August - 2018

Flashback to Alpbach

Late night Prototyping

It's dark outside, but we have bright ideas in here!

It's dark outside, but we have bright ideas in here!

Ideation time! It is getting dark outside, and after analyzing for many hours, it is now finally time to get creative. The teams are back at their desks (or in the ball pool), using all the information and interpretations they have gathered over the past hours. One very easy brainstorming technique is "1, 2, Everyone": First, everyone generates ideas by themselves, then they discuss and build on these in pairs and then finally present them to the group, which can spark new id

THE Cup Song

THE Cup Song

Halftime! The students have been working for 12 hours, time for an energizer! But before, they had a two hour break to charge their batteries and get some distance from their tasks. This is very important when going through an innovation process like this one, as by taking a break and letting the brain process everything, the students are able to seperate the two different phases the marathon consists of: The analysis and the ideation phase. While the analysis phase needs ple

TUAIM Helpers: The Austrian Patent Office

TUAIM Helpers: The Austrian Patent Office

The students do also not need to worry about the technical backgrounds of their tasks: The Austrian Patent Office is here to help! Just like last year, they help the student teams with the technical background information. What patents were already issued in this field? Did they think about all the restrictions in place? Are there any new, valueable questions implicated in the patents, that they could try to answer? The Patent Office researches patents in the field and then s

TUAIM Helpers: The Innovation Coaches

TUAIM Helpers: The Innovation Coaches

This year as well, the students are not alone on their journey. The competent innovation coaches from Integrated Consulting Group stand by their side to guide them on the way. But what do they actually do to help them? "Basically, we give them structure", says Christina Duller from ICG." We provide them with tools, methods and templates." Sure, they could research these on the internet as well, but the coaches know exactly which one to use at which point, in which constellati

The first phase: Understanding

The first phase: Understanding

In this phase of the marathon, the students are familiarizing themselves with the companies and their businesses. Who is this company I am dealing with? Which context do they work in? Who are their customers and their competitors? And most importantly: What is the task they have chosen for us to solve? Before generating ideas and solutions for a task, it is crucial to understand the task completely. The company representatives talk to the students and answer all questions tha

The gong has been bung...

The gong has been bung...

... and the TU Austria Innovation-Marathon has started! The 8 student teams have officially found out in which companies' shoes they will stand in during the next 24 hours and now they dive right into the tasks. This year, the tasks are as diverse as the students' backgrounds: Some teams will imagine what it will be like to live in small spaces in the future, while others generate solutions for caregiving. Sponsors for tasks this year are AVL, Constantia Flexibles, Energie St

Finally, the official kick-off!

Finally, the official kick-off!

Finally! Today, the TU Austria Innovation-Marathon started with a first round of introductions, information and teambuilding! Current president of the TU Austria, Wilfried Eichlseder, welcomed our students, company representatives and special guests with some warm words of welcome. The TU Austria Innovation-Marathon, which takes place for the third time in Alpbach this year, is a great opportunity for students, universities and companies to meet and learn from each other, he