SpInnovation - from Invention to Business

From a patented technology to entrepreneurship in 7 weeks

On April 17, 2023, the second official run of the new innovation format "SpInnovation - from Invention to Business" started. The project was developed in cooperation between the Institute for Innovation and Industry Management together with the Research & Technology House of TU Graz. In the course of this project, participants have the opportunity to work on already patented TU Graz technologies, to determine their market potential and, based on this, to develop their own ideas and business opportunities. Ideally, the project teams will then pursue the elaborated idea within the framework of a partner program up to its foundation. Students from all universities in Graz, as well as exchange students, can participate in the project.

From pilot project to course

Even before the official launch in fall 2022, "SpInnovation" was carried out as a pilot project with selected students in order to be able to test and refine the new format before it was published. The test runs showed that the project offers a promising addition to the institute's existing innovation projects. Therefore, the project will now take place twice in the academic year and by means of coupling with a course, students will additionally have the opportunity to receive ECTS points for successful project participation.

Goals of SpInnovation

The project was initiated to evaluate patents with previously unused potential in more detail. Ideally, the long-standing expertise of the patent inventors and the creative and innovative ideas of the students, who are usually not yet deeply rooted in the respective field, meet during the project. On the one hand, this is intended to find possible applications for existing patents and, on the other hand, to offer students the opportunity to develop a business idea on the basis of a TU Graz patent and then to pursue it further.

Summer Term 2023

In the current batch, two international and interdisciplinary teams are working on the technologies they have selected, with the content of the patents dealt ranging from the areas of recycling and new particle separation methods to multisensitive sensor technology in so-called "smart skins". The IIM and the R&T House support the teams during the course of the project through regular meetings, workshops, provision of infrastructure and contacts. The student’s results will be presented at a final presentation on June 5. For more information, please visit the project homepage.