Innovation Gala

June 7, 2023, 4:00-6:30 p.m.
Schumpeter Laboratory for Innovation, Inffeldgasse 11 / III

The Innovation Gala will take place on June 7, 2023 at the Schumpeter Laboratory for Innovation under the motto Innovation in Academia.  In addition, it will be broadcast worldwide via live stream. The Innovation Gala is the highlight of the international and interdisciplinary project Product Innovation.

The format was originally inspired by the one-year ME310 program in Design Thinking at the d.school of Stanford University in California (USA). Based on the concept of Experience Based Learning, the project offers students the opportunity to work on real tasks from industry partners. The teams receive a project budget of up to €10,000 to develop and prototype their concepts.

Some of these ideas have already led to new products and patents. The students have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in various areas, such as product development or prototyping, as well as to develop their individual soft skills further. In addition to the theoretical background learned, students gain not only ECTS but also practical experience in close cooperation with our industrial partners.

Since 2006, more than 74 projects have been carried out with 34 Austrian companies. More than 500 students from 57 nations had the opportunity to experience this unique course. The 25 participating students from this year's five teams faced the challenges of our industrial partners Andritz, AVL, Fronius, Palfinger, and TDK.

Team Andritz is looking for solutions for a more environment sustainable use of energy in the pulp production process. Team AVL is looking at the universal applicability of sensors for measuring future drive systems. Team Fronius deals with extended reality applications of tomorrow's product development. Team Palfinger specializes in the safety of lifting platforms for trucks and Team TDK seeks applications of acoustic data connectivity through ultrasound-based energy and data transmission through metal.

We cordially invite you to attend this year's Innovation Gala and look forward to seeing you there. Registration for the event will be available through our website beginning in early May. In the meantime, you can visit us online for more insights.