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forschungsvereinigung-elektrotechnik-beim-zvei

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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