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11/28/2025 14:15

TUM IDEAward for biotechnology and nanotechnology start-up teams

Klaus Becker Corporate Communications Center
Technische Universität München

    A filtration technology for volatile organic compounds, a stable source of terahertz radiation and an edible coating that extends the shelf life of fruit and vegetables – three research teams have been honored with the TUM IDEAward for these pioneering start-up ideas. They will now receive intensive support as they work toward founding their companies.

    Which ideas can be turned into successful products? What start-up team is addressing the challenges facing society? Which start-up will create sustainable value in the future?

    In the final round of the TUM IDEAward, 10 teams aiming to launch start-up companies presented their ideas to the public. The award for the best ideas is granted by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), UnternehmerTUM, the Center for Innovation and Business Creation, and the Zeidler Research Foundation, which provides a total of 37,500 Euros in prize money. The winners also receive individual coaching from TUM Start-up Consulting up to the time of market launch.

    First place: Verdira Biotech

    Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are used in numerous industrial products, such as paints, adhesives, solvents, furniture and fuels. If they are released into the air in large quantities, they can pose a risk to health and the environment. For product manufacturers, this means both a great responsibility and significant economic efforts to ensure safe production processes. The Verdira Biotech team is therefore developing an efficient bio-based filtration technology that can capture escaping volatile organic compounds and degrades them into harmless substances. The technology and business idea are based on research conducted by the Chair of Chemistry of Biogenic Resources at the TUM Campus Straubing and expertise from the Chair of Technology and Innovation Management.

    Second place: FIRsense

    Terahertz radiation is located between microwaves and the infrared range in the electromagnetic spectrum. For a long time, it could hardly be used because it was not possible to construct continuous, compact and cost-effective sources – the problem became known as the terahertz gap. The FIRsense team at the Walter Schottky Institute has now developed such a terahertz radiation source, which uses a nanotechnologically manufactured surface. The technology is intended to be used for measuring gases, non-destructive testing and chemical analysis, among other applications.

    Third place: ARPOSO Biotech

    Every year, tons of spoiled fruit and vegetables and tons of plastic packaging are thrown away. The team at ARPOSO Biotech has therefore developed a coating that is designed to extend the shelf life of fruit and vegetables many times over. It is made from agricultural by-products, is edible and is water-soluble. In a next step, the team, which comes from the Chair of Brewing and Beverage Technology, wants to offer the preservation technology for flowers, meat, fish and dairy products as well.

    Further information:

    The innovation ecosystem with TUM at its center is considered one of the most successful deeptech hubs in Europe. Its particular strengths are its strong, diverse network and extremely specific support. In initiatives and co-labs, start-ups work on innovations with established companies, experts, investors and administration. The TUM Venture Labs offer direct access to cutting-edge research, technical infrastructure and market expertise in twelve fields of technology. Most recently, more than 100 companies were founded at TUM in one year and more than 1,100 start-up teams were supported by UnternehmerTUM and the Venture Labs. UnternehmerTUM, which invests with its own venture capital fund, has twice been voted Europe's best start-up center by the Financial Times.


    More information:

    https://www.tum.de/en/innovation/entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship at TUM


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