University of Ljubljana Rector Prof. Dr. Igor Papič has bestowed the Rector’s Award for the Best Innovation at the University of Ljubljana for 2019. The award went to the project entitled “An Innovative Process of Preparing Catalysts for Improved and Cheaper Hydrogen Fuel Cells”, the runner-up project bears the title “New Antibacterial Compounds for Treatment of Infections with Resistant Bacteria”, while the project “Carpio” ranked third. The authors of all three winning innovations received a cash prize from the Rector's Fund in the total amount of EUR 6,000, along with exclusive membership in the Ljubljana University Incubator and support provided upon entering the market.

The winning innovation, “An Innovative Process of Preparing Catalysts for Improved and Cheaper Hydrogen Fuel Cells”, is a process that was unknown until now and enables preparing catalysts for hydrogen fuel cells with remarkable properties. Today’s society faces the challenges of combating climate change and striving to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the use of hydrogen fuel cells will play an extremely important part in these efforts. The winning team is already collaborating with a Slovenian company that uses the catalyst to create the hydrogen fuel cell stack. They also recently signed a material transfer agreement (MTA) with one of the leading international companies active in the market of catalysts and precious metals.

The Rector’s Award competition for the best innovation at the University of Ljubljana has been taking place for several years in cooperation with the Ljubljana University Incubator and provides an excellent stimulus for students, researchers, teachers and alumni of the University of Ljubljana, encouraging them to enter the market with their innovations. “A university’s success is measured through new knowledge, and generation of new knowledge is something we are extremely proud of at the University of Ljubljana,” said the University’s Rector, Prof. Dr. Igor Papič on this occasion, “Our University, which is celebrating its centenary this year, ranks in the top three percent of the world's universities and is the only Slovenian university to have won projects of the European Research Council, while its scientists and researchers rank at the very top on a global scale.”

Prof. Dr. Tanja Dmitrović, Vice-Rector of the University of Ljubljana, stressed that while the transfer of knowledge is one of the three pillars of the University’s functioning, it is sometimes overshadowed by scientific and research work and the education of new generations: “For this reason, the Rector’s Award for the Best Innovation is vital. It encourages all researchers at the University, from first-year students to established researchers, to present the results of their work to the wider public and to try and turn their innovative idea, realisation, invention or innovation into a specific product that will help make life better, easier or simply more fun,” she noted.

Jakob Gajšek, Chief Executive of the Ljubljana University Incubator, said that while Slovenians are indeed innovative people, the question is whether they know best how to give people what they need: “I therefore welcome the Rector’s Award for the Best Innovation at the University of Ljubljana, as it gives those with ideas the opportunity to develop them into something more,” he added.

Presentations of finalists, winners and their innovations can be found at the University of Ljubljana website.

The winners of the Rector’s Award for the Best Innovation at the University of Ljubljana are:

1st place
An Innovative Process of Preparing Catalysts for Improved and Cheaper Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Members of the entrepreneurial team: Matija Gatalo, Tomaž Bizjak (both from the National Institute of Chemistry), Groga Tancek (Institute and Academy of Multimedia)

2nd place
New Antibacterial Compounds for Treatment of Infections with Resistant Bacteria
Members of the entrepreneurial team: Martina Durcik, Tihomir Tomašič, Lucija Peterlin Mašič (all from the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana). The invention was developed in collaboration with researchers from the research team of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana: Nace Zidar, Janez Ilaš, Anamarija Zega and Danijel Kikelj. 

3rd place
Carpio
Members of the entrepreneurial team: Primož Erjavec (Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana), Jan Forsthuber, Amadej Tauses (Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana), Marko Mikša (School of Economics and Business and Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana)
 

The expert committee selected the winning innovations on the basis of the following criteria:

• precision of the description of the idea,
• project inventiveness,
• technological prospects of the product/service that is the subject of the project,
• risk level with regard to the assessed market yield,
• size of market potential,
• exposure to competitors and competitive advantages,
• quality of the project economics,
• quality of the planned organisation of project implementation,
• suitability of the project implementation team,
• quality of the relationship with the University of Ljubljana,
• innovation development,
• impact on improving quality of life,
• team presentation during the interview.

Photos from the event are available here.

The photo below was taken by Foto studio Nora, d. o. o..