Terms & Conditions

Terms & Conditions for the Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award 

The Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award is a competition for startups and SMEs in the tech and innovation sector. The aim is to make circular innovations for dismantling automation and the recycling of raw materials from industrial components more visible, and to strengthen collaborations between startups or SMEs within the award categories and Knorr-Bremse, a global player for industrial components and the sponsor of the Circular Technology Award.

The Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award ceremony will be held on May 6, 2026, at IFAT Munich, where 4 winners from two categories will present their ideas to a broad audience and receive the Circular Technology Award. The Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award is endowed with prize money of 25,000 € for each winner team.

The Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award (the “Award”) is organized by Knorr‑Bremse AG (“KB”) and UnternehmerTUM GmbH (“UnternehmerTUM”) (together, the “Organizers”). The Award is financially sponsored by KB and the Heinz Hermann Thiele Familienstiftung (the “Foundation”). For the avoidance of doubt, KB shall act as lead organizer vis‑à‑vis Participants. 

The Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award is aimed at entrepreneurs from startups and SMEs, dealing with technologies for automated disassembly and recycling of critical raw materials used for industrial products.

Eligible to participate are companies that meet the following criteria at the time of application:

● Your startup or SME is registered in the commercial register (like German Handelsregister) 

● Your solution or product has a reference to the relevant technologies explained on the award website.

● Your solution is (or can be) used for industrial products and components. 

Further provisions and conditions for participation:

● Maximum one solution per category can be submitted by a startup or SME

● The solution is thematically linked to one of the two award categories described on the Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award website

● You as a (co)-founder or representative, represent the participating startup or company ("Participant") during the award process.

● If your company is selected as a finalist, you and/or your team will hand in a 2-minute video pitch for the final jury session, which decides upon the winners.

● If your company is selected as a winner, you and/or your team will take part in the IFAT Munich Award ceremony on May 6, 2026. 

● Winners need to be present at the IFAT Munich Award ceremony on May 6, 2026 and pitch on stage. Award participation does not cover traveling and accommodation costs for the award ceremony at IFAT Munich and the Participant must cover those costs.

The Organizer reserves the right to review eligibility in individual cases and to exclude

Participants who do not meet the criteria.

The application phase ends on March 2, 2026, 11:59 pm.

Application Process:

● Applications must be submitted exclusively via the application form by the Organizers which can be found on the Award website.

● The application deadline is March 2, 2026, 11:59 pm. The time of receipt of the complete application documents is decisive.

● The application must be complete, truthful, and include all required documents (pitch deck in PDF format, completed questionnaire).

● By submitting the application, the Participant confirms that the submitted documents

are their intellectual property or that they have the necessary rights of use.

● The Organizers reserve the right to request additional information or presentations from the participants as part of the selection process.

● The Organizers reserve the right to exclude incomplete or incorrect applications from participation.

● There is no right to the return of the submitted application documents.

Selection Process:

● Review: All applications will be reviewed by a team of UnternehmerTUM and KB. 

● Nomination of finalists: 10 finalists will be selected. The evaluation is based on the two award categories (Automated Disassembly, Critical Raw Materials Recovery) as well as the following evaluation criteria:

• Impact Pioneer: The product and/or business model must promote positive social and ecological changes
• Innovation & Market Potential: Startups or SMEs should have the ability to develop genuinely new ideas and make them marketable
• Market Resonance & Maturity: There should already be positive reactions and acceptance from customers for the start-up’s product or service
• Strong Team: The founding team should demonstrate high competence, collaboration, and goal orientation
• Industry Fit: Ability to conduct Proof of Concept for an industry product 

● Finalist Video Pitch: Finalists will be contacted at April 15, 2026 and are expected to hand in a 2-minute pitch video for the final jury session. 

● Selection of Final Award Winners: All videos will be reviewed together with the original application by a high caliber jury consisting of renowned experts from industry, politics, and research. This jury will select the 4 award winners. 

● Award Ceremony: The winners take part in the final award ceremony at IFAT Munich 2026. 

All selection and award decisions are made at the sole and reasonable discretion of the Organizers and the jury and are final and binding. Participants acknowledge that they have no claim to being selected as finalists, winners, or PoC budget recipients. Legal recourse is excluded to the extent permitted under applicable law.

The 4 selected winners of the Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award will receive a comprehensive support package, including:

● Visibility & Reach: As part of the Award Ceremony you will have the opportunity to present and showcase your company and business solution to a broad audience. Furthermore, you will generate attention for your company by receiving media coverage of the award, which will be promoted in the social media channels of UnternehmerTUM and KB. Finally, the solutions of all winners will be presented online in the form of a short profile.

