EIT INNOVATION FORUM

Monday 25 April

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Tuesday 26 April

#INNOVEIT #EITAwards

Project: A-WARE

Nominated by: EIT Digital

• Key words: Privacy, protection, personal data
• Project aim: To protect user privacy on mobile devices
• EIT Community connection: EIT Digital Master’s School (TU Berlin and University of Trento, 2013-2014)

The project

• The idea: A-WARE is a mobile app that protects you from security and privacy invasions by warning you about probable breaches. It presents a summary of what applications are installed on the phone, what resources they access and the reasons for that. To improve the user experience, we also introduced a method that shows the impact of an app on a user’s privacy.
• EIT Community support: A-WARE was a spin-off from my Master’s thesis project at TU Berlin. In addition to an excellent technical curriculum, the EIT Digital Master programme helped me to realise the potential of developing a sustainable business plan around a technical solution. It taught me to take risks and to think outside of the box to find solutions that can make a difference.
• Overcoming adversity: Apart from technical challenges, it was difficult to find the right people for this adventure. At the end of the day, I chose people who I could trust and who were the best at what they do.
• The future: I would like to believe that A-WARE has the potential to make an impact on a larger scale and we initiated communication with Mozilla in this regard. It is plausible to imagine a scenario of having a “trust filter” on the app market and, in the future, we hope to challenge the market leader in the privacy management solution arena. We believe in introducing transparency, trust and personalised privacy control to the end user. This could be a game changer in the current app market.

The nominee

• The beginning: The journey through my EIT career had a massive effect on how my field of interest developed. However, I was also keen to find an innovative solution for my Master’s thesis. Having an EIT entrepreneurial mind-set compelled me to go after the ICT2B idea challenge and winning the competition gave me the confidence to begin the A-WARE journey.
• Joining the EIT Community: It was a spontaneous decision and the best one I’ve made. The Master’s programme itself seemed extremely enticing to me because of the subject area and course curriculum.
• Game-changing European entrepreneurs: David Tacconi from CoRehab [EIT Venture Award Winner 2013]. I met him in person and was inspired by his approach to converting problems into opportunities.
• Dream job: I’d love to work for a UNICEF programme or school. Kids are amazing; they aren’t biased about the environment that we live in, which allows them to think of impossible ideas. They are capable of fresh thinking and produce easy, innovative solutions. If you’ve never lived with a kid, you’ve never actually lived!

More information

www.a-ware.io 

Project: Eco-Dryer Systems

Nominated by: KIC InnoEnergy

Key words: Energy-efficient, laundry dryer, cost-effective appliances
Project aim: To reduce the domestic energy consumption caused by laundry dryers
EIT Community connection: Part of the KIC InnoEnergy Highway programme at the Benelux Co-location Centre

The project

• The idea: Eco-Dryer Systems has developed a laundry dryer technology that dries the laundry by blowing instead of vaporizing moisture by heat. The lack of heating technology results in a lower production cost, meaning our technology can achieve power consumption of up to 0.15 kWh/ kg per load, in comparison to the 0.51 kWh/kg per load consumed by conventional A-label laundry dryers.
• USPs: Eco-Dryer’s technology enables a greater number of consumers to benefit because white-goods brands can provide affordable, energy-efficient dryers. Higher margins can be achieved thanks to lower production costs and a higher market value due to the excellent energy performance.
• EIT Community support: KIC InnoEnergy supported us with the development of our business plan and patent applications at the Benelux Co-location Centre through their Highway programme. After joining KIC InnoEnergy in 2014, we continued to develop the hardware and software and were also able to execute market research in 2015, which resulted in very promising feedback. We hope to be able to have the energy consumption certified by an external test facility later this year.
• Teamwork: The team is built around three core members who have the complementary skills and expertise to take Eco-Dryer Systems to the next level. I’m responsible for overall control and strategy, André Koops is responsible for product development and Lucas Pollemans assists with business development. We are aware that the managerial and organisational requirements will change the closer we come to mass production of the Eco-Dryer; being open to that change is anintegral part of our strategy.

The nominee

• The beginning: At the age of 10, I decided I wanted to become an industrial designer. Then, when I finished my Bachelor’s degree in product design, I discovered you could design businesses as well as products. I went on to found a design agency and got in contact with André, the inventor of the Eco-Dryer, in 2009. I was inspired by the simplicity of his invention and saw the opportunity to create a product and company that could contribute to the world in a positive way. We joined up and founded Eco-Dryer Systems in 2012.
• Ideal advisor: James Dyson [a British inventor] for his experience in bringing an invention successfully to market and beyond.
• Out of the ordinary: André called and told me that he had made a laundry dryer that used less energy. He asked if it was a good idea to sign-up for a TV show called The Best Idea in the Netherlands. I said ‘no, think bigger!’

More information

www.ecodryersystems.com 
 

EIT CHANGE AWARD WINNER 2016

Project: Complex Disease Detector (CDD)

Nominated by: KIC InnoEnergy

• Key words: Heart screening tool
• Aim: To create a movement to transform public health by helping individuals become aware of, and involved in, their own health
• EIT Community connection: KIC InnoEnergy Master’s School ENTECH programme (KIT and Uppsala University, 2013-2015)

The project

• The idea: Complex Disease Detector (CDD) is an accurate, non-invasive and inexpensive tool for the screening and early diagnosis of heart disease. It uses a patient’s medical data and offers a decision support tool to doctors, while also helping patients to discover if they suffer from heart disease, even if they show no symptoms.
• Inspiration: More than 17 million people die each year from heart disease worldwide. The main cause of death in most cases is late diagnosis and a lack of obvious symptoms. This necessitates early diagnosis, but the current screening tools are not precise enough, not accessible to the public or not cost effective.
• USPs: The CDD is less invasive than other current methods, and minimises the pain and risk these methods involve. Since the CDD eliminates the need to perform angiography in unnecessary cases, beds are freed up, resulting in savings for hospitals. Also, our method is based on machine learning and so the device becomes smarter over time; the greater the number of patients tested, the more accurate the CDD becomes.
• Overcoming adversity: Along my journey, there have been several challenges in different areas and the training I received through the EIT Community helped me to overcome them. For example, to address financial and experience-related challenges, I participated in different competitions to meet experts who were often jury members. Also, after winning prizes, I re-invested them into my innovation.

