The judges at Transfera Technology Day 2021 awarded the cream of the crop
This year at the 2nd Transfera Technology Day, the first place went to the Tablets for the Treatment of Contaminated Water. The second place was taken by the Microemulsions and Gels for Cleaning Surfaces of Historical Materials and the bronze went to the project aimed at detecting bacteria in amniotic fluid. The jury consisting of representatives of the business community, investors and organisers assessed the commercial potential of research projects of Czech universities and other research institutions. This year, they also awarded the Sympathy Prize for the first time – it went to the special oxygenation liners for fishing beads.
The event aims at connecting science and business in order to get valuable feedback regarding the commercial potential of projects and secure future funding for promising research projects.
“Czech science and research has many talented people to offer. However, they need to be supported and motivated. That’s why we’re glad we can keep connecting the world of business with the great ideas of our scientists. Especially at its start, no project can survive without support,” says Eva Janouškovcová, chairwoman of the Transfera.cz association, the co-organizer of the event.
Battle of Universities, Research Institutes and Hospitals
13 scientific research projects were selected as finalists (aside from the first three projects, there were e.g. the Electrostatic Separation of Plastics to Improve Wate Separation, the Pad for Sensing the Load and Position of the Patient or the Device for Coating Wires in Implant Surgery). There were teams of scientists from the Czech Technical University in Prague, the National Institute of Mental Health, J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, the University of West Bohemia, Palacký University Olomouc, The University of Hradec Králové, Brno University of Technology, University Hospital Hradec Králové, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, Masaryk University, the Institute of Rock Structure and Mechanics CAS, the Institute of Geonics CAS and the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. The jury chose the best three out of these teams.
The winning project of the Palacký University Olomouc is meant to be used mainly in case of natural disasters or industrial accidents. The new effervescent tablets for the treatment of contaminated water are easy to store and use – you simply put them in the contaminated water. Thanks to being “fizzy”, they take effect very quickly. The tablet dissolves completely in just 30 seconds allowing the active ingredient to perform its function. Moreover, they do not contain any toxic substances and are environmentally friendly.
The second place went to the Microemulsions and Gels for Cleaning Surfaces of Historical Materials developed by the team of J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry CAS. These extremely gentle yet effective microemulsion cleaning systems are designed to remove unwanted substances from various valuable historical artefacts. The main component here is water – the content of the active ingredients is very low, yet they are highly effective.
The third place went to the University Hospital Hradec Králové and their project Detection of Bacteria in Amniotic Fluid in Patients with Preterm Prelabour Rupture of Membranes.
This new method helps detect the presence of specific bacteria in amniotic water in just a couple of hours. Thanks to this, it will be possible to initiate effective antibiotic treatment in time and reduce the adverse effects on the fetus.
Sympathy Prize Will Help Fish
The Sympathy prize was won by the Aeration and Oxygenation Liner in Fishing Beads from the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovic. This liner should improve the conditions of the fish stored in beads e.g. when fishing out ponds or during pre-Christmas sales. The new liner will provide sufficient oxygenation of water without the necessity of weighting down the aeration hoses, which complicates catching the fish and often results in injuring them.
Winners Got Both Money and Well-deserved Attention
The projects that made it to the finals can use the title Finalist of TRANSFERA TECHNOLOGY DAY 2021. The winning project was awarded the title Winner of TRANSFERA TECHNOLOGY DAY 2021. The certificate is a mark of quality and can help secure not only financial support. The finalists will also receive an invitation to the Technological Incubation project of the CzechInvest agency who can allocate funding of up to CZK 5 million to each project.
The jury that evaluated both the presentations and the commercial potential of the projects consisted of the representatives of investors and other experts – Petra Gordan (Nation1), Jaromír Zahrádka and Barbora Šumová (i&i Biotech Fund), Jakub Domitra (Busyman), Eva Janouškovcová and Petr Kubečka (Transfera.cz), Jiří Krechl (CzechInvest), Robert Reich (Lighthouse Ventures) and Václav Novák and Jaroslav Řasa (NEURON Endowment Fund).
The competition has been organized by Transfera.cz together with its general partner CzechInvest and other partners (e.g. Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, NEURON Endowment Fund, vedavyzkum.cz and others).
A record of the event can be found at www.transfera.cz.