KIT Sustainable Innovation Challenge 2023
Two Teams Triumph at KIT Student Innovation Challenge, Set to Receive Support
The Winners
Exciting news from this year's KIT Student Innovation Challenge as not one, but two teams have emerged victorious: HaptoPrint and SignMeUp. These outstanding projects impressed the judges with their groundbreaking ideas and will now receive support from the ARRTI team and network for the next six months.
HaptoPrint
HaptoPrint has developed a solution that transforms educational materials into captivating simulations, which are then made available to teachers of visually impaired students through 3D printing. This enables these students to explore and comprehend complex knowledge, such as the structure of a human cell, through touch and tactile experience. This innovative approach opens up new possibilities for inclusive education, empowering visually impaired students to engage in independent learning.
SignMeUp
The second winning team, SignMeUp, has created a translation app based on machine learning. Targeted at deaf people who use sign language for communication, SignMeUp translates their gestures in real-time into text or speech. This greatly simplifies communication between the hearing-impaired and those who are not familiar with sign language, breaking down barriers and enhancing social interaction for deaf individuals.
The ARRTI team and network are thrilled to support these two promising projects over the next six months. This support will aid the teams in refining their ideas, optimizing prototypes, and making their innovative solutions accessible to an even broader audience.
Congratulations to the teams at HaptoPrint and SignMeUp on their well-deserved success! We eagerly anticipate the positive impact their innovations will have on inclusive education and communication for people with visual impairments.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” (Charles Darwin)
We need to be more agile and adaptable to address the grand challenges. The need for transformative and collaborative innovation to drive the world towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions is more important than ever. But sustainability is a much broader concept than zero greenhouse emission. The UN has devised no less than 17 sustainable development goals, SDGs, to recognize the multiple dimensions of sustainability. Supporting sustainability is necessary for a positive impact on the global economy and to sustain lives worldwide.
Innovation is hereby meant to be one of the key elements for achieving the overall goal: To create a world we all want to live in! The KIT Sustainable Innovation Challenge seeks to motivate students to tackle problems with their ideas designed to create a more sustainable world for all.
The KIT Sustainable Innovation Challenge is open for participation of student teams or individual applications from the KIT which already have a rough business plan. Get involved and present a meaningful business idea towards the much-needed change for a better world.
What do we expect from you?
- Passion for sustainability
- Motivation to develop your start-up idea further
- Interest in shaping transformation
Submissions will be scored based on 3 criteria:
- Impact - “How does the idea support sustainable goals and values”,
- novelty - “Is the idea new and innovative” and
- feasibility - “Could the idea be implemented in the next 1 to 2 years”.
What can you expect from us?
- Practical experience in the field of interdisciplinary innovation
- Tailored support: Customized ARRTI Mentorship and Coachings
- Visibility: promotion of your innovation via KIT communication channels
- Networking: Access to the ARRTI, EnTechnon, ITAS, and Gründerschmiede Network
- Winning team receives an ARRTI Sponsorship[1] worth up to 3.000 € p.P.
Shape our world for a future worth living. Apply now - see form below
[1] The sponsorship will only be provided via auxiliary employment (student assistant contract) by KIT and is intended to support the winning team in the further development of their innovative idea. Participation in the challenge does not oblige to accept the sponsorship.
Do you already have a business plan?
If you already have a business plan, please send it via mail to: student-challenge[a]arrti.kit.edu