Ecological, social, and economic challenges shape our daily lives. The Entrepreneur Fellowship "Sustainable Society" enables young researchers to transform innovative ideas into marketable products or services, thereby creating sustainable solutions.
Thanks to the generous support of the Ernst Göhner Foundation, the new Entrepreneur Fellowship was launched in 2023. Over the past year, the UZH Innovation Hub has developed the program's content and established a jury for the evaluation process. The first Fellowships are scheduled to be awarded in 2025.
The Innovation Grants serve as a precursor to the Entrepreneur Fellowships and can later be transitioned into entrepreneurship. This grant of 10,000 Swiss francs allows researchers to explore initial market potential or work on prototypes, for example.
Two promising projects have received the first Innovation Grants in the field of "Sustainable Society."
Read more about the two projects by Céline Portenier and Malwina Kowalska on environmental monitoring with public webcams and biodiversity in urban areas.
Céline Portenier Remote Sensing, Department of Geography
Imaging techniques play a crucial role in the continuous observation of environmental conditions. A solid data foundation is essential for analyses and forecasts related to natural hazards, climate change, or ecosystem transformations.
Webcam images provide a valuable complement to other imaging technologies such as satellites, drones, or aircraft. They capture local environmental characteristics that may remain hidden from other systems, particularly in dense cloud cover. Additionally, they provide real-time updates and can be used to verify measurements from other systems.
Despite their potential, webcam images also present challenges: their quality varies greatly, and each image covers only a relatively small geographic area. This is where Céline's project comes in. Using machine learning-based solutions, hundreds of webcams in Switzerland are recorded, integrated, and analyzed. Webcams can thus bridge significant data gaps by providing information that is difficult to capture with other observation systems.
The project's goal is to develop reliable and standardized measurement methods that generate versatile data. A key focus is on recording fog and cloud layers, particularly their vertical extent. These data can be used to improve weather forecasts, optimize flight planning in aviation, enhance ground traffic management, and aid tourism planning in mountainous regions.
Thanks to the 10 000 Swiss francs Innovation Grant, Céline has been able to implement the following measures:
Establishing a comprehensive webcam database.
Developing a user-friendly web interface for data visualization.
Creating initial pilot products (e.g., precise determination of the fog upper boundary).
In the future, pilot projects will be conducted in close collaboration with customers and partners to test and further develop the diverse applications of webcam data in real-world use cases.
Malwina Kowalska Epidemiology, University Animal Hospital Zurich
More and more people are moving to cities. However, urban spaces are increasingly unhealthy due to air and noise pollution, leading to chronic stress. At the same time, urban green spaces often suffer from a lack of biodiversity, which is essential for animal life. This is where Plantipolis comes in: the startup founded by Malwina Kowalska and her business partner Simona Zahner supports the cultivation of biodiverse green spaces in cities that benefit people, animals, and nature alike.
As a trained veterinary epidemiologist, Malwina has recognized the close connection between human health and the environment. She is also passionate about preventing the dramatic decline of urban animal populations. Her goal with the startup is to make cities more livable for both humans and animals. Increasing biodiversity in green spaces promotes cooling effects and improved air quality while also creating space for physical and social activities, reducing mental stress. At the same time, animals benefit from expanded habitats, and healthy soils contribute to essential carbon sequestration.
Plantipolis analyzes green space locations for clients and recommends site-specific plants and infrastructure that provide optimal food, shelter, and nesting places for animals. While the current clientele mainly consists of sustainability-focused companies, Plantipolis aims to raise awareness of urban biodiversity and expand its reach.
Thanks to the 10 000 Swiss francs Innovation Grant, Malwina has been able to implement the following measures:
Collecting high-quality data on the distribution of animal species and Swiss flora.
Consulting experts for ecological insights.
Collaborating with specialists for geographic modeling.
Acquiring initial customers.
Future plans include developing an app to help green space managers and urban planners find suitable solutions, refining the analysis model to further automate manual work, and strengthening communication strategies to engage both inexperienced audiences and clearly convey the offered services.
Visit the Website of Plantipolis
