The History

Impressions of the last InnoCamp36®

THAT WAS InnoCamp36® 2024 - 22TH / 23TH OCTOBER 2024: 
Where Visions Become Reality - The Innovation Event for International Business Champions

Management students from 22 countries had 36 hours to develop extraordinary ideas and solutions for nine well-known companies and to give free rein to their creativity. The Global Sales and Marketing team at the FH Upper Austria Campus Steyr has been organizing this unique format for students since 2013. Only English was spoken in the team and during the presentation.

“InnoCamp36 is an excellent opportunity to network the university of applied sciences, companies, students and pupils and strengthens the already excellent cooperation between the economy and the Upper Austrian University of Applied Sciences,” says initiator Margarethe Überwimmer, Head of studies Global Sales and Marketing.

The 80 participants had 36 hours to develop ideas and work out solutions in a special design thinking process and present the best idea. The questions came from well-known international companies, such as Biohort, ENGEL, Kappa, Miba, NIMBUSCLOUD, Phylos, Silhouette International, TGW and voestalpine. In the end, each team had to pitch their solutions to the high-caliber jury within 360 seconds.
Project on the skills of employees and managers in a modern international company takes first place.

First place went to the team from TGW Logistics, which came up with exciting solutions for developing the skills and competencies of employees and managers in a modern international company. The winners' hard work was rewarded with a lucrative prize.
Jürgen Roithmeier, Director of MINDtastic TGW: “InnoCamp36 is a format that wonderfully combines the knowledge gained from professional training with the light-heartedness of the younger generation. This enables a unique creative process for the tasks of the companies and creates enormous added value far beyond the two days.”
“InnoCamp36 was a great experience with many challenges and learnings. My team and I are very proud of our achievement of finding a convincing solution to a complex problem within 36 hours. The most difficult part was probably the fact that the team members did not know each other beforehand and we first had to develop a group dynamic. However, each and every one of us was actively involved and we managed to create a highly motivated atmosphere that ultimately brought us victory,” says student Matthias Klinser from the GSM Master's program. He and his team won first prize for TGW.

Second prize went to the project group from Miba Gleitlager. This involved innovative marketing and sales strategies to increase awareness among target groups with less affinity to new media. 

The Silhouette team came third with the development of innovative concepts for changing sales channels.

Initiator Margarethe Überwimmer is proud of the results: “Everyone showed an extremely high level of commitment and delivered an excellent performance. The atmosphere was fantastic and the participants were totally committed. InnoCamp36 stands for networking between universities of applied sciences, companies, students and pupils.”

About the InnoCamp36®
InnoCamp36 was initiated by Margarethe Überwimmer, Head of Global Sales and Marketing at the FH Upper Austria Campus Steyr, in 2013 and has taken place almost every year since then. Nine companies and one project team of eight to ten members each - including students, exchange students and pupils - were motivated to take part this year. The groups have 36 hours to develop their ideas on the questions posed by the companies on the topics of marketing, sales and international business and must present them to the jury in 360 seconds. The prize money is provided by the participating companies.

The participating companies & sponsors:

• Biohort GmbH
• Engel Austria GmbH
• Kappa Filter Systems GmbH
• Miba Gleitlager Austria GmbH.
• Nimbuscloud GmbH.
• Phylos
• Silhouette International Schmied AG
• TGW Logistics Group GmbH.
• voestalpine Stahl GmbH

THAT WAS InnoCamp36® 2023 - 24TH / 25TH OCTOBER 2023: 
And the winner is... 1st place for business models for smart locking systems

Management students from 27 countries had 36 hours to develop unusual ideas and solutions for eight well-known companies and give free rein to their creativity. The Global Sales and Marketing team at the Upper Austrian University of Applied Sciences Campus Steyr has been organizing this unique format forstudents for 10 years in which only English is spoken both during teamwork and during the presentations.

"InnoCamp36® is an excellent opportunity to build networks between the university of applied sciences, companies, students and pupils and strengthens the already excellent cooperation between businesses and the Upper Austrian University of Applied Sciences," says initiator and course director Margarethe Überwimmer.

The 75 participants had 36 hours to generate ideas and work out solutions via a special design thinking process and to present the best idea. The questions came from well-known international companies, including ENGEL, Fronius, Internorm, Merlin Technology, RUBBLE MASTER, Silhouette International, TGW and voestalpine. In the end, each team had to pitch their solutions to the jury of top experts within 360 seconds.

Project on marketing and sales of air humidification systems for an optimal indoor climate in production halls and offices won first place

First place went to the Merlin Technology team, which developed exciting solutions for lead generation and lead qualification using artificial intelligence. The winners' hard work was rewarded with a generous prize.

