On Wednesday, November 12, 2025, the State Prize for Innovation and the special prizes ECONOVIUS and VERENA were awarded.

SKAPA Recycling GmbH received the VERENA 2025 special award!

This year's VERENA special prize was awarded to SKAPA Recycling GmbH in cooperation with the Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH for their project “Self-sufficient XRF sorting plant for recycling aluminum waste.”

SKAPA Recycling GmbH is taking aluminum recycling to a whole new level: an XRF sorting plant separates even contaminated metal fractions with up to 99.8 percent purity. The system is controlled by intelligent PLC and energy management software that is networked with a PV system and storage facility – 80 percent of its operation is energy self-sufficient. The innovation reduces around 500 tons of waste annually, increases the material value by up to 40 percent, and contributes significantly to the efficiency and sustainability of modern recycling processes.

The VERENA (VERBUND E-Novation Award) special prize, donated by VERBUND, is awarded to companies that have implemented innovative projects in the fields of electricity and energy systems, energy efficiency/management, renewable energies, and e-mobility in collaboration with universities, technical colleges, or non-university research institutions.

“The SKAPA Recycling GmbH project shows how practical innovation and research go hand in hand to make recycling processes more efficient and sustainable,” explains Franz Zöchbauer, Managing Director of VERBUND X. “The development of a largely energy-self-sufficient XRF sorting plant—in close cooperation with the Austrian Institute of Technology AIT—proves that intelligent control systems and AI-supported processes not only increase recycling quality but can also significantly reduce energy consumption. The project thus makes an important contribution to the circular economy.”

The following were also nominated for the VERENA special prize:

• P & P Industries AG in cooperation with FH Joanneum from Styria
  with the “H2 Bluetifuel Burner” project
• Siemens Mobility Austria GmbH in cooperation with the Vienna University of Technology in Vienna with the project “e-Line™ pantograph for battery-powered commercial vehicles”

“Innovation is no coincidence – it is the result of courage, curiosity, and a determination to do things better. The nominated companies impressively demonstrate how much innovative power Austria has to offer. At Erste Bank, we are proud to accompany them on this journey and create spaces where ideas can grow,” said Gerda Holzinger-Burgstaller, CEO of Erste Bank. Erste Bank was a partner of the 2025 State Prize for Innovation.