German Friends Association Recognizes Commitment, Achievement & Future Ambitions | Three MCI Talents Honored

Once again in 2026, the outstanding quality and diversity of students at the Entrepreneurial School® are evident: At the annual meeting of the German Friends Association of the Universities in Innsbruck (DFK), three MCI students and graduates received the prestigious DFK Scholarship Award.

DFK Scholarship Award Recipients

The 2026 DFK Scholarship Award was presented in recognition of academic achievement, academic success, and future prospects. Each of the following MCI students received EUR 1,500:

• Madeleine Baruk | Strategic Management & Tourism
  Madeleine Baruk is exploring what a future-oriented hotel concept could look like by combining current societal developments, changing values, sustainability, digitalization, experience-driven tourism, and new ways of working. She plans to use the DFK scholarship funding to further develop her tourism project, “AlpBox.”

• Matthäus Reiner | Biotechnology
  Matthäus Reiner is currently in the final stage of his double-degree master's program in Biotechnology at MCI and Molecular Medicine at the Medical University of Innsbruck. Looking ahead, he can envision pursuing an academic career, including a PhD, or joining a company or start-up to actively contribute to transforming research into market-ready products. He plans to use the DFK scholarship funding to support his six-month stay abroad in Copenhagen, where he will conduct research for his MCI master's thesis.

• Pavlo Slyvka | Mechatronics – Smart Technologies
  Pavlo Slyvka describes himself as a highly motivated mechatronics student and programmer with strong technical expertise who is eager to gain further experience. He is inspired by the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to innovative products that improve people's lives. He intends to use the DFK Scholarship Award to finance the development of a prototype for his project: a predictive maintenance system for bearings in harvesting machinery.

At the University of Innsbruck, Amelie Frikell, Dominik Schweigl, and Simon Dusini received awards. The award recipients from the Medical University of Innsbruck are Johanna Lentsch, Lisa Maria Moosmann, and Vincent Bader.

German Friends Association of the Universities (DFK)

The German Friends Association brings together distinguished individuals from business, academia, society, and politics. The DFK is dedicated to providing both financial and non-financial support to the universities in Innsbruck, including MCI, and their students. Its mission also includes fostering collaboration among these institutions, connecting their graduates with the business community, and strengthening the personal and professional relationships among its members.