Start-up projects from Vinnytsia and Sumy won first place in the International University Startup World Cup, held in Copenhagen (Denmark). Both the winning projects could join the competition as finalists of the All-Ukrainian Innovation Festival, which the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine conducted in May 2018.

In general, Ukraine was represented by 4 teams of inventors:

OWAY, the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

Embolin, Startup Kiev

FoodBIOPack, Sumy National Agrarian University

Vibration Mill Development For Mechanoactivation Of Loose Material, Vinnytsia National Agrarian University

The project of inventors from Sumy FoodBIOPack won the Sustainability Award. It is aimed at solving the global problem of plastic contamination. It is based on the innovative technology of biodegradable materials for food packaging. After being used, the packaging can be reused in the biomaterials production or included in organic fertilizers. Already during the competition, the idea of Ukrainian researchers raised interest of potential investors from Portugal, Egypt and Denmark.

Scientists from Vinnytsia University presented the project Vibration Mill Development for Mechanoactivation of Loose Material. It describes the technology of fine grinding substances to particles sized from 5 to 50 micrometers, which is five times thinner than human hair. Processing technology of mechano-activation of the particles after fine grinding in the Vibration Mill will enable creation of a wide range of a new products for the customers, especially in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. The startup won the Social Media Award.

Background

The University Startup World Cup (USWC-18) is an international competition which was organized by Venture Cup, a Danish non-profit organization, and having more than 18 years of experience hosting startup competitions for university startups. The vision is to create a network among international students in which they can be inspired, benchmark their ideas and turn academic knowledge into viable high-growth businesses.

During the competition, particular attention is paid to academic entrepreneurship and demonstration of projects for large business circles.

This year, almost 70 universities from more than 40 countries all around the world took part in the event.