Every year, the HERMES Startup AWARD 2023 honors a young company for its development of an outstanding product. The award-winning product this year is a fully integrated near-infrared sensor – the smallest of its kind on the market, with a footprint of 1 mm2. The sensor enables rapid, highly accurate analysis and is used directly on the production line, from where it delivers real-time data. This makes it possible for defects to be detected as soon as they occur and for savings to be made through immediate quality control on the spot, on the production line. The product is already in use in industry, agriculture and food processing.

"The small and cost-effective sensor in the near-infrared spectrum is easy to integrate and opens up a whole range of new application perspectives. For example, in agriculture or food processing," says Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, President of the Fraunhofer Society and chair of the HERMES Startup AWARD jury."

More than 300 startups are showcasing their innovations at HANNOVER MESSE this year. This represents a significant increase over 2022.

With the annual HERMES Startup AWARD, Deutsche Messe recognizes a company that is younger than five years old and whose product or solution exhibits a particularly high level of technological innovation. The award is traditionally presented at the opening ceremony of HANNOVER MESSE.

HERMES AWARD