HZDR Innovation Contest
In the Innovation Contest, HZDR scientists, technicians and laboratory workers of the HZDR – especially PhD students at the end of their studies, post-docs and young group leaders as well as employees, guest scientists and scholars bring their ideas into action by transforming their research results and scientific knowledge into usable products or services.
15 teams with great ideas and a lot of innovative spirit at the HZDR Innovation Contest 2023
“The value of an idea lies in the using of it.” This quote from Thomas A. Edison captures the core idea of the HZDR Innovation Contest.
Because that is exactly what 15 teams of scientists and technicians have been working on over the past two days in the seventh edition of the competition: How can I develop a product or service from an idea in my research work that can be offered as an application on the market? Together with their innovation manager as mentors, the participating scientists and technicians spent a day intensively analyzing:
- who their customers could be
- what the Unique Selling Point (USP) of their idea is
- what market shares and competitors there are
- and, above all, what the roadmap for commercialization looks like, i.e. how to get from research to a prototype or proof of principle and ultimately to a marketable product or service.
At the end of each day, the seven and eight teams gave a convincing seven-minute pitch to the expert jury, explaining why exactly their idea should be brought to market.
It was a highly concentrated and exciting atmosphere in the library's reading room during these days. It was impressive to experience how much energy and innovative spirit was in the air. All participating scientists as well as the innovation managers from the HZDR and start-up managers from dresden|exists as mentors did a great job. A big thank you to the fantastic jury: Susanne Stump from Saxony⁵, Jürgen Hofinger from biconex, Jörg Schüler from HighTech Startbahn, Frank Pankotsch from dresden|exists, Hans-Georg Wagner from Innovation Management at TU Dresden and Björn Wolf from HZDR Innovation GmbH. And of course many thanks to the participants of the Innovation Contest 2023 and the entire technology transfer team at the HZDR!
Roadmap HZDR Innovation Contest 2023
Timeline for HZDR Innovation Contest 2023
- 01 November 2023: Workshop "Ignite Your Creativity - Generate Your Ideas" with Yvonne Horn
- 10 November 2023: Submission Deadline - application forms to innovationswettbewerb@hzdr.de
- 21 November 2023: "1x1 of Exploitation Planning" - Preparation seminar for participants of the contest
- 30 November 2023: Pitch-Workshop - Developing the pitch of your own idea under professional guidance
- 05/06 December 2023: INNOVATION CONTEST - pitch presentation to the jury
- 23 January 2024: Awards ceremony of HZDR Innovation Contest at the HZDR TRANSFER DAY
