Innovation festival INNOVATE and science magazine Quest present the eight finalists of The Most Innovative Student of the Netherlands 2024.
Arnhem, the Netherlands, * - -
Many students are already taking their first steps towards making a positive impact on the world whilst still studying or immediately after graduating. For the fourth year running, all students in the Netherlands were able to enter ‘The Most Innovative Student in the Netherlands’.
This annual challenge aims to encourage young talent and help them bring their innovative ideas to life. What makes this challenge unique are the spectacular prizes: a week-long boot camp for all finalists and, for the winner, an all-expenses-paid growth trip to Silicon Valley, made possible in part by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy.
The selection
From the many submissions from students across the country, a jury of experts selected on the basis of creativity and innovativeness (in no particular order):
- PAVA (Femke Delissen and Tom de Leeuw, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) - PAVA uses WiFi sensors as a monitoring system in elderly care. With these, they measure movements remotely and provide real-time health insights without storing privacy-sensitive data.
- IN-DUC (Joep van Heesch, RSM Erasmus University) - IN-DUC is developing a technology where induction operates on a DC power supply without an inverter, enabling clean and sustainable cooking in places where this is currently a major problem.
- AlphaPace (Kas Hogeboom, TU Delft) - AlphaPace supplies a device to quickly and accurately determine the quality of radioactive drugs (radiopharmaceuticals) that provide a solution for various cancer types (prostate, breast & liver). With this, AlphaPace is contributing to a replacement for chemotherapy to cure millions of people.
- Pedal Towards Sustainability (Ilias Lamari, Bas Velings and Maarten Putman, HAN University of Applied Sciences Arnhem/Nijmegen) - The Pedal Towards Sustainability project, in collaboration with Mother Earth Foundation, developed an optimised zero-waste cargo bike with an integrated push cart to help waste collectors and keep the streets of the Philippines clean.
- SimplePark (Lucas Castelein, Fontys) - SimplePark is an innovative platform that makes unused private parking spaces and charging stations accessible to others. This relieves pressure on public parking spaces, utilises existing infrastructure more efficiently and promotes sustainable use of generated energy.
- Fast Active Balancing Battery System (FABBS) (Justin van den Hurk, Eindhoven University of Technology) - FABBS is a revolutionary battery management system that actively balances the energy in a battery pack, significantly increasing efficiency, capacity and lifespan. This system transforms energy storage systems in various markets worldwide.
- Hippotainer (Jort Maarseveen and Tijmen Blok, WUR) - The Hippotainer is a plug-and-play complete 'vertical farm' in a sea container. Suitable for sustainable and efficient production of fresh vegetables, completely independent of location: from the middle of the city to the middle of the desert.
- Robo: The smart social care robot (Victor Hogeweij, Maren Stork, Floor Groothuizen, Richard Kroesen and Marelle Vink, HAN University of Applied Sciences) - Robo, the smart social robot, provides elderly people with companionship and helps caregivers and family by providing insight into the user's physical and mood state.
These eight finalists will pitch their innovations live to the expert jury and audience in Musis Arnhem on Thursday evening 17 October 2024. The competition will be intense, but ultimately only one of them will be allowed to hold the coveted title De Innovatiefste Student van Nederland.
For more information about the challenge, the finalists and the national final event, visit www.innovatiefstestudent.nl.