The nominee

• The beginning: A few years ago, my grandmother died of a heart attack, but she didn’t have any symptoms beforehand. This got me thinking, ‘What if we could detect the disease earlier?’ As an engineer, I’ve learned that if there is even a small change in a system’s inter-related parameters, it can be monitored and detected. The human body is just a complex system and when a disease is about to develop, its parameters change their behaviours. This is something that can be detected by looking at the trends, even if there are no obvious symptoms.
• Joining the EIT Community: I believe EIT-labelled Master’s programmes are designed in the best possible way. Within the ENTECH programme, I learned about technology and sustainability while also improving my knowledge of business, innovation and entrepreneurship.
• An ideal world: I want to bring equality into practice in every field possible. I believe everyone has the same right to live on this planet and contribute. Knowing and understanding this fact could help to build a more sustainable future.

More information

Project: Pro-Drone

Nominated by: KIC InnoEnergy

Key words: Autonomous flight vehicle, cloud-based, inspections
Project aim: To develop a turn-key solution for robust, cost-effective and safe inspections of industrial infrastructure
EIT Community connection: Part of the KIC InnoEnergy Highway programme in Iberia

The project

• The idea: Pro-Drone is developing a turn-key solution for the inspection of wind turbine blades. The solution consists of two pillars: i) an autonomous flight vehicle that collects the data, and ii) a cloud-based data processing platform to store, process and analyse the data. Our solution is more cost-effective than current solutions because it is faster, cheaper and safer.
• Inspiration: My inspiration came from a strong desire to make a meaningful contribution to the global conversion to renewable energy. I combined my experience of using robotics to carry out hazardous operations with a conversation about using drone footage in a film. At one point the ideas merged and I decided to investigate the potential for drones to inspect wind turbine blades.
• EIT Community support: The EIT Community has been crucial for our development, having supported us since we were accepted into the KIC InnoEnergy Highway programme. In addition to the financial support provided by KIC InnoEnergy, we have received training in entrepreneurship, finance and technical aspects. We have also benefited from EIT-supported interns and a vibrant community has always been on hand to help us along the way.
• Teamwork: Pro-Drone is proud to be a highly diverse and complimentary team. We have mechanical, electrical, aerospace and renewable energy backgrounds and come from Portugal, Ukraine and Greece. Importantly, the common denominator within our team is an unfailing will to have a positive effect on the world; that is what pushes us through the challenges that a start-up faces.

The nominee

• Learning from experience: It is absolutely critical that a start-up is launched for the right reason. Money is a very short-sighted goal in itself because this may take a long time to achieve and may not ever happen. To believe that we can have an impact on the world, or a sector that we know well, is a much stronger source of motivation.
• Best memory: My most satisfying moment to-date was when we carried out our first paid inspection. All the elements came together and we were finally able to deploy our technology and know-how for the benefit of a paying customer.
• Ideal advisor: Elon Musk. His ability to completely reshape the landscape of a well-established sector is nothing short of genius. He brings together the antagonistic traits of an entrepreneur in his technical knowledge, ability to attract capital and ability to be an incredible spokesperson for his companies, all fuelled by his desire to tackle humanity’s problems. I consider him to be the ultimate 21st century entrepreneur.

More information

www.pro-drone.eu

Project: Smart Sensor Solution for Machine Insights

Nominated by: EIT Digital

Key words: Industrial sensor solutions, real-time data, smart sensors
Project aim: To deliver the insights into machine breakdowns that our customers need
EIT Community connection: Supported at the EIT Digital German Co-location Centre

The project

• The idea: The industrial world is struggling. Using outdated sensor technologies, industry can’t prevent or understand machine and infrastructure breakdowns, resulting in losses running into the millions each year. At KONUX, we are building smart sensor systems that can provide insights into these breakdowns and generate robust, real-time data. By combining this measured data with the right analytics, we will enable our customers to understand their machine problems and make maintenance predictable, helping to save money. With our patented technology and a team of young and seasoned talent, we are transforming a $100 billion market.
• EIT Community support: KONUX is a part of EIT Digital and we started out as the winners of the Idea Challenge in 2014. Since then we’ve received coaching from Fabio Carati and Aparna Sain at the EIT Digital Silicon Valley Hub, we’ve benefited from joint promotional activities and we’ve been taken to SEC2SV (Startup Europe comes to Silicon Valley). We’re currently in discussions with a VC consortium for the next funding round and our start-up is showing steady growth.
• Teamwork: My background is in information systems, while Vlad Lata is an electrical engineer. Dennis Humhal has expertise in mechanical and industrial engineering, Jonas Diezun is our marketing genius and Max Hasler is in charge of finance. We also have a nine-man engineering team in Germany that focuses on hardware and software development and is made up of experienced sensor industry experts and young talent from other startups in Munich and Silicon Valley.
• Venture development: Our next steps include streamlining our market development processes and hiring experienced sales reps to convert our pipeline. We also plan to roll out products in volume to new and existing customers, finish our scalable platform and expand the software side of the product by adding more analytics features.

The nominee

• The beginning: When I was 21, I was invited to Silicon Valley by an experienced entrepreneur. I visited start-ups and discovered people my age who were changing the world with new technologies. Back in Munich, I started to think differently about my future. Together with my co-founders, I considered the strength of Germany in terms of machinery, and market changes like the Internet of Things.
• Learning from experience: To build an industry-changing company, you need a lot of help. The right partners will make the difference.
• Best memory: Going into an office each day and seeing people who are passionate about what they do and who believe in the same things.

