01 – Vision
Bridges are more than structures of concrete and steel - they are critical enablers of mobility, resilience, and economic stability for rail and road transport. As many bridges approach the end of their originally calculated service life in the coming years, the challenge is no longer whether action is needed, but how intelligently and sustainably it can be taken. Through continuous, data‑driven condition monitoring, the service life of both existing and newly built bridges can be significantly extended. The integration of diverse measurement parameters opens the door to a deeper understanding of structural behavior and real‑world usage. Yet, proven technologies are not always economically viable – sometimes due to limited competition – while emerging solutions must still prove their reliability and scalability in real operation.
With the Bridge Monitoring Challenge 2026, DB InfraGO and Autobahn des Bundes GmbH create a collaborative space for external experts to work on four concrete use cases, accelerating the transition from innovative monitoring technologies to practical application—unlocking the potential to safeguard and extend the service life of hundreds of bridges across Germany.
Sounds exciting, but still have questions? Join our weekly meeting every Wednesday (starting 06 May 2026) from 12:00–12:30 CET via MS Teams.
02– Use Cases
To support safer, more efficient, and more scalable bridge monitoring, we are looking for innovative solutions that improve the detection of structural damage, simplify sensor deployment, enable reliable data transmission, and ensure autonomous energy supply. The goal is to make monitoring systems more economical, robust, and practical for widespread use across existing bridge infrastructure.
03 – Selection Process
The Bridge Monitoring Challenge is organized as a multi-stage process. The goal of the challenge is to determine the best project of each use case to start an extended project phase.
All applications will be evaluated by DB.
The teams with the highest ratings will be invited to the concept challenge days, which will be 7 days and include a site visit if useful.
During these days, the participating teams will receive detailed information about the use case, including framework conditions and civil engineering knowledge from our DB and Autobahn experts. Together with the Autobahn and DB experts, they will be able to deal with certain aspects of the required framework conditions in order to develop their concept for the development of the solution.
All teams will present their concept for the upcoming work phase, including information on the planned procedure such as sensor technology, measured values, installation, etc. A jury of DB experts will select one to two teams with the highest rating to enter the work phase.
This will be followed by a two-month work phase in which the teams will work on their concepts. These two months are a stretched out challenge phase to support the long-term nature of measurements – capacity allocation is individually chosen. There will be a mandatory status meeting (remote) and mandatory touchpoints (remote) for further exchange with DB experts on a regular basis.
The teams will present their results on a Demo-Day live in Berlin. The presentation will take place as part of a workshop format with a jury of DB InfraGO and Autobahn experts.
Key Questions about the Bridge Monitoring Challenge
Can we also participate in this challenge as a consortium?
Yes, we encourage you to participate together with partners!
What do you mean by “applying with partial solutions”?
It is our assessment that the use case solutions may be divided into distinct modules, which collectively will contribute to addressing the challenge. If your technology fits as part of a larger solution but lacks other components, apply anyway – we may be able to supply what's missing from our experts' resources.
05 – Financial Support
The compensation for participation in the Challenge is based on fixed amounts that will be announced soon.
Each participating team will receive a one-time payment for participating in the challenge week – including an onsite bridge visit.
Each team that continues the work phase and participates in the final presentation will receive another one-time-payment.
The winning teams will win participation in a follow-up-phase incl.
- Exclusive access to experts, data, markets and customers of Deutsche Bahn
- Up to 25,000 euros in funding – without giving up company shares
- Exclusive access to a selected network of coaching and mentoring experts
- Personal support from a dedicated DB mindbox startup manager as an interface to the world of Deutsche Bahn (DB)
- Optional: Working in our coworking space in the center of Berlin with 24/7 access
Timeline
07 June – Application deadline
Last day to apply for the program (eob.)
17 June – Announcement of candidates
Invitation of selected teams is expected to take place on June 17, 2026
approx. 13 July – Onsite Challenge Day
approx. 14 - 17 July – Remote Challenge Week
approx. 17 July – Final Presentation & Winner Announcement
From 27 July until approx. 20 September – Work phase
September – Demo Day
Final date tbd
October – Start Extended Project Phase
Final date tbd
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