MCI Creativity Award 2021

The MCI Creativity Award honors outstanding business and product ideas every year. 86 MCI students who want to show economic and social responsibility through their entrepreneurial spirit took part in this year's competition.

Michael Karbasch and Stefan Dobler, students of the Digital Business & Software Engineering bachelor program, won the MCI Creativity Award 2021 for their idea 'WASP'. WASP provides the rail industry with a software solution that automates the collection, processing and analysis of train data.

"The submissions convinced the entire jury with their enormous potential and promising market opportunities. We are pleased to support young motivated people with the MCI Creativity Award 2021 and thus accompany them on their way to independence," explains Michael Kraxner, Head of Research & Development at MCI.

In 54 submissions, students demonstrated their wealth of ideas, entrepreneurial potential and founding spirit. "The creative submissions reflect the diversity of the study and research programs offered at MCI as well as the business and social science disciplines as well as technology and life sciences," adds MCI Rector Andreas Altmann.

Marcus Hofer, Managing Director of the Startup.Tirol startup center, adds: "With Startup.Tirol, we support prospective founders in putting their business ideas on a solid stand and successfully launching their entrepreneurship with the right business model. The MCI Creativity Award is an important initiative that we are happy to support. We look forward to working with the founders!"

A jury of experts reviewed the business concepts in a multi-stage selection process and nominated the ten finalists. Due to the COVID-19 situation, the presentation of the ten most innovative business ideas took place online. This year, for the first time, two special prizes were awarded in addition to the five best entrepreneurial ideas: "Concept Most Ready for Implementation" and the special prize "Best Proof of Concept".

WINNERS

1st place: Michael Karbasch and Stefan Dobler, Bachelor's degree program Digital Business & Software Engineering

Entrepreneurial idea: "WASP". WASP offers the rail industry a software solution that automates the collection, processing and analysis of train data. Intuitive use, error prevention "by design" and automatic analysis of the acquired data characterize the software.

2nd place: Ing. Simon Schulz, Bachelor of Business & Management.

Entrepreneurial idea: "Bathing bridge umbrella stand". Due to climate change and rising temperatures, sun protection is becoming an increasingly important issue for many people. With the ‘Badesteg umbrella stand’ they offer the first practical, lightweight and multifunctional umbrella stand, which can be used not only on the beach and in the meadow, but also on bathing jetties, wooden sunbathing platforms, park benches or tables, easily and quickly assembled and disassembled. A practical problem solver for the bathing trip or for camping. The bathing platform umbrella stand will be available online.

3rd place: Dr. Markus Themeßl-Huber, Fabian Kreiseder and Dominik Molnar and winner of the special prize "Concept for best implementation”, Bachelor of Business Administration online

Entrepreneurial idea: "PriorizR". PriorizR is a flexible all-in-one solution that enables therapeutic institutions to treat patients with higher treatment needs faster. The advanced software consists of a fair patient prioritization system that enables simple and standardized scoring of patient complaints and ensures that those with higher needs move up a waiting list faster and are assigned to the most appropriate treatment offer as early as possible.

3rd place: Maximilian Oehm, Bachelor's degree in Business & Management

Entrepreneurial idea: "TripLab". TripLab will be a personal, digital travel guide. TripLab makes it possible to travel stress-free for the first time. "There is an explorer in each of us. Let's explore instead of planning. Let's unite cultures and grow together.”

4th place: Helene Stanger and winner of the special award "Best Proof of Concept", Bachelor of Nonprofit, Social & Health Management.

Entrepreneurial Idea: "Growin'". 'Growin' is an initiative for the development of innovative, entrepreneurial project ideas by apprentices on the topic of sustainability in the apprenticeship business. Accompanied by a series of workshops and supported by mentors, teams of apprentices develop a sustainability idea that their own apprenticeship company can then implement directly. The apprentices develop entrepreneurial competence and an awareness of sustainability ("grow"), and the training companies receive a feasible sustainability idea ("win").

5th place: Marijan Divković, BA, Bachelor of Digital Business & Software Engineering and Dominik Sobe.

Entrepreneurial idea: "StorePreviewer". StorePreviewer is a software service that helps companies optimize their app store presence. It allows easy live preview of app data such as screenshots and videos, compares different versions and allows sharing with others to get valuable feedback.

The partners Startup.Tirol, Industriellenvereinigung Tirol and the daily newspaper "Die Presse" provided cash and non-cash prizes worth almost EUR 8,000.00 for all participants of the MCI Creativity Awards 2021. The MCI would like to thank the sponsors and partners for providing the prizes.