● Networking: Meet relevant industry contacts and present your startup or SME to the high-caliber jury consisting of renowned experts from industry, politics, and research.

● Award: Get honored and receive a trophy and certificate as part of the Award Ceremony at the Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award. The winners may refer to themselves as "Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award 2026 winners" and use the title in their communications.

● Possible Collaboration: As a winner, you may receive the opportunity to work together with Knorr-Bremse AG on a Proof of Concept (PoC) project.

The prize money of 25,000 € for each Award winner will be paid within 60 business days after (i) written winner confirmation, (ii) completion of Organizers’ KYC/sanctions and compliance checks, and (iii) receipt of accurate invoicing and banking details. The Organizers may withhold unpaid accounts or reclaim payments already made in case of breach of these Terms and Conditions or misrepresentation by a participant.  

The Award winners are responsible for complying with all applicable tax regulations regarding the receipt of the prize money.

The Award winners may be invited to submit a plan for the PoC execution. Up to two of these applications may be selected for PoC execution with a discretionary  budget of up to 150,000 € each. There is no entitlement to any PoC invitation, selection, or budget. 
Selection criteria and conditions (including technical feasibility, IP clearance, export control/compliance, availability of resources, and budget) will be communicated by the Organizers. Any PoC will be governed exclusively by a separate written PoC agreement to be concluded with KB and/or the Foundation. The Organizers may reduce, postpone or withdraw any PoC budget at any time prior to signing the PoC agreement. Decisions regarding PoC budgets are final and non‑appealable.  

The Organizers may modify, suspend or cancel the Award at any time for legitimate reasons (including insufficient quality or number of applications, force majeure, or compliance concerns) without any liability towards Participants. No Participant has any claim to continuation of the Award, to being selected, or to any prize or PoC budget. 

The Organizers will treat submissions confidentially and use them solely for Award administration and evaluation. 

By submitting, Participants grant to KB, the Foundation and UnternehmerTUM a non‑exclusive, worldwide, royalty‑free license to use, reproduce, display and communicate (including on social media and at IFAT Munich) the submitted company name, logo, short descriptions, and the 2‑minute pitch video for Award administration, publicity and reporting, including internal innovation scouting and archival purposes, strictly excluding any disclosure of trade secrets. 

Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of any intellectual property from Participants to the Organizers. 

Participants warrant that submissions do not infringe third‑party rights and that all persons shown in videos/images have given valid consents/releases. Participants shall indemnify and hold harmless KB, the Foundation and UnternehmerTUM from any third‑party claims arising from IP infringement, violations of rights of publicity/privacy, or unlawful disclosure within the submissions. 

Participants agree that they shall not disclose, publish, announce, or otherwise make publicly available any information regarding their participation in the Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award, their nomination as finalist, or any award-related results prior to the official Award Ceremony at IFAT Munich 2026 on May 6, 2026. This obligation applies in particular to, but is not limited to, disclosures via press releases, websites, social media channels, interviews, presentations, or any other public or semi-public communication formats. Exceptions apply only where prior written consent has been obtained from the Organizers or where disclosure is required by mandatory law. Any breach of this obligation may result in exclusion from the Award at the sole discretion of the Organizers. 

The Organizers’ liability for simple negligence is excluded; this shall not apply to material contractual obligations (Kardinalpflichten). In such cases, liability is limited to typical, foreseeable damages. In any event, the Organizers’ aggregate liability per Participant shall not exceed 25,000 €. Liability for death, personal injury or fraud remains unaffected. Liability for loss of profit, indirect or consequential damages is excluded. 

No Reliance/Advice. Any mentoring or feedback is non‑binding and for general information only. Participants remain solely responsible for their decisions. 

Personal data will be processed by UnternehmerTUM and KB as joint controllers for Award administration (Art. 6 (1) lit. f) GDPR). A joint controller arrangement under Art. 26 GDPR is in place and can be viewed here. Data may be shared with external jurors, experts and service providers under appropriate data processing agreements (Art. 28 GDPR). KB may contact Participants regarding Award‑related opportunities and potential collaborations. 

Photos and recordings at IFAT Munich may be used by KB, the Foundation and UnternehmerTUM for documentation and public relations regarding the Award, including publication on websites and social media, based on legitimate interests (Art. 6 (1) lit. f) GDPR). Participants may object on grounds relating to their particular situation. 

Participant data will be retained for the Award cycle plus 36 months for documentation and compliance and then deleted or anonymized unless longer retention is legally required. Additional details are provided in the Award Privacy Notice. 

These Terms are governed by German law. Exclusive venue is Munich, Germany. 

If any provision is or becomes invalid, the remainder remains in force; the invalid provision shall be replaced by a valid one closest to the economic intent.