City of Innsbruck Honors MCI Researchers with Innovation Award

Pioneering research at the Entrepreneurial School® honored with the City of Innsbruck’s Prize for Research & Innovation

The City of Innsbruck has recognized groundbreaking research at MCI | The Entrepreneurial School^® by awarding the Prize for Research and Innovation at MCI for the eighth time. This prestigious prize, endowed with 5,000 euros, was given this year to Christiane Aufschnaiter, Head of the MCI bachelor’s program in Business Administration Online, and Verena Schallhart, Scientific Assistant & Project Manager in the MCI Department of Industrial Engineering & Management. The award ceremony took place in the historic “Bürgersaal”, presented by Deputy Mayor Georg Willi and MCI Rector Andreas Altmann.

Aufschnaiter’s research, titled "Consuming Materiality in the Digital Age," explores the evolving role of physical consumer goods in a digital world. Schallhart’s project, "Development of Conductive Ceramic Composites for Directly Heated Substrates," focuses on creating conductive ceramic materials with potential applications in electrically heated catalyst supports for exhaust purification.

Deputy Mayor Georg Willi congratulated the winners, saying, “Students and researchers at the ‘Entrepreneurial School MCI’ conduct research that is highly practical and adds fresh, innovative contributions to the educational landscape of Innsbruck. I’m pleased that this award allows us to spotlight the accomplishments of these two promising young researchers.”

MCI Rector Andreas Altmann adds, “On behalf of MCI, I would like to thank the City of Innsbruck for presenting this exceptional award. Congratulations to Christiane Aufschnaiter and Verena Schallhart for their exceptional research, which significantly strengthens Innsbruck’s position in research, science, and industry.”

The Prize for Research and Innovation at MCI has been awarded annually since 2017, based on the evaluation of a distinguished jury and formalized by the City Senate of Innsbruck.