More information

www.konux.com

Project:

P3S - Playful Supervised Smart Spaces

Intellectual disability, children, smart spaces

P3S delivers ground-breaking smart space solutions to transform any physical room into a “Magic K-Room” - a multisensory interactive environment. (Factsheet)

Nominated by: EIT Digital

Project started: 2015

Theme: Smart spaces and smart objects for children with intellectual disabilities

No. of partners: 6 x KIC partners and 4 x sub-granted partners

Overview

A “Magic K-Room” is an innovative multisensory interactive environment. It integrates virtual worlds with everyday objects such as toys and lights, which become smart and interactive thanks to our technology. These objects react to children’s movements with a variety of visual, auditory, tactile and olfactory stimuli, and offer children the chance to engage in gaming activities to exercise specific cognitive, emotional, motor and social skills.
A simple authoring tool is included in the product, which enables caregivers to customise each game to address the specific needs of each child. The Magic K-Room technology also offers a set of cloud services that enable therapists to automatically collect behavioural data, share this information with the local or a larger community of specialists, and remotely monitor therapeutic sessions in a Magic K-Room. 

Market potential

The Magic K-Room responds to the increasing demand, by therapists, scientists and families, for new or complementary treatments for children with intellectual disabilities. Our innovation enables a level of therapeutic treatment for such children that would not be possible with any existing technology and does so in a cost-effective, scalable manner.
Our market analysis shows that in the EU-28 zone, there are approximately 3,400 assistance centres and 270 therapy centres for children with intellectual disabilities, each staffed by an average of 25 specialists, resulting in a potential market of over 3,500 installations and reach of between 40,000-100,000 specialists.

Societal impact

As intellectual disabilities affect a significant proportion (2.5%) of the world’s population, and occur among all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups, the social impact of the Magic K-Room is potentially very high.
An evaluation of our first showcase installation showed that the Magic K-Room brought significant benefits to children with intellectual disabilities that might not have been achieved with more traditional practices. 
With its cloud-based services and data gathering tools, the Magic K-Room also makes data collection, sharing and analysis more efficient, objective, and complete, paving the way towards increasing scientific knowledge about intellectual disabilities. 

Teamwork

Politecnico di Milano (Italy) is the coordinator of the project, with Telecom Italia (Italy), Fondazione Politecnico di Milano (Italy),  ST Microelectronics (Italy),  Philips (the Netherlands) and IMEC - Stichting Imec Nederland (the Netherlands) as partners. Our work process capitalises on the rich multidisciplinary backgrounds of all the partners including:

• Hardware boards and platforms (ST Microelectronics)
• Commercial interactive lights (Philips)
• Cloud Services for eHealth and WellBeing,  Smart Ambients (Telecom Italia)
• UX design and advanced interaction paradigms for children with special needs (Politecnico di Milano)
• Educational games (Politecnico di Milano) 
• Brain computer interfaces, wearable headsets, and algorithms for brain signal analysis (IMEC)

EIT Digital support

Beyond creating partnership network opportunities and offering financial support to carry out technical tasks, EIT Digital has promoted a general approach and attitude that focus on social impact and on the need to move from prototypes to robust products ready for commercial exploitation.

Achievements so far…

• Customisable Magic K-Room Kit brought to pre-commercialisation
• Two Magic K-Rooms installed in Milan (Italy): one at a rehabilitation centre for children with intellectual disabilities and one in the paediatric department of a hospital
• Third Magic K-Room due to be installed at a therapeutic centre in the Netherlands in summer 2016

Nominee: Franca Garzotto 

Franca Garzotto is Associate Professor in Computer Engineering at the Department of Information, Electronics and Bioengineering of Politecnico di Milano,  and Rector’s representative in EIT Digital. 
She holds a M.Sc. in Mathematics from University of Padua and a P.h.D in Computer Science from Politecnico di Milano. Her work focuses on innovative interactive technology in various application domains and for different targets, particularly persons with special needs, and attempts to achieve research results that have an impact on people’s life. Since 2013 she has been involved in five EIT Digital Activities, leading the two of them that have developed innovation for intellectual disable children.  She has been European Chair of ACM SIGWEB (ACM Special Interest Group on the Web) and Chair of the Italian Chapter of SIGCHI (ACM Special Interest Group on HCI). Since 2013 she has been member of the Review Panel of ERC Grants.

More information

Franca Garzotto (Project Manager)
franca.garzotto@polimi.it
http://magickroom.com (product website)
http://i3lab.me/projects/p3s (research website)

EIT INNOVATORS AWARD WINNER 2016

Project: WE4CC-II –  (Water and Energy for Climate Change)

Water and indoor air, waste heat and solar heat, distillation and absorption

We use membrane distillation and desiccant recovery systems to turn low-grade waste heat or renewable solar PVT heat into high-quality water and indoor air. (Factsheet)

Nominated by: Climate-KIC

Project started: 2013

Theme: Sustainable city systems

No. of partners: 4

Overview

Waste heat is produced by a lot of industrial, domestic and energy production processes, and plays a significant part in rising global temperatures. With the WE4CC-II project, we saw a way to harness this waste heat to produce high-quality water and indoor air (humidity) control, which can substantially reduce energy consumption and C0₂ emissions.
WE4CC-II uses membrane distillation technology to produce the water, which is a thermally-driven separating process where water vapour passes through a hydrophobic membrane and high-quality liquid is retained. For air de-humidification, we use desiccant recovery systems. 

Market potential

The market potential for our innovation is huge, with our technology applicable anywhere from hotels to remote areas. Domestic hot water applications would appear to be the best initial focus, while drinking water production and solar cooling applications could prove to be a valuable market to move into once the technology has been established. 
We plan to introduce the PVT and desiccant systems in 2016 and then potentially a combined system in 2017, depending on our final business case evaluations. 

