This year, the 5,000 EUR special price of the MRN Foundation for innovative projects goes to the Startup contagt GmbH of Mannheim. At the award ceremony in the auditorium of the University of Heidelberg, sponsor Dr. h.c. Manfred Lautenschläger congratulated the Startup in person. In his laudatory speech, Lautenschläger praised the founders' entrepreneurial spirit and the practical applicability of the contagt solution.
"contagt" is an indoor navigation system designed and developed by a team led by Johannes Britsch (PhD student at ifm Mannheim, University of Mannheim). Its special feature: by combining smartphone sensors (e.g. compass) with cost-efficient QR and NFC technology, "contagt" does not require satellite signals for positioning. Possible applications for the system include parking garages, office buildings, convention centers and hospitals. Next to the MRN special price, contagt GmbH has already won this year's Prince of Hohenzollern innovation prize. The Startup is state-funded by an EXIST-scholarship.
The MRN Innovation Award is awarded by the Foundation Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar (MRN) since 2001. Prizes are awarded to innovative projects that provide significant advancement in one of five areas: "biotechnology and medical technology", "information and communication technology", "environmental and energy technology", "materials" and "life sciences and health." This time, the main jury consisted of Prof. Dr. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla (Scientific Managing Director, Helmholtz Centre for Materials and Energy, Berlin) and Dr. Andreas Kreimeyer (Member of the Executive Board, BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany).
The Foundation Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar was established in 1999. The foundation board members are Dr. h.c. Manfred Lautenschlager (Chair), Prof. Dr. Peter Frankenberg, Dr. Manfred Fuchs and Dr. Josef Zimmermann. The foundation is managed by Kirsten Korte and Wolf-Rainer Lowack.
