Going through for innovative ideas
With a lot of brainpower and coffee: Eight interdisciplinary teams of students developed innovative solutions to real-world problems posed by eight companies in just 24 hours at this year's TU Austria Innovation Marathon in Alpbach.
From a starter kit for start-ups to a mobility concept for the urban future, from an app store for industrial automation to an innovative operating concept for road motorcycles: at the heart of the 2nd TU Austria Innovation Marathon were eight real challenges currently facing Austrian companies. Eight interdisciplinary teams of students took on the task of developing creative solutions in just 24 hours as part of the Alpbach Technology Talks. The teams were made up of 40 Alpbach scholarship holders. About half of the students come from a technical university, while the other half come from a wide variety of disciplines. “We are convinced that interdisciplinary teams achieve better results together,” argues Mario Fallast, head of the organizing team for the TU Austria Innovation Marathon.
On Thursday, August 25, at 9:00 a.m., the starting signal was given at the Congress Centrum Alpbach. Each team was given a task, a room with working materials, and 24 hours to solve industrial problems using their expertise, adhesive tape, and brainpower. Representatives from the companies and the Austrian Patent Office were on hand to provide the students with advice and support. At 9:00 a.m. on Friday, the non-stop tinkering came to an end and the results were presented to the clients.
Sabine Seidler, Rector of TU Wien and acting President of TU Austria, Harald Kainz, Rector of Graz University of Technology, and Wilfried Eichlseder, Rector of Montanuniversität Leoben, were impressed by the results and the conceptual strength of the interdisciplinary student teams: “The second TU Austria Innovation Marathon impressively demonstrated the innovative potential of our students. Competence, practical relevance, creativity, and the courage to break new ground are the necessary ingredients for developing new ideas, even under immense time pressure."
Practical and market-oriented education is part of everyday life at the three TU Austria universities—TU Wien, Graz University of Technology, and Montanuniversität Leoben. This entrepreneurial, business-oriented spirit at the universities is reflected in real-life competitions such as the TU Austria Innovation Marathon. Based on the knowledge they have acquired, students are free to choose the means and methods they use to develop creative and innovative solutions, including prototypes for problems from the real world. Team spirit, social skills, and perseverance are just as important. This benefits students, business, and industry alike.
The Secretary General of the Federation of Austrian Industries, Christoph Neumayer, pointed out that in the age of digitalization, people who understand “the big picture” are becoming increasingly important. “It is not only industry that is increasingly looking for talent who can master the development and control of complex technical systems. In addition to a solid basic education in STEM disciplines, interdisciplinary thinking, teamwork, and a high degree of problem-solving skills are becoming increasingly important. The Innovation Marathon is already impressively demonstrating what our working world of tomorrow will look like."
Ideas on demand – 24 hours non-stop
The Kapsch Group, Infineon, KTM, NXP, Siemens, AT&S, AVL, and the voestalpine group were the corporate partners that commissioned application concepts and prototypes for specific practical issues at this year's TU Austria Innovation Marathon.
- AT&S: Printed circuit board integration – where and how should the printed circuit board be exposed?
- AVL: What will a cloud-based support system for machines, software, and vehicles look like in 2025?
- Infineon: Design and market the Infineon Starter Kit for startups
- Kapsch Group: Design the mobility concept for the urban future.
- KTM: Innovative operating concept for road motorcycles
- NXP: Integrated Near Field Communication (NFC) demonstrator for trade shows
- Siemens: An app store for industrial automation
- voestalpine group: Seamless material tracking of individual seamless steel tubes
From the participants' perspective, the TU Austria Innovation Marathon was challenging and enriching. Assessments after 24 hours:
"A great event that offers the opportunity to work on unfamiliar tasks with new people. An exciting 1440 minutes!”
“It's incredible what can be achieved in 24 hours with such a highly motivated team."
The companies will take the results with them as valuable input, and a high-caliber panel of experts will discuss the Innovation Marathon on Friday evening under the title ”Ideas on demand – 24 hours non-stop.”
TU Austria President Sabine Seidler sees the training of young academics as a contribution to securing Austria's position as a center of science and business. “The innovation potential of TU Austria universities is a building block that ensures we can keep pace with international competition. Our foundation is excellent research and the first-class teaching that derives from it. This makes us a competent and reliable partner for business and industry.”
https://www.facebook.com/innovations.marathon
http://www.innovations-marathon.org
Contact:
DI Mario Fallast
Project Manager TU Austria Innovation Marathon
Research & Technology House
Graz University of Technology
M +43-664-3332355
mario.fallast(at)TUGraz.at