Societal impact

WE4CC-II utilises waste heat to create societal impact in two key ways: 

• By reducing the amount of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere
• By lowering costs associated with fossil fuel-powered energy sources

Teamwork

Our team includes TNO (the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research), the Technical University of Berlin, Naked Energy Ltd. (EIT Venture Award Winner 2012) and Laborelec (GDF Suez), and all have brought unique technologies to the project.
Naked Energy’s solar technology Virtu® provides solar power while helping to cut carbon emissions. The waste heat it produces as a consequence of this process is used by TNO’s Memstill® to purify or desalinate water. In turn, the heat produced by this process is used for heating and cooling through the Absorberbox® technology developed by TU Berlin. 
Working in a team with different and complementary backgrounds, while having a common goal, is very inspiring. All stakeholders are convinced that the added value, both for their technologies as well as for their markets, comes from the interface of their systems.
The team spirit is open and our day-to-day contact varies from consortium meetings to smaller meetings between partners involved in a specific area of the business. The consortium is also open to students and consultants for assistance in market entry and business development.

Climate-KIC support

Climate-KIC helped us by bringing partners from different disciplines together, with funding, and with different dissemination and education activities such as introductions within the community.

Achievements so far…

We’ve carried out successful demonstrations at three locations:

• Power plant Amercoeur (Belgium)
• The Dolmen Hotel (Malta)
• The Botanical Garden of Berlin (Germany)

Nominee: Norbert Kuipers 

Dr. Norbert Kuipers, MSc is a scientific expert on water treatment with a focus on Water & Energy. He has more than 20 years of experience in chemical engineering research and development at the university (in particular affinity separations), in industry and at TNO (thermal conversion of biomass, water treatment and functional ingredients). He is senior scientist and project leader of several EU and national Water and Energy projects. He was also project leader for the MemPower project. He is (co-)author of various scientific papers and holds several patents. He was the initiator of the Climate-KIC projects Water & Energy for Climate Change I (pathfinder) and Water & Energy for Climate Change II (innovation)

More information

Norbert Kuipers (Project Manager)
norbert.kuipers@tno.nl
www.we4cc.eu

Project: ‘Bringing New Photovoltaic Technologies to Africa’ 

Nominated by: Climate-KIC

• Key words: Solar technology in Africa
• Project aim: To determine how emerging solar technology can remove barriers to affordable, clean electricity for off-grid communities in rural Sub-Saharan Africa.
• EIT Community connection: Climate-KIC PhD fellow (Imperial College London, 2011-2015); Climate-KIC ‘the Journey’ summer school (2014-2015)

The project

• The idea: Solar power has the potential to transform the lives of people in rural communities across the developing world and the technologies to make this possible are constantly being developed. My project leveraged expertise from across academia and industry to assess the potential for emerging photovoltaic technologies to transform the market for off-grid solar products. We looked specifically at organic photovoltaics, which use low-cost plastic materials and printing technologies to try to drastically lower the costs of solar technology, while also potentially eliminating toxic and rare materials from solar panels.
• Inspiration: More than one billion people worldwide lack access to affordable modern energy services and are forced to rely on burning expensive and toxic fossil fuels to light their homes. This is an issue I have been passionate about for many years, so it seemed a perfect fit to combine my research into organic photovoltaics with my passion for solving the issues of rural energy access.
• EIT Community support: Both the EIT Community and the extensive training that I received throughout my fellowship were vital to enable this project to happen. Participating in the Climate-KIC summer school, the Journey, helped me to understand how to bring about change, and to see my research not just as a new technology, but as a disruptive business opportunity. In addition, the network that Climate-KIC has created allowed me to find new collaborators, and made it possible to start a novel project with both industry and academic partners.

The nominee

• The beginning: I first became passionate about solar power whilst working in Cambodia in 2010, where I realised the dramatic difference that affordable, clean energy can make to people’s lives. Since then I’ve put my efforts into trying to find solutions to making solar technology more accessible to communities in the developing world.
• Joining the EIT Community: I see the EIT Community as a unique network of people who can inspire, collaborate and innovate to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems. By joining the Community, I realised my potential and found the tools and the network to help me create change both as an individual and as part of an organisation.
• Game-changing European entrepreneurs: The story of Marmite [a food spread invented by German scientist Justus von Liebig] really shows the brilliance of European innovation. Made out of a waste product, it’s constantly been adapted to help solve new challenges and is a great example of innovative marketing.

More information

http://www.climate-kic.org/blog/fortnight-rwanda/ 

EIT VENTURE AWARD WINNER 2016

Project: Nerdalize

Nominated by: KIC InnoEnergy

Key words: Affordable heating, cloud computing, sustainable technology
Project aim: To create a world where heating is free and sustainable computing power is an affordable commodity
EIT Community connection: Part of the Climate-KIC Accelerator programme at the Dutch Co-location Centre

The project

• The idea: Nerdalize heats houses with computing power. By placing powerful servers in the form of a radiator in people’s homes, we heat the home with the heat the servers produce. This means the home owner saves on heating, and companies and researchers using computing power save 30-50% on their computing jobs. Home owners have full control over the warmth the heater gives, while computing clients benefit from the distributed architecture.
• Inspiration: We realised our idea could have great impact – tackling heating as one of the largest uses of energy in Europe while also tackling cloud computing as the fastest growing use of energy – and be a great source of progress.
• EIT Community support: We are part of the Climate-KIC Accelerator programme. The whole Climate- KIC Netherlands team and the wider Climate-KIC community have helped us with coaching, their network, and events organised in the Netherlands and abroad. They’ve also helped us with access to customers and potential partners, while providing a network of fellow entrepreneurs who are building their own businesses.
• Teamwork: Boaz, Mathijs and I started Nerdalize in 2013. Since then we’ve grown to a team of 12 people, all experienced and passionate about making Nerdalize a success. The team includes hardware and software developers with backgrounds from different industries, making it possible to turn our crazy idea into reality.
• Venture development: We recently piloted our system in five homes together with Eneco, one of the largest energy providers in the Netherlands. We are now getting ready to scale-up production and roll-out in time for our big push.

