Wittenstein Biointelligence Award

The Wittenstein Biointelligence Award will be awarded on 22 October 2024 as part of a festive ceremony at the "Biointelligence Congress" in Stuttgart. The first-placed start-up / company will receive €20,000, whereas the first-placed individual from a research institution will receive €5,000.

The biological transformation of industry is of decisive importance in order to make production sustainable without sacrificing prosperity.

The aim is to sustainably optimize established product and production structures by promoting innovative approaches at the interface of life sciences, engineering and information technology.

The Wittenstein Biointelligence Award recognizes novel approaches or solutions from the fields of biotechnology and information technology. The proposals submitted should demonstrate an effective integration of information technology, production engineering and biotechnology and present integrative approaches that are as holistic as possible.

Particular attention is paid to ensuring that the ideas have a clear impact on sustainability, for example by reducing the carbon footprint, promoting renewable energies, reducing waste or improving the ecological footprint.

Start-up / Company

•  Recently founded and established companies in the field of biotechnology, AI or related topics.
• Interdisciplinary nature of the company/start-up: Companies that can demonstrate at least two competences in the fields of biotechnology, artificial intelligence, production technology and sustainability (in particular integrative approaches).

Individuals from research institutions

• Researchers and academics: Individuals working in universities or research institutions specialising in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or sustainability.
• Interdisciplinarity through a mixture of knowledge from at least two relevant fields are required.
• Doctoral students who can demonstrate relevant research work in overlapping areas of biotechnology, artificial intelligence or sustainability.

The criteria for winning the award are:

1. Innovation and originality: The idea should offer a novel approach or solution in the fields of biotechnology/information technology. Creativity and alternatives to conventional methods should be demonstrated.
2. Feasibility and Scalability: The submitted concept must be practically implementable and should demonstrate clear potential for successful upscaling
3. Integration of biotechnology and artificial intelligence: Ideas should effectively combine information technology, production technology and biotechnology and should represent integrative approches as much as possible.
4. Ethical considerations: The idea should conform to ethical standards, including the responsible use of technology and considering long-term social impact.
5. Commercial feasibility: Commercial potential, although not essential, can be a plus point as it indicates the marketability of the idea and its potential to generate investment.
6. Impact on sustainability: The idea should have a clear effect on sustainability. This can include the reduction of the carbon footprint, promoting the use of renewable energy, reducing waste or improving ecological balance.

The Wittenstein Biointelligence Award is granted by the Wittenstein Foundation. The jury is composed of experts in the field of biointelligence:

• Dr Benedikt Hofmann, Chief Generating Officer (CGO) of WITTENSTEIN SE
• Prof. Dr Barbara Lieder, Head of the Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Hohenheim
• Prof Dr Thomas Bauernhansl, Director of the Institute for Industrial Manufacturing and Factory Operation IFF at the University of Stuttgart, Director of the Fraunhofer IPA
• Adrian Thoma, Managing Director Gründermotor
• Olaf Koch, Partner, Zintinus GmbH