Sustainable ideas rewarded at vibrant Business Fair and Innovation Market 2022

45 groups of students presented their sustainable business ideas today during a vibrant Business Fair and Innovation Market at VHL University of Applied Sciences in Velp buzzing with creativity and enthusiasm. The jury said that it an near impossible task to choose from all the student projects. Among the award winners, team Food for Thought stole the show with awards in no less than three categories.

From a ‘tinder app’ for horses to organic mosquito spray, from healthy yogurt snacks to sustainable tourism in Colombia, the variety of projects was great but the students' focus was identical: to make the world a little better through practical, innovative solutions.

Solutions for food waste The Food for Thought team took home the most prizes: first prize in the Feasibility Awards and the People's Choice Awards, and second place in the Sustainable Transition Awards. These second-year International Development Management students developed an easily accessible app that helps consumers reduce food waste. The students from the Econutrition project also focused on organic waste in order to convert it into protein and manure to close the food cycle in Mumbai. This team won awards in two categories. International projects One of the winning initiatives among the first-year projects is Seltsi, where students devised a logistical solution to make medicine more readily available in rural Bulgaria. Juror Vlad Gliga from Bulgaria, where first-year students worked on projects, was impressed with the results and praised all participating students for their commitment and sustainable ambitions. For the first time this year, teams of HAVO students also participated as special guests. They were also able to demonstrate their brainpower and entrepreneurship in their projects.

All projects from the Business Fair and Innovation Market can be viewed on the website www.hvhl.nl/business-fair. A summary of the prize winners can be found below.

Summary of prize winners at Business Fair and Innovation Market 2022

People’s Choice Award – First-year students
First prize: Seltsi
Second prize: The Good Brownies

People’s Choice Award – Second-year students
First prize: Food for Thought
Second prize: Econutrition

Social media award (Second year)
First prize: Clothes up
Second prize: Get local
Third prize: Sheep-I

VHL Innovation Awards (First year), presented by a team of six lecturers:

First prize: Brewed by students
Second prize: Farmacy on wheels
Third prize: Seltsi

Sustainable Transition Awards (Second year), presented by Ruth van Beek, Director of Education in Velp and Vlad Gliga of Rubikhub from Romania.

First prize: Get local
Second prize: Food for Thought
Third prize: Econutrition

Feasibility Awards (Second year) presented by Oscar Kneppers, founder of Rockstart, Emerce and Bright and Mark van Westerlaak, Deputy Director of IA Group

First prize: Food for Thought
Second prize: Pro-ice
Third prize: Pro-sup and Clothes up