“We already have the project up and running and are currently celebrating our first customer. We would like to scale our solution, for which our team needs support, which we are very grateful for. We will reinvest the prize back into the company and use it to grow the team,” said Andrej Gono, the competition winner and a doctoral student studying at the Faculty of Business and Economics.
Second place was secured by Jan Karásek from the Faculty of Business and Economics. His project focuses on land aggregation, where he and his team explore hidden risks and benefits. “The first motivation for entering the competition was to gather additional feedback, which is valuable for further product development. The second motivation was the financial prize, which will help us allocate the time we need to create our minimum viable product,” explained Karásek.
Third place is shared by two team projects. The first team consists of Petra Sklář from the Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies and Michal Šebesta from the Faculty of Agronomy, focusing on the use of drones in agriculture. “It involves land mapping and subsequently creating prescription maps using software. This means eliminating the technological barrier between drones and farmers. Our focus is primarily on small farmers, helping to implement Agriculture 4.0 even for those who cannot afford or dedicate time to technology,” described Michal Šebesta. The finances awarded to the duo will be used for technical project support.
Another team that took third place is the duo Jakub Jakeš from the Faculty of Agronomy and Michaela Bařinová from the Faculty of Business and Economics. They applied with the Bee Farm project, which focuses on both bee product production and recreation/accommodation. “We want to educate people that insects are important in our country, and as their numbers are constantly decreasing, we must strive for their conservation. Given that I am from the Vysočina region and my colleague is from Moravia, we see a natural difference between these two regions. We aim to revive nature in Moravia to reduce the prevalence of monocultural blocks,” said Jakeš. They plan to invest the winnings into honey processing technology.
“Some of the proposals were well-thought-out in depth, while others were just starting out. Nevertheless, all ideas have enormous potential and can certainly be further developed,” summarized judge Pavlína Adam. The expert panel included Monika Štěpánová, Pavlína Adam, and Lucie Synková from the Technology Transfer Office at MENDELU. External experts on the panel included Michal Hoření, who mentors student startups at the South Moravian Innovation Centre, and David Krobot from the natural cosmetics brand Lobey.
A total of 36 projects applied for the MENDELU Boost competition, with 34 advancing to the first round. Successful participants from the first round can apply for the continuation of the competition in the fall, competing for a total prize pool of 220,000 CZK.
More news
-
The Association of Social Responsibility has, for the seventh time, recognized the efforts of organizations and young leaders in moving both the Czech Republic and the world towards a sustainable future by announcing the SDGs Awards 2024. The first…17. 10. 2024
-
How is Generation Z Doing with Food Waste?
Generation Z, meaning people born between 1995 and 2010, wastes food according to their estimates more than the previous generation, a total of 43.4 grams per person per day. This number drops almost by half for young people living with their…2. 10. 2024 -
EU Commission selects HEROES as new European University alliance to boost smart…
The HEROES Alliance unites nine universities of applied sciences across the EU under one common objective: to strengthen the resilience of the regions they are located in through digital innovations. 120,000 students and 14,000 staff spread over 22…4. 7. 2024 -
The addition of insects can improve the nutritional value of meat products.
Insects are being discussed as a potential protein source for the future. Small larvae contain high amounts of proteins and healthy fats. Compared to other livestock, insect farming also seems to be more environmentally friendly. Therefore,…17. 6. 2024 -
EURAF conference sets the direction for agroforestry in Europe for the coming…
At the international agroforestry conference EURAF 2024, the institutions jointly concluded the Brno Agroforestry Declaration on the implementation of agroforestry in Europe. The Declaration focuses on the knowledge and actions needed in the field…3. 6. 2024 -
The national round of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize was won by a student of…
Tadeáš Fryčák from the Jan Opletal Grammar School in Litovel won the third year of the national round of the global competition Stockholm Junior Water Prize. In his presentation he introduced the Root Tracker software, which he programmed himself.…30. 5. 2024 -
World experts address current challenges of agroforestry at MENDELU
This week, experts from all over the world are meeting at Mendel University in Brno to discuss agroforestry - growing trees together with crop production or livestock breeding. The EURAF 2024 conference deals with both research and practice and is…28. 5. 2024 -
An exceptional figure of our university, Vojtěch Adam, has passed away
With deep sorrow, the university rector received the sad news of the passing of Emeritus Vice-Rector and prominent scientist Prof. RNDr. Vojtěch Adam, Ph.D., who succumbed to a short severe illness yesterday.22. 5. 2024 -
Project SPOT from MENDELU was chosen for the 20 years of EU enlargement article
Project SPOT which is coordinated by Milada Šťastná and also led on behalf of the Faculty of AgriSciences at MENDELU has beed selected for the European Research Executive Agency article dedicated to the 20 years of EU enlargement.3. 5. 2024 -
In the MENDELU Ph.D. talent competition, five students succeeded
The third edition of the MENDELU Ph.D. Talent competition for supplementary talent scholarships for doctoral students has announced its winners. Ten talented students advanced to the second round of the MENDELU Ph.D. Talent competition, where they…2. 4. 2024