13 diploma students, doctoral students and junior scientists from six centers of the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology took part in the tecnet/accent Innovation Award 2023 this year - the winners were honored today. The award was launched in 2010 and has since been supported by the Lower Austrian tech incubator accent and the venture capital fund tecnet equity. The award would not be possible without the expertise of these partners. This year, the award will be presented for the first time under a new name, the “tecnet/accent Innovation Award”.

Florian Honz from the AIT Center for Digital Safety & Security was awarded first place for his contribution in the field of quantum cryptography and received prize money of 1,500 euros. Increasing digitalization has led to a rapid rise in security requirements for communication systems. Florian Honz's research work shows that a purely silicon-based light source for quantum key distribution can be realized by exploiting a quasi-direct semiconductor bandgap. This enables not only a strong miniaturization, but also a significant reduction in costs - and thus ultimately allows a practical roll-out of quantum cryprography in cost-sensitive ICT segments, such as data centers.

“Research and development results are a key to successful value creation. At tecnet, we help AIT scientists to develop a suitable commercialization strategy and appropriate financing. The knowledge of the commercial implementation of research should be anchored in young talents as early as possible,” explains Doris Agneter, Managing Director of the venture capital fund tecnet equity.

“And even the best scientific work is useless if it is not presented in such a way that the business world also recognizes its potential,” adds Michael Moll, Managing Director of accent Inkubator GmbH. “As a Tough Tech Incubator, we at accent support projects in the successful implementation of their pioneering technologies into successful start-up business models”.rsage of demand as well as the management of inventories and personnel deployment plans.

The green dream of the new generation of anodes for lithium-ion batteries

Second place went to Jana Kupka from the AIT Center for Low-Emission Transport. Her research focuses on the production of composite anode materials based on silicon, tin disulphide and graphite for generation 3b lithium-ion batteries. The aim is to increase the capacity, the number of charging cycles and the service life of the anode. Kupka's concept is to reduce the volume changes of the silicon and tin particles in the composite anode by means of a stable Li2S matrix phase, which is formed during the first charging process. This prevents typical degradation phenomena in the anode, such as crack propagation, particle breakage and loss of electrical contact. Another focus of her work is the water-based production of slurries for electrode coating in order to avoid toxic organic solvents in battery production.

AI-supported approaches as personalization to improve XR training

Third place went to Daniele Pretolesi from the AIT Center of Technology Experience, whose poster explores AI-supported approaches to adaptively design XR training based on biosignals and behavioural data and to improve the effectiveness of training through personalization. Extended Reality (XR) training systems are increasingly being used by all types of emergency responders such as law enforcement, firefighters, medical first responders and CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives) specialists, and by using data collected from biosignals and behavior during training, AI can make changes in real time, providing a personalized and dynamic experience for the trainee and thus immensely improving the effectiveness of the training.

“The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology promotes and challenges its talents. This also means making our AIT researchers aware of the economic potential of their projects and providing them with targeted support along the way,” emphasizes AIT Managing Director Wolfgang Knoll.