No less than two winners of the 2018 Young Researcher Award from Deutsche Kreditbank AG (DKB AG) and the Association of Innovative Enterprises (VIU) come from Thuringia this year. Dr. Sebastian Spange from Innovent e.V. in Jena and Gregor Böhm from the Research Center for Medical Technology and Biotechnology (fzmb GmbH) in Bad Langensalza were honored today in Berlin with a joint first prize for outstanding scientific work. Tobias Petzold from the Saxon Textile Research Institute e.V. (STFI) in Chemnitz received third prize. DKB AG and VIU awarded the prize, worth a total of 5,000 euros, for the fourth time. With this award, they are promoting close links between universities of applied sciences, colleges and universities and medium-sized industrial research with a view to practical research and securing young talent.

The award was presented at the congress "Innovation in SMEs - how transfer succeeds", jointly organized by VIU and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, by VIU CEO Dr. Ralf-Uwe Bauer and DKB AG. The five-member jury presented the award, which is presented every two years, to three men for the first time. Dr. Sebastian Spange received the first prize for the development of an antibacterial coating for wound dressings.

The results presented of his doctorate, which he completed at the University of Greifswald, showed that significantly lower concentrations of the active substance-containing, silver-equipped coating were already necessary to achieve or exceed the performance of products on the market, for example in terms of antibacterial effect. This is made possible by plasma coating under normal pressure. The technology also enabled the zinc oxide to have a very positive effect. The 35-year-old native of Erfurt has been involved in microbiological investigations for several years.

Gregor Böhm from Mühlhausen was honored for developing a rapid test for determining the live germ count in foodstuffs. Within a few seconds, the method developed by the 29-year-old award winner provides the food industry with data on the bacterial count of a sample, enabling an assessment of product safety. This is achieved through analysis with near-infrared spectroscopy, which uses short-wave infrared light. Böhm's prediction model, developed in his bachelor's thesis at the Staatliche Studienakademie Plauen, is to be integrated by fzmb GmbH as a practice partner in its mylab system.

"Innovative developments deserve success"

"The award winners have achieved great things. With their research work, they developed innovative solutions for the market. The young researchers thus create added value for society and make an important contribution to technical progress. Congratulations and keep up the good work!", says Thomas Jebsen, member of the DKB board. VIU's managing director, Dr. Annette Treffkorn, adds: "Fortunately, the transfer of concrete research results from science to industry is already beginning. The innovative developments deserve to succeed."

About the Association of Innovative Companies

Founded in 1992, the Verband Innovativer Unternehmen e.V. (VIU) stands for the strengthening of industrial research and the efficient market introduction of innovations in industrial SMEs. It represents the interests of researching SMEs and non-profit, external, non-grant-funded industrial research institutions and is the only business association that explicitly advocates the development and strengthening of industrial research potential, including in small companies.