2x Eduard Wallnöfer Prize to MCI

MCI | The Entrepreneurial School® can announce great news: The prestigious Eduard Wallnöfer Award goes to MCI researchers for outstanding research projects. Lukas Möltner and Verena Schallhart from the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management and Harald Schöbel and Mira Mutschlechner from the Department of Bio- and Food Technology are being honoured for their innovative and sustainable research work.

The main prize goes to Lukas Möltner and Verena Schallhart. Together they have developed a novel ceramic material to make the production of everyday products, such as food or plastics, more sustainable. The material, which is suitable for use in reaction engineering due to its electrical conductivity, can be used to heat chemical reactors using renewable, electrical energy and thus significantly reduce production-related carbon dioxide emissions.

The recognition prize is awarded to Harald Schöbel and Mira Mutschlechner. They are researching sustainable preservation methods for products in order to extend their lifespan. With innovative methods, such as irradiation with UV-C light based on LED technology, microorganisms that colonise the surface can be destroyed. This improves the shelf life of products without the use of artificial preservatives or heat. The promising processes can be applied in the food industry as well as in the preservation of cosmetics, paints or varnishes.

Eduard Wallnöfer Prize

Every year, the Eduard Wallnöfer Foundation awards the "Eduard Wallnöfer Prize for Research and Study Projects". The prize is awarded to those projects that are in the broadest sense in the interest of the province of Tyrol and contribute to its social, cultural or economic development.