HZDR Innovation Contest - Bring your Idea into Action!
For the eighth time, we were looking for innovative research ideas that have the potential to be transformed into a product or service for practical application.
Focus on sustainable innovations: HZDR Innovation Contest awards prizes for pioneering technologies
Environmentally friendly materials for filters and sensors, the recycling of valuable raw materials and technologies to improve the efficiency of processes and procedures such as in wastewater treatment - were the central themes of the 8th HZDR Innovation Contest, held on December 10, 2024. A total of six scientists and scientific teams submitted their ideas for innovative (or novel) technologies and applications.
For the first time, the competition was divided into two categories: the Idea Track and the Prototype Track. While the Idea Track focuses on evaluating the basic feasibility of concepts, the Prototype-Track showcased technologies that have already undergone initial functional testing. The scores of the five-member expert jury were so close that three ideas ended up tied. For the first time, the audience vote determined the final outcome. Due to the identical scores one first place and two second places were awarded:
- 1st Place (1.500 euros): Mohd Saif Shaikh, Dr. Shengqiang Zhou and Dr. Yonder Berencén from the Institute for Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Department of Semiconductor Materials; project: Compact optical dual-band sensors based on silicon for telecommunication applications.
- 2nd Place (1.000 euros): Dr. Andréa de Lima Ribeiro and the sensors research group led by Dr. Margret Fuchs at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology; project: HiF Smart sEnsor nEtworK (HiSEEK) for the efficient identification of black plastics.
- 2nd Place (1.000 euros): Dr. Slawomir Prucnal and Dr. Shengqiang Zhou from the Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Department of Semiconductor Materials; project: Functionalized photocatalysts as filters for wastewater treatment or application in air conditioning systems.
A pitch presentation and award ceremony took place at the HZDR Transfer Day on January 28, 2025. Congratulations to all winners!