The nominee

The beginning: During my Master’s degree in strategy and innovation in Maastricht, Boaz, Mathijs and I started Nerdalize because of the amazing potential we saw in the concept. So instead of looking for jobs we looked for investors and got the ball rolling.
Entrepreneurial flair: Passion for what you do, perseverance and a good sense of how to create a win-win situation are what make a successful entrepreneur. And luck!
Learning from experience: If you have a great idea that you believe is worth pursuing, go for it step-bystep. Build the right team, find the right potential clients and you’ll get closer to making your idea a reality.
Ideal advisor: This would be different people at different stages. For example, the Google founders [Larry Page and Sergey Brin] on how to grow and diversify a business, and Werner Vogels from Amazon on how to scale the cloud.

More information

www.nerdalize.cloud

Project:

Fit2Perform

Professional drivers, fitness tracking, vigilance

We monitor professional drivers, making their working lives healthier and safer, while also bringing benefits to their companies in terms of reduced fuel consumption and vehicle wear and tear. (Factsheet)

Nominted by: EIT Digital

Project started: 2014

Theme: Driver wellbeing, road safety and driving efficiency

No. of partners: 8

Overview

It’s widely recognised that professional drivers often suffer from poor health, which can result in an increase in accidents.
Fit 2 Perform monitors the health of professional drivers through an innovative watch that monitors heart rate, skin conductivity and skin temperature. The physiological data from these watches is gathered in real-time through a combination of mobile devices using the Android operating system and back-end servers, before advanced algorithms are employed to transfer the data into fitness indicators (e.g. stress, tiredness and vigilance). This data is accessible by both the drivers and fleet managers, and can be used to ensure that drivers are in good health (reducing the chance of accidents and absenteeism), drive efficiently (reducing fuel consumption) and drive with care (reducing vehicle wear-and-tear).
Both real-time data and historic data are available and can be accessed simultaneously. We also have a strict driver privacy policy in place, along with strong security control mechanisms, to ensure the data is protected.

Market potential

Our end-to-end solution is ideal for professionals working in environments where fitness is key to their performance and safety. It also helps fleet owners to improve their total cost of ownership through reduced fuel consumption, vehicle wear-and-tear and absenteeism.

Societal impact

Our product will help to improve road safety, as well as the health and wellbeing of professional drivers, taking steps towards an overall healthier and safer society. Fit 2 Perform will help professional drivers to increase awareness of their fitness and health, and support the development of new coaching and monitoring solutions.

Teamwork

Our partners are Astrata, Bittium, DFKI, Imperial College London, Philips, TNO (the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research), the Technical University of Eindhoven and University College London.
We have fixed weekly days where we all come together to work on the allocated activity at the EIT Digital Co-location Centres in Eindhoven or London. Working together in this way has proved to work very well as short lines of communication between the partners and EIT Digital enables decisions to be made and issues to be resolved quickly.

EIT Digital support

EIT Digital helped us to bring together the right mix of partners, including technological, service and academic organisations. The KIC also accommodated us at two of their Co-location Centres (London and Eindhoven), allowing us to work efficiently together, and provided funding and business development support.

Achievements so far…

• Developed initial algorithms for transforming fitness indicators from sensor data
• Developed reference implementation of the enabling ICT infrastructure
• Designed wearable watch with integrated Optical Heart Rate (OHR), Skin Conductivity (SC) and skin temperature sensors

Nominee: Jean H.A. Gelissen 

Jean Gelissen worked for most of his professional life at Philips Research in Eindhoven. He started in digital signal processing, both in software and hardware development, and gained large experience in computer networks, formal specification methods, multimedia as well as multimedia processing architectures and embedded software domain with a focus on architectures and methodology. He has been Department Head of the IPA (Information Processing Architectures) department in the Lifestyle program of Philips Research and has been appointed to Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Lifestyle program at Philips Research in 2006. Since 2011, he is Action Line Leader Digital Wellbeing at EIT Digital.

More information

Jean H.A. Gelissen (Action Line Leader)
jean.gelissen@eitdigital.eu
https://www.eitdigital.eu/innovation-entrepreneurship/health-and-wellbei...

Project: ProctorExam

Nominated by: EIT Digital

Key words: Safe, online, exams
Project aim: To facilitate safe online exams anywhere, anytime and to fill the missing link in online education
EIT Community connection: Business Acceleration Support at EIT Digital’s Dutch Co-location Centre

The project

• The idea: ProctorExam provides the missing link in online education: safe online exams from anywhere, any time. Online education is growing, but students are still asked to travel to the institution for the exam. Using cutting-edge technology, ProctorExam authenticates the student behind the computer and monitors them during the exam to ensure they don’t cheat. With ProctorExam, students can take their exams any time from the comfort of their home or office space. This saves time and travel cost, and makes quality education available independent of geographic location.
• Inspiration: When my colleague Daniel Haven was a student, he took an online course. From his student room in Amsterdam, he enjoyed learning from a leading American university. When it came time for the exam, he was asked to fly 5,500 kilometres just to take the exam. This went against the principles of online learning, so Daniel decided to create an online exam environment in the comfort of people’s homes, which is similar to an exam hall and prevents fraud. 
• EIT Community support: EIT Digital has introduced ProctorExam to technical universities in Europe, as well as one of our most important clients, Vives. Along with coaching from Alain le Loux (Accelerator Coach), EIT Digital has provided ProctorExam with a unique platform to connect us to potential corporate and academic clients.

The nominee

• The beginning: I’ve been working in education for 11 years, the last 5 of which has been in EdTech. I’m passionate about bringing quality education to students everywhere, and I believe online education opens possibilities for many people who would normally not have the opportunity to study. In order for online courses to be valued, there needs to be a secure system for taking online exams. That’s where ProctorExam comes in. When I first heard about ProctorExam, I could clearly see that future, and I’ve been working with the team ever since to share our vision!
• Entrepreneurial flair: Passion and believing in a cause help, along with creative thinking and not being afraid to hear “no”. Not every university or corporate trainer is ready for online exam monitoring, but we’re confident that the market will grow to match the growth of online education.
• Best memory: For me it’s a tie between a thank you letter from a student who was able to take her exam after her kids had gone to bed, expressing how ProctorExam had changed her life, and hearing one of my customers speak passionately at a conference about how ProctorExam had solved their exam problem and brought new students to their institution who wouldn’t have been able to study otherwise.

