Start-ups in the spotlight: TU Clausthal selects creative ideas for the future!

Start-ups in the spotlight: TU Clausthal selects creative ideas for the future!

The third ideas competition of the start-up service of the Clausthal University of Technology took place on March 5, 2025, in which a total of 17 applications were submitted. The event, which took place at the Clausthal-Zellerfeld start-up center, attracted numerous innovative projects and ideas. For the first time, English-language entries were also accepted, expanding the international dimension of the competition. The ideas were presented to a competent jury made up of experts from various institutions, including Iris Seeber from Volksbank im Harz and Michael Reiß from Holos Excellence.

“We are proud of the university community’s commitment to promoting creativity and entrepreneurship,” said University President Dr.-Ing. Sylvia Schattauer during the event. The event was moderated by Anja Blümel (WiReGo) and Simon Wolters (foundation service). A total of eight projects reached the final, where the teams each had four minutes to present their ideas, followed by a question and answer session from the jury.

Winning projects of the competition

The jury chose four winning projects that presented outstanding innovative approaches in their respective areas:

• 1. Platz: „Sinotech“ mit dem Projekt „Cell Core“, das die Untersuchung lebender Zellen revolutioniert. Unter der Leitung von Prof. Niels Neumann (TU Clausthal) und Prof. Denis Royer (Ostfalia Hochschule) strebt das Team eine Echtzeitüberwachung und KI-gestützte Steuerung an.
• 2. Platz: „Playification – voice solutions“ von Chingiz Seyidbayli, der eine KI-gestützte Synchronisationstechnologie zur Überwindung von Sprachbarrieren entwickeln möchte.
• 3. Platz: Dieser Platz wurde geteilt zwischen zwei Projekten:
  • Mehran Javadi mit einer nachhaltigen Wärmedämmschicht aus Silica-Aerogel und recycelten Materialien.
  • Silvia Imrich und Gaurab Sundar Dutta mit „bioWind“, das biomedizinische Anwendungen durch biomimetische Ansätze ermöglicht.

The prize money was 1,000 euros for first place, 500 euros for second place and 250 euros for each of the two third places. Imrich and Dutta have already announced that they will invest the prize money in the further development of their idea. Iris Seeber encouraged all participants to courageously pursue and implement their projects.

Context for the ideas competition

The TUniCorn ideas competition is part of a larger initiative by the TU Clausthal and the Goslar Region Economic Development Agency (WiReGo), which promote the start-up landscape in the region. This year the competition was supported by numerous sponsors, including Fels Werke GmbH and Volksbank im Harz. The event comes in a context in which innovation competitions are becoming increasingly important in Germany, a trend that was also evident in the recent WECONOMY competition 2024 in Munich.

This prestigious competition honored ten innovative tech start-ups that develop technologies in areas such as artificial intelligence, climate tech and medtech. These developments are in line with the future-oriented focus of many universities and research institutes in Germany, which aim to create a sustainable, technology-driven business environment. Events like the TUniCorn ideas competition are an expression of these efforts.

The success of the previous winning start-ups, 80% of which are still active on the market, shows that such platforms not only offer an outstanding opportunity to present innovative ideas, but can also provide significant support for future founders. In this way, they help to ensure that these aspiring entrepreneurs have the chance to turn their visions into reality.

Further information about the competition and the winners can be found at TU Clausthal and other relevant bodies.