Förderkreis 1669 makes many things possible – University of Innsbruck
The Förderkreis 1669 supports scientific projects at the University of Innsbruck with unbureaucratic and motivating start-up financing. The successful initiative was launched in 2015 by Rector Tilmann Märk and has since attracted a large number of sponsors. On Monday the 6th birthday of the Förderkreis was celebrated in the auditorium of the university.
Around 120 guests – including around 100 sponsors – came to the auditorium in the main building last Monday to celebrate the 6th birthday of the Förderkreis 1669. They were welcomed by Rector Tilmann Märk, who was very pleased with the good development of his “child”. In addition to the material support that the university receives thanks to the support group, he also emphasized the importance of the ideal network, which keeps and opens many doors for the university.
Mayor Georg Willi was also impressed by the success of the philanthropic commitment in favor of science and congratulated the university in his welcoming speech on the sustainably successful “building bridges to society without tolls”.
The supporters, who have been loyal to us for many years and who have recently joined, were introduced by support group coordinator Ulrike Rubner, and many well-known personalities and companies were able to greet them personally in the auditorium.
The University of Innsbruck Foundation was also established in recent years with funds from the Förderkreis 1669 for the start-up capital. You recently received two important endowments from Prof.in i. R. Sabine Weiss and by SWARCO AG in memory of Manfred Swarovski. Rector Tilmann Märk thanked the university for this generous commitment. Research Vice-Rector Ulrike Tanzer also expressed her thanks on behalf of all those who received funding, presenting projects supported by the Förderkreis 1669 to the interested audience.
Alexander Weiss from the Research Institute for Biomedical Aging Research then offered an insight into his research. In a few minutes, in the style of a science slam, he explained what happens in our bodies as we get older and how we can help to stay young.
Albert Rössler, Head of Research and Development at Adler-Werk Lackfabrik and spokesman for the R&D platform of the Tyrolean Federation of Industry, then spoke about the cooperation between business and science. He described the benefits of the various collaborations between his company and the University of Innsbruck, such as an endowed professorship and also in numerous contract research projects, as a particularly valuable opportunity for a “transfer of the best minds”. A claim to excellence by both cooperation partners at their locations offers multiple added value across interfaces.
A highlight of the event was a conversation with the alumnus of the University of Innsbruck and longtime Roche CEO and President of the Board of Directors Franz Humer, which was moderated by the new regional director of the ORF Tirol, Esther Mitterstieler, with the successful Austrian-Swiss manager. Franz Humer studied law at the University of Innsbruck and has held management positions at one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies for almost two decades. He gave very authentic assessments of the importance of success and described current requirements for management and leadership. He also impressively described the process of leading and arriving at a good basis for decisions that he himself often made and had to endure in absolute solitude. Esther Mitterstieler, who worked as editor-in-chief at various media companies before her career at ORF, also asked Mr. Humer about the fact that there are usually very few women in top positions in business. Franz Humer also encountered this reality in the administrative bodies of “his” company, consciously countered it and built mixed teams with the result that “the atmosphere was much better afterwards.” company pages.
After great applause, the event was concluded with the lighting of the candles on the birthday cake by Honorary Senator and Founding Coordinator Sabina Kasslatter Mur and Rector Tilmann Märk. During a social gathering with food and drink, the guests had the opportunity to view prototypes of developments that could be built with funds from the support group.
The university and state library displayed valuable objects from the historical collections, which could be professionally restored and repaired thanks to book sponsorships via the Förderkreis.
As a farewell, there was the “Seeker Chronicles” for those interested, a card game for science communication that was developed by physicists at the University of Innsbruck, produced with the support of the Förderkreis and presented by LeoBot, the mobile robot from the University of Innsbruck that was also sponsored in 1669.
The evolutionary antennas also come from the Institute of Mechatronics. With a newly developed innovative evolutionary algorithm, antenna development can be automated and immensely improved at the same time. The specially designed antennas can take any shape, even 1669 shape.
The T-shirt with heart rate measurement was demonstrated by students, the Institute for Textile Chemistry is weaving ECG sensors into a T-shirt for this purpose. Together with the sensor platform of the Institute for Mechatronics, the basis for passive ECG monitoring is created, which is also to be tested with application partners from the Vascage consortium.
The incubation chamber for fungi and plants for the pharmaceutical and agricultural industry from the 3-print was another best-practice example of the enormous impact of the sponsors in the Förderkreis 1669 and the University of Innsbruck Foundation.
After the very effective program, the guests used the time to get to know each other and networked discussions for one or the other new cooperation.