More nformation

https://proctorexam.com

Project: BIPV-Insight

Web services, BIPV, prescription

We are connecting professionals in building information modelling to boost the building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) industry. (Factsheet)

Nominated by: KIC InnoEnergy

Project started: 2013

Theme: Building-integrated photovoltaics

No. of partners: 5

Overview

Building-integrated photovoltaics, or BIPV, are used to replace conventional building materials to generate electrical power. Our innovation, BIPV-Insight, is a ‘Software as a Service’ platform (SaaS) that provides high-performance computing for BIPV simulations on 3D models. This enables designs with a high cost-performance ratio to be developed, while also connecting stakeholders and ensuring products meet expectations. 
The inspiration for the project was born out of a meeting between experts in solar technology (TECNALIA) and high-performance computing experts for solar simulation (HPC-SA) about innovations in building information modelling and expectations from the architectural community (e.g. sustainable design).
We plan to launch the commercial phase of our development in July 2016.

Market potential

Unlike traditional software, BIPV-Insight is a ‘FREEMIUM’ solution: professionals get the software for free and will be charged for PREMIUM services. Web services focus on connecting experts and making information about BIPV projects and commercial issues shareable.
BIPV-Insight allows crucial information to be obtained from the Building Information Modelling (BIM) and the project’s configuration to be set up more quickly and cost-effectively. It also allows the right expert in BIPV implementation to be identified for the requirements of the project. 
Societal impact
Our solutions should boost BIPV visibility, therefore encouraging a shift to new energy production and energy use options for any type of building: commercial, residential, and institutional. This includes new constructions and refurbishments. Our solutions also contribute towards reduction of the environmental impact of every citizen and the adoption of better behaviour (micro grids, prosumer status, etc.).

Teamwork

Our partners are TECNALIA, Enerbim, TFM (EMTE-COSMA group), BEAR-iD Sustainable Urban Planners + Architects and the University of Bordeaux.
It has been pretty easy to work together and to commit to the innovative business model because we are a small team (five partners). Each partner focuses on their specific tasks and we have adopted an AGILE process to develop the software and the platform for our web services.

KIC InnoEnergy support

KIC InnoEnergy provided KAVA funding (KIC Added Value Activity funding) and support for pre-commercialisation of the solution. They put their trust in the business model and helped the consortium to take over the project when difficulties arose (the withdrawal of a crucial partner and replacement by a new company).

Achievements so far…

• Simulation software completed
• Business plan completed and validated

Nominee: Philippe Alamy 

Associate director, startup EnerBIM

Philippe has a background in engineering and business administration, with a specific focus on innovation management. He joined project ArchiWIZARD in 2011, as the commercial manager and associate director to HPC-SA Company. The challenge was to setup the first French simulation software for bioclimatic issues towards Nearly Zero Energy Building. BIM and 3D graphical interfaces made the buzz!
He and two fellows resale the company and founded EnerBIM (June 2015). The challenge is now to bring innovation towards PV simulation for buildings and to setup innovative business models: European project BIPV-Insight is ongoing, and will connect design and construction stakeholders to photovoltaic industry.
Philippe enjoys working in multicultural teams dealing with entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability. He is also passionate about nature and culture.

More information

Philippe Alamy (Development Manager): philippe.alamy@enerbim.com
Eduardo Roman Medina (Project Manager): eduardo.roman@tecnalia.com
www.kic-innoenergy.com/innovationproject/our-innovation-projects/bipv-in...

Project:

Fully Optimised and Reliable Emissions Tool (FOREST)

Satellite, forest, carbon stocks estimation

Based on optical/radar satellite data, FOREST provides solutions for sustainable forest management and carbon stocks enhancement. (Factsheet)

Nominated by: Climate-KIC

Project started: 2014

Theme: Decision metrics and finance

No. of partners: 6

Overview

Forests are important carbon sinks that play a vital role in maintaining the world’s ecological balance. Responsible for almost 20% of greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation has contributed to climate change and led to a loss of biodiversity, social deprivation and soil degradation.

FOREST provides forest owners with forest asset management services. Through the innovative use of optical and radar data, in situ measurements and software (based on the ground-breaking ORCHIDEE model), the consortium achieved what had never been done before: providing forest owners and managers with information on the size and structure of forested areas, including analysis of their evolution over time and carbon stock estimations.

Market potential

Some products on the market already offer a forest evolution tracking service. The uniqueness of FOREST lies in the analysis of the structural changes undergone by a forest area, their spatial distribution as well as their causes. This makes FOREST an essential tool to allow forest owners to better manage their property.  In addition, FOREST analyses the characteristics of the forest area to give a reliable estimate of the carbon stock it represents, as well as to monitor the development of this stock, thereby opening the way to carbon credit markets and boosting the value of the forest.

Societal impact

As an empowering tool for forest project managers, forest resource owners, and local and national decision-makers, FOREST has an extremely high impact potential. Indeed, forests are not only the biggest carbon sink on Earth, they also provide invaluable ecosystem services (water filtering, biodiversity, air quality, etc.) as well as economic value (logging or agroforestry, for instance). FOREST allows this value to be optimised, improving life conditions for the many people depending on this resource. FOREST is creating an entirely new value chain, unlocking revenue streams for forest owners and managers, while actively fighting climate change through emission offsets.  

Teamwork

FOREST has brought together the expertise of Airbus Defence and Space (project lead and forest market player through the supply of Earth Observation data, processing and solutions), ONFI  (forest sector specialist), scientific and research carbon modelling and image processing experts (LSCE, AMAP), NPL (UK's measurement institute) and I4CE (economic specialist in climate change policies).
The consortium members were able to combine their strengths to create FOREST, and their complementary expertise and know-how has been essential to the project. Following on from the successful demonstration workshops carried out in 2015, FOREST is now at the commercialisation stage and building a go-to-market approach. 

Climate-KIC support

Climate-KIC helped FOREST to mobilise a wide range of actors in the academic, scientific and private sectors who brought strong knowledge of the market, access to an international network of key stakeholders and best-in-class expertise and solution building blocks to the project.

