Start-up Lab as a space for innovation
With a record turnout of 90 participants, the Start-up Lab on Prüfeninger Straße was operating at full capacity – whilst at the same time impressively demonstrating its strength as an interdisciplinary space for innovation in Regensburg. Students and those interested in starting a business – mainly from OTH Regensburg and the University of Regensburg – spent two and a half days working here under real-world start-up conditions: in an agile, collaborative and solution-oriented manner, often working late into the night.
With over 700 square metres of space, seven workshops and a creative working environment, the OTH Start-up Lab provided the ideal venue for developing ideas, tinkering and prototyping.
Interdisciplinary teams develop solutions with market potential
A total of eleven teams tackled ten specific real-world challenges – put forward by regional stakeholders, namely hospitals, medical practices, research organisations and the healthcare industry. In addition to developing ideas, a stated aim was to create viable solutions with genuine potential for practical application.
The teams were supported by experienced mentors from the fields of technology, medicine and the start-up ecosystem, including representatives from GameDev e.V., Regensburg University Hospital, ReMIC at OTH Regensburg, and Binary Kitchen e.V. This year, CurarisHealth – a start-up from OTH Regensburg – also took part for the first time as a challenge setter.
The best ideas from the hackathon
At the end, a high-calibre jury recognised the following teams:
- 1st place (1,500 euros): Team ‘Dekubitus’: Development of a smart system for the prevention of pressure ulcers (Challenge organiser: CurarisHealth)
- 2nd place (1,000 euros): Team ‘VaxCheck’: Digital tool for recording vaccination data in doctors’ surgeries (Challenge organisers: Praxis Pfaff & Haas, Regensburger Ärztenetz e.V., Airadoc GmbH)
- 3rd place (500 euros): Team “insEYEde”: Alternative input concept for controlling a surgical robot (Challenge organiser: AKTORmed GmbH)
From hackathon to start-up: ideas become reality
A key aim of the Healthcare Hackathon is to provide ongoing support and further develop the projects that emerge. The aim is therefore to enable the solutions developed to be translated into real-world applications in collaboration with the challenge organisers.
“Our aim is to raise awareness among young people of the real-world challenges in the healthcare sector and to show them that it is possible to develop practical solutions in a very short space of time that really make a difference. The Healthcare Hackathon is the ideal format for this – it combines real-world problems with the fresh perspective and creativity of young people from a wide range of disciplines,” emphasises Dr Alexandra Sauter, project manager at BioPark Jump.
At the same time, the Healthcare Hackathon reinforces OTH Regensburg’s role as a centre of higher education for entrepreneurial thinking and solutions that create genuine added value. Events such as the hackathon are therefore far more than just a platform for ideas – they offer students a springboard for start-ups and the transfer of innovation.
“The students’ keen interest and motivation during the hackathon clearly demonstrate the tremendous innovative potential that young people in Regensburg bring to the table. When creative talent is applied to real-world problems and supported by a strong start-up ecosystem such as our Start-up Centre, ideas can lead to sustainable changes that have a positive impact on the healthcare system – and, by extension, on society,” says Prof. Dr Sean-Patrick Saßmannshausen, Head of the Start-up Centre.
Laboratory Head Dr.-Ing. Dirk Sindersberger adds: “It was particularly impressive to see how curiously and openly the infrastructure of our Start-up Lab was utilised. True to the ‘hands-on’ motto, the participants showed no hesitation in using the machines and equipment in the makerspace, but instead transformed their challenges into real prototypes in an efficient and solution-oriented manner.”
About the Hackathon
As part of the Healthcare Hackathon Bavaria network, the event makes an important contribution to innovation in the healthcare sector. The next Healthcare Hackathon will take place during the summer semester of 2027 at the Start-up Lab at OTH Regensburg.
