Eleven Innovative Companies from Ostwestfalen-Lippe Honored with Top 100 Award in 2026

The Ostwestfalen-Lippe (OWL) region continues to stand out as a hub of innovation with eleven medium-sized companies receiving the prestigious Top 100 award in 2026. This award recognizes outstanding innovation efforts, with a record 14 companies from the region honored this year, setting a new high compared to previous years: 11 awardees in 2025, 10 in 2023, and 9 in 2022.

The selection was led by innovation researcher Nikolaus Franke and a jury including representatives from business and politics. The 356 companies that applied were assessed on criteria such as innovative top management, innovation climate, processes, external orientation, and innovation success.

Awardees include businesses of varying sizes: three small firms with up to 50 employees, three medium-sized firms with 51 to 200 employees, and five large firms with over 200 employees. Notably, companies from the districts of Gütersloh, Herford, and Lippe each had three winners, while Paderborn and Höxter were unrepresented.

First-time winners among small companies include Eggersmann Metallbau and DCP Digitaldruck + Profiltechnik. Four large companies received the award for the first time, including Boge Kompressoren and Müller Umwelttechnik. The startup Qseidon received its second award, while Kingspan STG and Sita Bauelemente were honored for the third time.

The award ceremony is scheduled for June 26 in Heidelberg, where former Chancellor Christian Wulff will mentor the competition and personally congratulate the winners, emphasizing the important social role of medium-sized enterprises within their communities.