Innovations in the spotlight: iENA inventors' fair impresses as an international meeting place for inventors

Nuremberg – After three intensive days, iENA 2025 closed with positive results. Around 7,000 visitors came to iENA to discover inventions from all over the world. Visitors included entrepreneurs, investors, licensors, developers and engineers. iENA is also open to visitors of the Consumenta consumer fair, which takes place at the same time, enabling market testing with consumer audience. The managing directors of trade fair organiser AFAG, Henning and Thilo Könicke, were impressed by the innovative strength on display in Nuremberg: “It was an honour for us to once again welcome so many international inventors to Nuremberg, who travelled to iENA from 21 countries and regions. The innovative power was overwhelming, and we are particularly pleased that some inventors were already able to hold concrete discussions with investors, product developers and licensors at the trade fair about the further development of their inventions. We wish all inventors who had the courage to present their innovations at iENA a successful future.”

Thuringia was partner of iENA 2025: more than 20 individual inventions from the federal state were presented in Nuremberg. Olaf Mollenhauer from Kompass GmbH coordinated the participation and was very satisfied: “I have the impression that the quality of the innovations presented has increased again compared to last year – I really liked that.”

In addition to numerous inventors from Germany, international inventor associations also used iENA as a platform, with large delegations from Angola, China, Korea and Saudi Arabia in attendance, delighting visitors with their innovations.

Award-winning inventions

The highlight for the inventors who came to Nuremberg for iENA to present their innovations to industry experts was the medal ceremony at the end of the trade fair. A jury of experts examined and evaluated all the inventions during the three days of the fair, and the most promising inventions were honoured in a festive ceremony. In addition to medals, honorary prizes were also awarded: the prize of the City of Nuremberg went to Johannes Kick's neighbourhood project Helpsta. The Chamber of Crafts for Middle Franconia awarded an honorary prize to Andreas Beuge for the interactive music learning game ‘Limupu’. Nabil Chehade received the prize of the Middle Franconia District for his medical rescue device for choking emergencies, and the Grand Prize of the iENA 2025 went to inventors Zeki and Gila Günaldi for their solar thermal tower for utilising warm exhaust air.

The relevance of the inventions presented was once again underlined by the great media interest in the inventors' fair: national and international media, such as ARD's Morgenmagazin and Chinese state television CCTV, reported on iENA 2025. iENA Nuremberg is considered one of the leading international trade fairs for inventive talent and innovative developments. The fair is the annual meeting place for creative minds from all over the world who present their latest ideas and technical solutions. Investors, product developers and marketers use the event to discover promising projects and make contacts.

The Nuremberg Innovation Congress accompanied the iENA inventors' fair for one day and focused on the important topic of innovation management. The topics covered by the Innovation Congress are in high demand, particularly among companies but also among the self-employed. An expansion of the congress programme is planned for the coming year.

Save the date: iENA 2026

The next edition of the international trade fair “Ideas – Inventions – New Products” iENA Nuremberg will take place from 31 October to 2 November 2026 at Messe Nürnberg. www.iena.de
 

Exhibitor statements iENA 2025

Herbert Boos,
Chairman of the German Inventors' Association:
"I found this year's trade fair particularly exciting because we had many interesting discussions – of a quality we had never experienced before. We are completely satisfied.“

Mrs. Li Guihua, Deputy Secretary-General of China Association of Inventions (CAI), Former Director General of the Personnel Department of Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST):
“The international trade fair for ideas, inventions, and new products iENA in Nuremberg has a long history, evaluates inventions according to strict criteria, and has an excellent reputation worldwide. iENA is an international platform not only for presenting first-class inventions and innovations but also for promoting international scientific and technological exchange, as well as collaboration between inventors, science, industry, and investors. I am very pleased to have participated for the first time with the largest delegation ever from the China Association of Inventions at iENA in Nuremberg.“

Johannes Danner, Maristengymnasium Fürstenzell:
“It was wonderful to be at iENA again. We attend every year – the trade fair is an important opportunity for our students to gain valuable experience. The quality of the projects on display is exceptionally high. It is particularly impressive to see how much preparation and enthusiasm the students put into presenting their prototypes. Of course, a certain amount of nervousness is part and parcel of giving a presentation, but that is precisely what makes the experience so valuable. You can feel the inspiration and commitment everywhere.”

Wolfgang Müller, Leiter Steinbeis-Transferzentrum Infothek:
"It went sensationally well! The exhibitors are thrilled, and we have already received several purchase enquiries. We also had a great feature on ARD breakfast television. We were able to gather lots of valuable opinions and tips from customers. Numerous visitors even wanted to buy our products directly – which is a good indication of the high level of interest. Some inventors are planning to start their own businesses with their products. School groups also found new inspiration for their projects here. The audience was particularly large this year, with a continuous stream of people. What is particularly exciting is that they come from very different fields – and it is precisely this diversity that provides inspiring feedback on our products. If you only have a specialist audience, you usually get one-sided input. Here, however, with representatives from different industries, age groups and professional fields, completely new perspectives emerge. That is unique.“

Nabil Chehade Inventor of the medical rescue device for choking emergencies:
“I am very, very satisfied with the trade fair. I received a lot of positive feedback on my invention – visitors recognise the purpose and added value of the product. I was also able to make some promising business contacts. I am particularly grateful to the Artur Fischer Foundation – the third prize I received will be a great help to me. It was also great to be featured on ARD's morning show this morning. The segment was apparently very well received by viewers – we have already received around 60 orders! The marketing department was completely surprised by the enormous demand this morning. We are all very happy."

Jisu Choi, KIPA Korea Invention Promotion Association:
“We really enjoyed iENA 2025 – there was a pleasant atmosphere and, overall, we had a very good time here.“