THIS WAS THE IMPACT DAY 2024
22 May 2024
published by hei_INNOVATION
Heidelberg University's second IMPACT DAY took place on 15 May 2024 at the New University. The focus was on knowledge and technology transfer and the day was organised by Ruperto Carola's transfer agency, hei_INNOVATION. The IMPACT DAY offered all members of the university a platform for exchanging innovative ideas and the opportunity to network with each other. The final of the hei_INNOVATION ideas competition also took place during the day.
Transfer islands
IMPACT DAY presented outstanding transfer projects from Heidelberg University and the people behind them on four themed transfer islands in the foyer of the New University. These islands were dedicated to the topics of 'Social Relevance', 'Market Maturity', 'Access to Science' and 'Sustainability'. Three guided tours of the transfer islands were offered during the course of the day, during which visitors were able to gain deeper insights into the projects.
The 'Social Relevance' category included the startup Eatappie, the Pop-Up Living Lab for Wearable Technologies, the Smart Age project and the Public Philosophy project. The 'Market Readiness' category consisted of the Scientific Software Centre, the M²AXI Usability Lab, and the 3DMM2O exhibition on research into 3D printing and 3D objects. The 'Access to Science' category was represented by the Käte Hamburger Kolleg für Apokalyptische und Postapokalyptische Studien (CAPAS), the China-Schul-Akademie, the MONDEY 0-6 project and the Sci-Art project of the SFB 1225 ISOQUANT. The 'Sustainability' category consisted of the project Waterproofing Data - Engaging Stakeholders in Sustainable Flood Risk Governance for Urban Resilience, the project Climate Protection in Clinics by Optimising Supply Chains (KliOL) and the Lancet Countdown Europe Report.
Workshops on innovation and transfer
Between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., various workshops on the topics of innovation and transfer took place as part of IMPACT DAY, for which many participants had already registered in advance. The workshop topics covered a broad spectrum from "Funding Opportunities" and "Social Entrepreneurship" to "Design Thinking", "How to Start a Podcast" and many other topics.
Foodtrucks
From 12 noon, the food trucks from "Soueis", "Die Worschdkischd" and "Micha's Flammerie" provided refreshments on the university square throughout the event. Vouchers for the food trucks were available to all IMPACT DAY participants and visitors at the hei_INNOVATION transfer agency stand in the foyer of the New University, which also served as a meeting point and networking hub.
Final of the hei_INNOVATION Ideas Competition 2024
The hei_INNOVATION ideas competition was announced for the second time in autumn 2023. In the run-up to the IMPACT DAY, the hei_INNOVATION team had already selected the 10 ideas with the greatest impact potential from 80 submissions. On the IMPACT DAY itself, the idea providers presented these ideas in 3-minute pitches to the expert jury consisting of Prof Dr Erik Betram, Dr Andrea Edel, Dr Christian Fuat J. Ecer, Dr Hannes Hudalla, Tijen Onaran, Christine Rittner and Reza Solhi. The jury selected the best three ideas, which were again presented to the audience in pitches that evening.
Judith Stirn and Christian Klein won first place with "Psychedelic Therapy Techniques", an idea for treating depression and other mental illnesses with novel psilocin prodrugs. Maria-Theresa Licka won second place and the audience award with her idea "MAIWY", an app-AI based pest analysis in viticulture. Third place went to Marcel Weinreich and Jonathan Cooper-Knock with "PREDICTTE", a platform for collaborative "time-to-event" predictions.
Interview with Vice-Rector Prof Dr Katja Patzel-Mattern and special guest Tijen Onaran
Journalist Dr Jan Martin Wiarda conducted an interview with the Vice-Rector for Innovation and Transfer, Prof Dr Katja Patzel-Mattern, and the entrepreneur, investor and author Tijen Onaran on the topics of transfer and innovation at Heidelberg University before the award ceremony. The Vice-Rector emphasised the importance of knowledge and technology transfer at universities and reiterated her goal of promoting and supporting transfer at the university. Among other things, Tijen Onaran emphasised the importance of start-ups led by women in order to further close the gap between male and female founders.
Get-together in the foyer
After the final of the ideas competition, hei_INNOVATION invited all interested parties to network and exchange ideas at a cosy get-together with finger food and drinks in the foyer in front of the Neue Aula to round off the evening.
