Stories
The U!REKA Awards honour what brings the alliance to life.
Co-creation
The Co-creation Award goes to the U!REKA joint master in ‘Commercialization and Management of Clean Technologies (CoMaCT)’. The co-design of the joint master is a visionary collaborative project that aims to create a highly integrated and interdisciplinary master’s programme in the fields of Economics, Management, and Business. The U!REKA institutions involved are Metropolia Helsinki, IPL Lisbon, VSB Ostrava, BFI Vienna and ONEU Odesa.
The goal is to educate a new generation of management professionals who can drive forward the transition toward climate-neutral and smart cities, leverage disruptive clean technologies (cleantech) and decarbonisation, while simultaneously promoting economic growth.
In honour of this remarkable academic collaboration, the prize is dedicated to Cáritas Leiria. Cáritas has been at the absolute forefront of social mobilization, responding swiftly to the urgent needs of the community. Their tireless support for families and individuals in situations of extreme vulnerability has been more critical than ever, following the devastation of the storm, proving the power of collective action and human care.
Inclusion
The Inclusion Award goes to the students and organizers of the Frankfurt U!REKA Week, with a special recognition to Jelena Kostia, Mateo Eisele, Ayse Bayram, Jonas Hackbarth, and Hanna Leonhard.
From November 24 to 28, Frankfurt UAS hosted the first U!REKA Week. Around 200 international staff and students from the U!REKA partners had the opportunity to network with their international colleagues, further develop projects, or deepen their collaboration. The programme highlights included the U!REKA job shadowing programme with around 40 U!REKA employees who gained insights into the working methods and organisational structures of Frankfurt UAS.
Next to this there was a two-day Urban Circular Hack(athon). Interdisciplinary student teams developed innovative approaches to clean energy, urban mobility, and circular lifestyles. They were accompanied by experts from research, politics, and practice.
In their honour, the prize is awarded to InPulsar, the Association for Community Development. InPulsar plays a vital role in promoting social innovation, fostering true inclusion, and strengthening local social cohesion. By empowering individuals and supporting vulnerable groups, their work mirrors our alliance’s deep commitment to building a society where no one is left behind, especially during challenging times of recovery.
Boldness
The Boldness Award goes to Bjorn De Rouck from HOGENT and Florian Mahl from Frankfurt, for their pioneering U!REKA project: ‘GrEAt! – Grey Energy Atlas’. The collaboration between Frankfurt UAS and HOGENT focuses on the Grey Energy Atlas (GrEAt!), a research and teaching project led by Florian Mähl that maps and evaluates the environmental quality of the materials used in existing buildings, making a crucial, courageous contribution to sustainability in the construction industry.
At the same time, GrEAt! serves as an innovative project in which education, research and international cooperation go hand in hand. Students from Frankfurt and HOGENT gained practical insight into the challenges of sustainable architecture and set to work addressing them.
The students’ findings have been incorporated into the GrEAt! project and can be found on the website, where they are listed as research collaborators. Read more.
To honour this bold vision, the prize is dedicated to the Leiria Volunteer Firefighters. The firefighters represent the ultimate frontline of resilience, playing an essential role in protecting people, local businesses, and vital infrastructure. Their heroic, round-the-clock emergency response during the extreme weather conditions of Storm Kristin embodies the very definition of boldness and public service.