On Tuesday 20 July, the awards ceremony was held for the Driving Ideas Forward competition.  The project, undertaken by students  Antonella Ortega (Bachelor’s Degree in Bioengineering at UIC Barcelona), María Blasco (ESADE) and Manola Orlotti (IQS) received first prize under the category of “Best business idea”.

Committed to the environment and to innovation, the three young entrepreneurial students created a system that allows them to grow crops in dry or unfavourable climates using planters made of recycled paper containing an inoffensive bacterium which accelerates their growth. “The impact of climate change is becoming more and more evident in our society, and it is our own responsibility to develop solutions that slow down the deterioration of our planet,” said Ortega. “Bioengineering is a degree that opens the door to the world of the future and guides us to help us create sustainable tools using planet-friendly materials and technology” added the young bioengineer.  

In the words of the winners, “thanks to the recycled and biodegradable planters in our project Impulsum, we aim to help farmers, small companies and individuals to reduce the consumption of plastic planters while at the same time helping them to cultivate plants quickly and easily in dry climates”.   “Our dream it to be able to apply Impulsum in areas of the Amazon Forest, since it is one of the lungs of the earth and plays a fundamental role in the regulation of levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere”. 

Driving Ideas Forward is an initiative that was designed and set up by the Vice-Rectorate for Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer in the University with support from the UIC Barcelona Innovation Hub, with the aim of discovering and raising awareness about business projects and boost the creation of innovative companies.