Achievements so far…

• Created decision support tools with a coverage of several thousand km² in Gabon, Cameroon, French Guiana, Colombia and Brazil
• Participated in many international events in 2015, including a UNESCO conference in Paris
• Held demonstration workshops in 2015 to engage with stakeholders

Nominee: Alexandra Nouillas

FOREST Project Manager at Airbus Defence and Space

For 5 years, Alexandra has been working in the Thematic solutions Department of Airbus Defence and Space as project manager specialized in forest and environment applications. After a Master’s degree in business, economics and corporate law Alexandra has obtained an advanced graduate diploma in international business. She joined Spot Image SA in 1997 and has acquired a strong experience in the use of satellite data in a wide range of geo-intelligence applications. For 15 years she has coordinated many operational projects in fields as diverse as forest monitoring, precision farming, maritime surveillance, defense, ensuring client satisfaction through quality execution of contracts. She managed the NSO portal project which received the Geospatial World Technology Innovation Award in 2014.

More information

Alexandra NOUILLAS (Project Manager)
alexandra.nouillas@astrium.eads.net
www.climate-kic.org/projects/fully-optimised-and-reliable-emissions-tool-forest/ 

Project: Directional Fault Passage Indicator

Nominated by: KIC InnoEnergy

• Key words: Distribution grid reliability
• Aim: To help electrical grid operators reduce grid outages in a cost-effective way
• EIT Community connection: KIC InnoEnergy KIC-Active Substations project (KU Leuven, 2010-2015); KIC InnoEnergy PhD School (2010-2015)

The project

• The idea: An Intelligent, Directional Fault Passage Indicator (FPI) is a device that can be installed in a medium voltage network. The device communicates the presence of an outage and the direction (backwards or forwards) to the fault location crew, which can then get to the fault location faster. The installation of many FPIs in the grid yields a significant reduction in the outage time, which is beneficial both for the network operator and customers. 
• USPs: Conventional FPIs require voltage sensors, making them more expensive in terms of the number of assets that need to be purchased, installed, configured, calibrated and maintained. Our solution does not require such sensors and, therefore, a larger roll-out can be achieved with the same budget. Also, because our FPIs are self-calibrated, they can be installed quickly and easily without the need for very specific training.
• EIT Community support: The conception and development of the intellectual property (IP) took place within the KIC-Active Substations project, funded by KIC InnoEnergy. Moreover, the courses on economics helped me to understand the regulatory framework of my product.
• Overcoming adversity: I had no idea about the world of patents and IP, but I had to develop a new IP for this product. So I started working closely with the patent officers at KU Leuven (partners of the KIC), who continuously evaluated my proposals, and read lots of other patents until I could write an effective one myself. I also had to build a prototype to increase the technology readiness level of the concept, which meant learning how to programme micro-processors and some electronics. To overcome this, I received help from my thesis advisor, who introduced me to the world of programming.

The nominee

• The beginning: As an engineer, I have always wanted to do practical work with (almost) immediate, real-world applications. 
• Joining the EIT Community: I met Tom De Rybel [currently Lead Engineer at KIC InnoEnergy] in early 2010 and he explained the philosophy of the KIC and the focus on marketable products within the KIC-ASS project. It was an excellent combination between the academic and industrial worlds, so I decided to go for it!
• Entrepreneurial spirit: I always had in mind to create ‘something’, but never reached the point where I could define exactly ‘what’ that something was. Moving to a different country and experiencing a different environment helped me to get some perspective and focus on what I really wanted.
• An ideal world: We tend to underestimate the potential of ‘ideas’ as a general concept. We should learn how to value them and how to develop them fearlessly!

More information

http://carlosgonzalezdemiguel.blogspot.be/
www.kic-innoenergy.com/innovationproject/our-innovation-projects/kic-ass/ 

Project: Plugify

Nominated by: EIT Digital

• Key words: Online platform to book live music
• Project aim: To connect organisers and live music artists in order to bring more live music into the world.
• EIT Community connection: EIT Digital Master’s School graduate (TU Delft and Aalto University, 2013-2015)

The project

• The idea: Plugify is an online platform that enables people to view, listen to and book live music artists. The platform contains all types of artists, including bands, DJs, ensembles and soloists. Plugify makes booking a gig ridiculously easy, providing the artists with the podium that they deserve.
• USPs: Plugify connects supply and demand in the live music industry, creating value for both sides of the equation. The booker gains direct access to a broad variety of live music artists, while the artists gain exposure to a wide audience.
• EIT Community support: During my Masters, the EIT Community showed me that starting your own business is actually very exciting. I had the opportunity to explore the entrepreneurial field by doing entrepreneurial IT projects and working at start-ups. This experience immediately paid off when I graduated.
• The future: My dream is that, in 10 years’ time, whenever people think of live music, they think of Plugify. I want people all over the world to use the platform and love it. 

The nominee

• The beginning: I’ve had an affinity with IT since I was a kid and having played piano for more than six years, I’ve also developed an interest in making music. It was entrepreneurship that helped me to combine these two passions and work in the most exciting fields in the world: music, entertainment and IT.
• Joining the EIT Community: The main reason was the desire for adventure. At some point in my studies, I realised that I wasn’t going to learn much more if I stayed at the same place. I wanted to meet new people, hear new ideas and see something new.
• Entrepreneurial spirit: My interest in entrepreneurship only started a couple of years ago, but I’ve always wanted to make a difference in the world. Whenever I saw an inefficient process, I wondered ‘why does nobody improve it? Why don’t people invest energy into making things better, faster, safer?’ When I grew up I realised there are lots of factors holding back change. Now I have my own business and nobody is going to hold me back.
• Game-changing European entrepreneurs: Geert-Jan Bruinsma, the founder of Booking.com. He realised the importance of using online platforms to purchase goods and services back in 1996, which is impressive. 
• Dream job: I’d like to spend a week at Airbnb to see how they do business and develop their product. Airbnb inspired me a lot during the very early stages of Plugify. I’m sure I could learn a lot from them about how I can scale the business and the platform.

