A jury consisting of representatives of UP Transfer GmbH and Potsdam Transfer evaluated the submitted applications. Criteria such as the level of innovation of the transfer idea, the practical relevance and size of the user group as well as the "sustainability" of the transfer (e.g. follow-up projects or start-up potential) were taken into account.
A total of 14 applications from four faculties were submitted, of which four projects will now receive funding.
"With suitcase and backpack to more SOIL awareness" - Dr. Beate Gall, AG Soil Science and Geoecology
A conscious use of soil as a resource is still too little anchored in our society. The project aims to develop a prototype for a soil suitcase (BODENbewusst) and a backpack (BODENfit) equipped with materials. Children and young people should be encouraged to explore soils in their living environment and through direct contact on site. In the future, the suitcase and rucksack will be used by trained soil ambassadors in schools and extracurricular institutions in Brandenburg.
"Photocurable organic conductive materials for lithographic processing" - Dr Johannes Gurke, Institute of Chemistry.
Lithography is the central process for manufacturing microchips and other electronic devices. It enables the deposition of conductive materials on flexible surfaces, making them soft and pliable. This project is working on developing a new chemical basis to be able to process organic conductive materials using established processes such as photolithography. This opens up new possibilities for the production of foldable smartphones and revolutionises healthcare through novel wearable sensors.
"Augmented Reality in the Green Classroom - Development and Evaluation of a Digitally Supported Programme on the Topic "How Plants Change Our World"" - Jule Krüger, Digital Education, Department of Educational Science.
This project uses Augmented Reality (AR) to develop and implement a programme in the Green Classroom of the Botanical Garden Potsdam on the topic "How plants change our world". AR offers many possibilities for learning scenarios in nature-related environments by linking virtual and physical elements. The programme is intended to train school classes from grades 9-12 in an interdisciplinary way to understand the importance of plants and to promote education for sustainable development. AR is used specifically in the presentation and for the students' own creation of materials.
"Enzymatic inactivation of antibiotics in agricultural waste" - Prof. Dr. Katja M. Arndt, Molecular Biotechnology.
This project aims to use enzymes as an effective means of inactivating antibiotics. The inadequate waste management of antibiotic-contaminated products such as urine or slurry in agriculture or wastewater from hospitals and private households contributes significantly to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. The project is developing a product primarily for use on farms, where several tonnes of antibiotic-contaminated waste are produced every day and there is currently no solution for dealing with this waste. By adding powdered enzyme and due to short incubation times, the new product should be easy and quick to use.
We congratulate the winners and are looking forward to the results of their research and development work! This award once again underlines the importance of knowledge and technology transfer at our University of Potsdam.