Markus Karl from Merlin Technologies: "We are proud of our InnoCamp36® project team. The students and pupils from a wide range of nations have generated exciting and innovative solutions for us. We look forward to putting the ideas and content into practice in the future."

"InnoCamp36 offers an excellent opportunity to collaborate with exciting companies and solve forward-looking issues together with students and pupils from different countries," says GSM Master's student Andriy Saviyevskyy. He and his team won first prize for the company Merlin Technologies.

Second prize went to the project group from Fronius. This involved innovative sales strategies to provide even better service to end customers.

Harald Langeder (CTO of Fronius): "InnoCamp36® is a great opportunity to generate completely new and fresh approaches to solutions. The Fronius project group was able to take a successful look behind the scenes of Austrian solar technology and the resulting enthusiasm for renewable energy is more than gratifying for us. We are proud of the creative result of a young, motivated team and would like to thank them for their excellent cooperation."

The Silhouette team took third place with the development of innovative concepts for personalizing and individualizing the customer journey.

Michael Schmied (CMO of Silhouette): "The quality and creativity of the InnoCamp36 students' ideas and presentations on the various technological and economic tasks was impressive."

Initiator Margarethe Überwimmer is proud of the results: "Everyone showed an extremely high level of commitment and delivered an excellent performance. The atmosphere was fantastic and the participants were totally committed. InnoCamp36 stands for the networking of universities of applied sciences, companies, students and pupils."

About the InnoCamp36®

InnoCamp36® was initiated by Margarethe Überwimmer, Head of Global Sales and Marketing studies and research at the Upper Austrian University of Applied Sciences Campus Steyr, 10 years ago and has taken place almost every year since then. Eight companies and one project team of nine to ten members each - including students, exchange students and pupils - were motivated to take part this year. The groups have 36 hours to develop their ideas on the questions posed by the companies on the topics of marketing, sales and international business and must present them to the jury in 360 seconds. The prize money is provided by the participating companies.

The participating companies & sponsors:
 

• Engel Austria GmbH
• Fronius International GmbH
• Internorm International GmbH
• Merlin Technology GmbH
• RUBBLE MASTER HMH GmbH
• Silhouette International Schmied AG
• TGW Logistics Group
• voestalpine Stahl GmbH

THAT WAS InnoCamp36® 2022 - 19TH / 20TH OCTOBER 2022:
And the winner is... 1st place for an innovative, international market entry strategy

Management students from 24 nations had 36 hours to develop extraordinary ideas and solutions for nine well-known companies and to give free rein to their creativity. The InnoCamp36 took place for the seventh time at the FH OÖ Campus Steyr. Only English was spoken in the team and during the presentations.

"InnoCamp36® is an excellent opportunity to network the University of Applied Sciences, companies, students and pupils and strengthens the already excellent cooperation between business and FH Upper Austria", says initiator and head of the study program Margarethe Überwimmer.

The 94 participants had 36 hours to work out and present their project. The tasks came from well-known internationally oriented companies, including Fabasoft, evil eye / Silhouette, coface, TGW, Fronius, voestalpine, Merlin, Trotec and Rosenbauer. At the end, each group had to present their solutions to the jury within exactly 360 seconds.

The project about the international market entry of a young, innovative brand in first place

First place went to the team from evil eye, which came up with exciting solutions for future markets and the distribution of innovative eyewear. The hard work of the winners was rewarded with a generous prize.

Michael Schmied, owner and CEO of Silhouette: "We are proud of our InnoCamp36 project team. The students and pupils from different nations have generated exciting ideas for the market entry of our young brand evil eye. We look forward to putting the solution approaches into practice in the future."

"The InnoCamp36® is a great platform to get in contact with exciting companies and to solve problems of the future with students and pupils from different nations," says student Nemeth Luca from the GSM Master’s programme. She and her team won first prize for the evil eye brand.

Second prize went to the project group from Trotec. The focus was on innovative sales strategies for a community-driven software product.

The team from Rosenbauer came third with the development of innovative, resilient and sustainable concepts for the fire departments of the future.

Initiator Margarethe Überwimmer is proud of the results: "Everyone put in a great performance. The atmosphere was excellent and the participants were totally committed. InnoCamp36 stands for networking between universities of applied sciences, companies, students and pupils."

About InnoCamp36®

InnoCamp36 was initiated by Margarethe Überwimmer, head of the Global Sales and Marketing program at FH OÖ Campus Steyr, and took place for the sixth time this year. Nine companies and one project group of ten members each - including students, exchange students and pupils - could be motivated to participate this year. The groups have 36 hours to work out their ideas concerning marketing and sales questions posed by the companies and have to present them to the jury in 360 seconds. Prize money is provided by the participating companies.