More information:

www.plugify.nl

Project: Solar Container

Nominated by: Climate-KIC

Key words: Clean energy, affordable electricity, Africa
Project aim: To provide clean and affordable electricity to off-grid consumers and businesses in Africa
EIT Community connection: Part of the Climate-KIC Accelerator programme at the German Co-location Centre; second place in the European Climate-KIC Venture Competition 2015

The project

• The idea: Mobile Solarkraftwerke Afrika builds mobile solar power plants for off-grid use, delivering clean and affordable electricity to rural communities, enabling local education and economic development. Our first container – crowdfunded by investors last year – is in operation in Mourdiah, Mali. Our second container, which was also crowdfunded, will be delivered this summer to Djoliba, Mali.
• Inspiration: I visited Mali and saw that many communities don’t have access to electricity through a nationwide power grid. Electricity is often produced by noisy, dirty and expensive diesel generators, impeding local education (no lights in the evening) or commercial development (for example, the cooling of medicine).
• USPs: We offer a “ready to run” container with panels, batteries and converters all built in. The solar power plant can be put into operation by a local team within hours, and can be moved if needed. We sell electricity to the community for a price comparable to diesel-generated electricity today, can repay our investors, make a margin for ourselves and still hand over the container to the community after 10 years. After that, electricity is produced almost for free – compared to a diesel price that’s only ever likely to be higher – and that production has a lower impact on the environment.
• EIT Community support: We originally focused on organising funding, delivery and installation for our first container. At that time, we had a rough financial model, but no pitch deck or developed business plan that would enable us to talk to investors. The Climate-KIC Accelerator programme helped us to close this gap. Thanks to feedback from our coaches and peers, we delivered a pitch that won us the ticket to compete at the Climate-KIC Festival 2015, and created a more structured business plan. Through workshops in Germany and Finland, we developed relationships with Finnish colleagues and even signed a partnership with one fellow start-up. Finally, the funding we received allowed us to fine-tune our technology earlier than planned.

The nominee

• The beginning: Since I completed my engineering degree in 1997, I’ve been passionate about renewable energy. In recent years the market has become more exciting; with clean electricity available at competitive prices and prices expected to fall further, lots of opportunities are opening up.
• Entrepreneurial flair: For me, being an entrepreneur is about combining a vision that addresses social impact, technology advancements, clear customer focus and the ability to build and retain a great team.

More information

http://solarcontainer.org/index.php/en/
 

Project: Rare Cancer (Factsheet)

KIC: EIT Health

Project:

MrCySeMoL  (main product: securiCAD)

Proactive, cyber security, CAD-tool

State-of-the-art CAD-tool for proactive cyber security management. (Factsheet)

Nominated by: KIC InnoEnergy

Project started: 2014

Theme: Smart electric grid

No. of partners: 3

Overview

Developed as part of the MrCySeMoL project, securiCAD is a state-of-the-art threat-modelling and computer-aided design (CAD) tool for proactive cyber security management. The user starts by inputting the architecture. The tool then simulates hacker attacks and provides a “heat map” of where the architecture is likely to be vulnerable, based on security research and expertise combined with sophisticated network analysis.

Through this approach, securiCAD enables companies to proactively manage their cyber security architectures in an efficient, quantitative manner, founded on objective expertise. More specifically, it enables companies to:

• understand current cyber security levels across complex architectures
• prioritise areas to address and cyber security investments to pursue
• proactively manage cyber security

Market potential

Based on a state-of-the-art approach that supports holistic, forward-looking analyses in an effective way, securiCAD’s unique features include:

Societal impact

Cyber security is crucial to the energy industry and cyber attacks can have a major effect on societies and threaten lives. Current information and operational technology  systems are typically very vulnerable to cyber attacks and the threats are real and increasing, as reported in the media. Energy companies have a massive challenge in understanding how they should improve the security of their systems. This vital societal challenge can be managed by securiCAD in an effective way.

Teamwork

There are three partners within the project: foreseeti, KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm and paluno – the Ruhr Institute for Software Technology. 
Start-up Foreseeti does most of the development and commercialisation activities. KTH has the background knowledge with regards to the modelling tool and the security framework, and contributes to the project’s development activities, while paluno focuses on the specific module for advanced software analysis. 
In addition, ABB and other end-users are involved in providing input into the project’s development. The skills of the partners and end-users complement each other perfectly, bringing technical expertise and knowledge of customer expectations and needs to the project. 

KIC InnoEnergy support

“KIC InnoEnergy has been central to the commercialisation of our project. Through the KIC, we were able to apply for Innovation Projects and also join the Business Creation service which was, together with the end-user demand from our first high-profile commercial customers such as ABB, a key driver for the company.”

Achievements so far…

• First commercial version of securiCAD produced at the end of 2015
• First commercial customers secured in 2015: ABB and two large Nordic banks
• Significant interest from leading security consulting companies including Sogeti (Global), Combitech (Sweden) and Aspec (Germany) 

Nominee: Joakim Nydrén

CEO of Foreseeti and Project Manager of MrCySeMoL

Joakim Nydrén is CEO of Foreseeti and Project Manager of the KICInnoEnergy Innovation Project MrCySeMoL. Foreseeti is an innovative startup company within proactive cyber security management. The Innovation Project MrCySeMoL develops a state of the art tool for proactive cyber security management; called “securiCAD”. Joakim a passion for problem solving and business creation. He spent nine years with Accenture as a business and IT strategy consultant, working across industries, and specializing in market and growth strategies. Joakim has a M.Sc. in Industrial Management and Engineering and a B.Sc. in Business and Economics. In addition to working within business and IT, Joakim has worked and a volunteer NGO developer.

More information

Joakim Nydrén (Project Manager)
joakim.nydren@foreseeti.com

Project: MiniQ (Factsheet)

KIC: EIT Health

Project: Sustainalube (Factsheet)

KIC: EIT Raw Materials