Falling Walls Lab Austria 2017

14 Talents from eight Nations presented their innovative ideas
 

Johannes Bintinger from TU Wien won a ticket to the Alpbach Technology Talks with his presentation and has the chance to take part in the Berlin final. 

The Falling Walls Lab made its second stop in Austria: 14 candidates presented their innovative projects in three minutes each to a jury of eight and the audience at the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) on Monday evening, 24 April 2017. The candidates' topics - from biotechnology to mathematics to architecture - were as diverse as their backgrounds: ten men and four women from eight different nations and 12 different institutions. 

TU Wien was represented by two participants: Johannes Bintinger researches graphene at the Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry and impressed with his presentation ‘Breaking the Wall of Smell Sensing’. Felipe Riola Parada from the Institute of Architectural Sciences conducts research in the field of structural design and timber engineering and gave a captivating presentation on ‘Breaking the Wall of Resource-Efficient Building Structures’.

Tickets for the Berlin final and the Alpbach Technology Talks
‘It was not easy for us to decide on the winners,’ said jury president Prof Dr Helga Nowotny, former President of the European Research Council. ‘But Agnes Reiner and her presentation on ‘Breaking the Wall of Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis’ convinced us in every respect. The potential for a scientific breakthrough and the relevance for society were clearly there. Agnes‘ presentation was also very appealing,’ says Nowotny. Her co-judges Verena Winiwarter (Alpen-Adria University), Janos Kertesz (Central European University), Christoph Thun-Hohenstein (Director General MAK) and Heinz Redl (Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology) were also impressed. ‘It is overwhelming to have won this competition. I never expected to win and am now looking forward to presenting again at the Alpbach Technology Talks and in Berlin,’ says Agnes Reiner (Medical University of Vienna & AIT).

Lukas Kinner (AIT) took second place with his presentation on ‘Breaking the Wall of Photovoltaics 2.0’, third place went to Rupinder Kaur for ‘Breaking the Wall of Insect Pest Control’ and to Johannes Bintinger (TU Vienna) for ‘Breaking the Wall of Smell Sensing’. All four candidates will now be invited to Alpbach, whereby Lukas Kinner, Rupinder Kaur and Johannes Bintinger can still qualify for the big Falling Walls Lab final on 8 November in Berlin with the Alpbach ticket during the Technology Talks on 24 August. In Alpbach, a public vote will decide the winner. Agnes Reiner has already secured her place in the Berlin final by coming first.

Dr Hannes Androsch, Chairman of the Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development (RFTE), has supported the Falling Walls Lab Austria from the very beginning and is committed to establishing the format in Austria on a permanent basis. ‘Austria needs projects like the Falling Walls Lab, because this is where young researchers can compete and are given the stage that young talents need. In order to establish Austria as a leading nation in terms of research and innovation in Europe and worldwide, we need to prioritise our young talent.’ Prof. Wolfgang Knoll, Managing Director of the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and co-organiser of the Alpbach Technology Talks, under whose patronage the Falling Walls Lab Austria is taking place, is also delighted: ‘We are proud that Austria has joined the ranks of the more than 50 Falling Walls locations worldwide as a venue.’

About the Alpbach Technology Symposium
The Alpbach Technology Symposium is regarded as the summit meeting of the Austrian research, technology and innovation community and is organised by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and ORF Radio Österreich 1 in cooperation with the European Forum Alpbach. This year, the Alpbach Technology Talks will take place between 24 and 26 August under the general theme of ‘Conflict and Cooperation’.

The Alpbach Technology Talks bring the Falling Walls Lab Austria to Austria in cooperation with our partners, the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (bmvit), Accent Gründerservice, the Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development (RFTE), the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV), Austria Wirtschaftsservice (AWS), the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), the Holzhausen publishing house and TU Austria.
 

Pictures:© AIT/Johannes Zinner