Research & Development at MCI 2021

MCI looks back on a busy research year in 2021. A total of 135 research projects was carried out this year in the fields of Technology & Life Sciences and Management & Society. Financial resources in the amount of €10,8 million were raised. About 40% of the funds were acquired in direct cooperation with regional and international partners. The remaining 60% were generated by funding from public institutions such as the State of Tyrol, FFG, aws, FWF. In MCI’s research activities, the aim is to always achieve a balance between direct commissioning with industrial partners and research funding from the public sector. This ensures, on the one hand, work on application-oriented and market-relevant research and, on the other hand, a certain amount of scientific freedom to develop skills.

Over the year MCI has been able to attract an average of 70 highly qualified research employees to participate in projects that were financed exclusively through research funds. Particularly pleasant is the high proportion (approx. 50%) of active students who participate in the projects alongside their studies.

After a long period of preparation, two major projects really picked up speed in 2021: the first "Josef Ressel Center for the production of powdered activated carbon from municipal residues" and the European university alliance Ulysseus, where MCI participates in many exciting cooperations and projects over a period of 5 years in order to train the European citizens of tomorrow.

In addition, there were many other projects, including on the topics of sustainability and the use of resources that are particularly relevant today. To name a few projects:

• In the VerStraGem project - recycling strategy for vegetable residues - MCI researchers have made it their task to develop strategies to help the supposedly unsuitable (e.g. for optical reasons) but high-quality vegetables to be recycled. Be it as food or as residual material (e.g. composting). 
• The Center for Social & Health Innovation at MCI initiated the Citizen Science project “Food Explorer Tirol”. Young people examined the food supply in and around their schools and developed ideas for improving the offers. 

Since this year, the China Center at MCI has provided another facet in terms of internationality, which has set itself the goal of actively bringing MCI students and managers into contact with relevant topics and issues, providing expertise, building bridges and networking with Chinese universities to promote and support the mutual scientific, economic and cultural exchange.  MCI is looking forward to continuing to spin new project ideas with a thirst for knowledge and research in 2022, to further advance existing research and to enter into new collaborations.

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