MCI Research Sweeps Awards

Tyrol Innovation Awards Recognize IoT Project and MedTech Start-up at MCI | MCI Master's Theses Receive WK Tirol Research Awards

MCI | The Entrepreneurial School® celebrates four prestigious awards presented by the Economic Chamber Tirol (WK Tirol): Two MCI-affiliated projects were recognized at the 2025 Tyrol Innovation Award, while two MCI graduates were honored with the WK Tirol Research Award for outstanding academic work.

Tyrol Innovation Award 2025

At the 2025 Tyrol Innovation Award ceremony, jointly hosted by WK Tirol and the Province of Tirol, three pioneering innovations were selected from 50 submissions – two of them closely linked to MCI.

In the “Technical Innovation” category, Innsbruck-based company AV-Comparatives secured first place with its CyberSecurity IoT platform, developed in cooperation with the Josef Ressel Center for Security Analysis of IoT Devices at MCI under the leadership of Prof. Pascal Schöttle. This scalable, automated solution for evaluating the security of connected devices is the first of its kind in Europe and has also been nominated for the 2026 National Innovation Award.

In the “Concept with Potential” category, the MedTech start-up Healink – founded by MCI students Helin Hussein, Matthias Hansen, and Jannis Pohl (program Medical, Health & Sports Engineering) – impressed with LifeSense, a smart wearable enabling non-invasive blood glucose monitoring via near-infrared light. The innovation aims to provide pain-free, continuous health monitoring for people worldwide.

WK Tirol Research Award

MCI’s strong research performance was also evident at the WK Tirol Research Award, where two of the four awards – selected from submissions by FH Kufstein, the University of Innsbruck, and MCI – went to graduates of the Entrepreneurial School®. The award honors scientific excellence, innovation potential, and high practical relevance.

Sophia Gschoßmann (Entrepreneurship & Tourism) received the award for her master's thesis on the perception and reality of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace.
Luca Nohel (Environmental, Process & Energy Engineering) was recognized for his research on the development and experimental validation of a numerical model for methane reforming catalysts.

Prof. Martin Pillei, Head of Research & Development at MCI, states: “These awards are a powerful testament to the performance of our institution. They highlight how scientific excellence and practical application go hand in hand at MCI – be it through outstanding theses, innovative student start-ups, or applied research. These successes reflect the innovative spirit that defines MCI and underscore the relevance of our work to the economic, research, and technology landscape in Tyrol.”