EIT Manufacturing awards next generation innovators at JA Marketplace Vienna: reFILL3D

On the weekend, 38 international student teams presented their companies and solutions in Vienna, competing for different prizes. The team reFILL3D from Austria convinced the expert jury for the best Innovation Award with their solution for converting PET bottles into filament.

Vienna, 13th March 2023. On Saturday, the JA Marketplace Vienna, an international trade fair for student companies taking part in the Junior Achievement (JA) Company Programme across Europe, took place. At this fair, the student teams practice to present and sell their products or services under real-market circumstances. 17 teams from Austria and 21 teams from all over Europe (Finland, Czechia, Estonia, Switzerland, Latvia, Germany, Lithuania, Greece, Luxembourg) participated in the competition. JA Austria and its partners rewarded the best performances in various categories: Innovation, Pitch, Marketing and Visual Presentation, Sustainability, Sales and Alumni Spirit.

reFILL3D won Innovation Award

EIT Manufacturing, a knowledge and innovation community supported by the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) which is a body of the European Union, sponsored the Best Innovation Award rewarding the business idea with the best value proposition, business concept and future potential. reFILL3D developed a “Creator” to convert unused PET bottles into valuable filament for 3D printers. This allows trash that would otherwise end up in landfills or the ocean to be used as a resource. The Creator is easy to use and eco-friendly.

reFILL3D: Adam Boncz, Matteo Fritzer, Maximilian Vesely; Photo Credit: JA Austria

Monika Primozic, Education Manager at EIT Manufacturing, handed over the prize to the proud winners. She sees the event as an important opportunity to encourage and promote critical thinking, a sense of adventure and openness to adapt among young students. “It is really an honour that EIT Manufacturing can contribute to the success of this year’s JA Austria international trade fair. We have seen many great innovators here. I am very impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit all teams have shown and I am sure all of them have a bright future ahead. Congratulations to all winners!”

Matteo Fritzer (reFILL3D), Adam Boncz (reFILL3D), Maximilian Vesely (reFILL3D), Milica Markovic (JA Austria), Monika Primozic (EIT Manufacturing); Photo Credit: JA Austria

Collaboration for raising the next generation of manufacturing innovators

On a European level, the Junior Achievement network will celebrate the achievements of European students aged 15 and onwards at the Gen-E event in Türkiye from 11 to 14 July 2023, where thousands of young entrepreneurs will showcase their cutting-edge business ideas and will be competing for the titles of Best Company and Best Start-Up of the Year. EIT Manufacturing sponsors a special award at Gen-E 2023: The Green Manufacturing Award honours the student team with the most innovative solution to use fewer natural resources, reduce pollution and waste, recycle and reuse materials, or develop new processes to reduce manufacturing resources and decrease emissions.

Junior Achievement is a programme for students to help them generate ideas, establish businesses and run them up to one school year allowing them to develop and train their entrepreneurial and soft skills by experiencing the real business world. The Austrian organisation of JA engages more than 4,000 students to take part in their different programmes each school year, who are being supported by 300 educators and 400 business volunteers. For the educational and societal impact it creates as one of the world’s largest and most-impactful youth-serving NGOs, the global network JA Worldwide has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2023 for the second time in two years.

EIT Manufacturing – Making Innovation Happen!