• H2020
• Industrial Leadership

KIC InnoEnergy has honoured three ideas at the final stage of the ‘MSc Energy for Smart Cities’ innovation journey in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The awards, which recognise students’ contribution to smart city innovation, were given to: Netploit, an electric vehicle charging station; FASCOM, an urban concept combining street lighting with solar generation and the ability to support smart city platforms for sensor devices; and El Contenidor, a mobile phone charging solution powered by fitness bikes and solar panels.

32 students took part in the innovation journey from Amsterdam to two other European cities (Barcelona, Spain, and Leuven, Belgium).

The students were set challenges by ten energy industry businesses which they had to overcome with the development of commercially feasible proposals.

Each stop concluded with an innovation competition wherein the students pitched ideas to a panel of expert judges.

Innovation competition judge Xavier Crusat said: “It is incredibly inspiring to see these bright minds come together to develop innovative, creative and intelligent proposals. Clever, commercial ideas are needed if we are to meet our carbon reduction targets – and smart cities will be an essential part of that.

“The innovation journey was such a success that we are opening the first Entrepreneurship Journey this September. This journey will support 17 of our second year master’s school students turn their ideas into commercial reality, becoming entrepreneurs themselves.”

KIC InnoEnergy’s master programme ‘Energy for Smart Cities’ addresses internationally-oriented and entrepreneurial engineering students who wish to implement modern energy technologies for end users of the electrical value chain: citizens, companies and cities.

The custom-developed programme helps create multidisciplinary smart city experts who are qualified to work in industry or research, or to take on policy making roles in energy issues related to secure, sustainable urban living and working.

The innovation journey and consequent entrepreneurship journey are a part of KIC InnoEnergy’s educational programme.

KIC InnoEnergy is the innovation engine for sustainable energy across Europe as part of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, which is funded under Horizon 2020.