The participating companies & sponsors:

- Coface Austria Kreditversicherung Service GmbH
- Fabasoft International Services GmbH
- Fronius International GmbH
- Merlin Technology GmbH
- Rosenbauer International AG
- SILHOUETTE International Schmied AG
- TGW Logistics Group GmbH
- Trotec Laser GmbH
- voestalpine Steel GmbH

THAT WAS InnoCamp36® 2021: 20TH/21ST OCTOBER 2021
And the winner is... 1st place for business models around smart locking systems

Management students from 25 nations had 36 hours to develop extraordinary ideas and solutions for ten well-known companies and to give free rein to their creativity. InnoCamp36® took place for the sixth time at the FH OÖ Campus Steyr. Only English was spoken in the teams and during the presentations.

"InnoCamp36® is an excellent opportunity to network the University of Applied Sciences, companies, students and pupils and strengthens the already excellent cooperation between business and the Upper Austrian University of Applied Sciences," says initiator and programme director Margarethe Überwimmer.

The 89 participants had 36 hours to work on and present their project. The tasks came from well-known internationally oriented companies, including Berner, Business Upper Austria, Kappa Filter Systems, Lely, Merlin Technology, RUBBLE MASTER, STIWA, Sumitomo Demag, Trotec and voestalpine. At the end, each group had to present their project to the jury within exactly 360 seconds.

Project about marketing and sales of innovative, smart systems awarded first place

First place goes to the STIWA team, which developed exciting solutions for future markets and the distribution of innovative, smart systems. The hard work of the winners was rewarded with a lucrative prize.

Josef Brandmayr, Managing Director of STIWA Advanced Products: "We are proud of our InnoCamp36® project team. The students and pupils from a wide range of nations generated exciting and innovative approaches to solutions for the market entry of innovative, smart locking systems. We look forward to putting the ideas and content into practice in the future."

"InnoCamp36® is a great platform to get in touch with exciting companies and to solve problems of the future with students and pupils from different nations," says student Carola Kressl (35) from the GSM Master's programme. She and her team won first prize for the company STIWA.

Second prize goes to the project group from Merlin Technology. It was about innovative sales strategies around humidification technologies.

The team from Kappy Filter Systems came in third place with the development of innovative concepts to raise awareness among decision-makers about preventive health and well-being in offices and salesrooms.

Initiator Margarethe Überwimmer is proud of the results: "Everyone did a great job. The atmosphere was excellent, and the participants were totally committed. InnoCamp36 stands for networking between universities of applied sciences, companies, students and pupils."

About InnoCamp36®

The InnoCamp36® was initiated by Margarethe Überwimmer, Head of the Global Sales and Marketing programme at the FH OÖ Campus Steyr,and took place for the sixth time this year. Ten companies and one project group of nine members each - including students, exchange students and pupils - were motivated to participate this year. The groups have 36 hours to work out their ideas on the questions posed by the companies on the topics of marketing and sales and have to present them to the jury in 360 seconds. The prize money is provided by the participating companies.

The participating companies & sponsors:

• Berner GmbH
• Business Upper Austria – OÖ Wirtschaftsagentur GmbH
• Lely Center Enns GmbH
• Merlin Technology GmbH
• RUBBLE MASTER HMH GmbH
• STIWA Group
• Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plastics Machinery GmbH
• Trotec Laser GmbH
• voestalpine Stahl GmbH

THAT WAS InnoCamp36® 2020: 21ST / 22ND OCTOBER 2020
And the winner is… 1st Place for artificial intelligence in sales

36 hours made up the time limit given to management students of 19 nations in which to give their creativity free rein and develop extraordinary ideas and solutions for 8 well-known companies. The InnoCamp36 took place for the fifth time at FH OÖ Campus Steyr. English only was spoken throughout the teamwork and during the presentation.

“The InnoCamp36® is a good opportunity, to build networks between the University of Applied Sciences, companies, students and school pupils and reinforces the already excellent cooperation between businesses and the FH OÖ”, says initiator and Head of Studies, Margarethe Überwimmer.

36 hours were allowed for the 70 participants to develop and present their projects. The assignments were set by renowned, internationally oriented companies, including Berner, BMD Business Software, Business Upper Austria, Hilti, Lely, Internorm, SKF und Trotec. Finally, every group had to present its project to the jury within exactly 360 seconds.

Project involving artificial intelligence in sales in 1st place

The Internorm team earned first place by presenting exciting solutions for future artificial intelligence applications in sales with a focus on the topic of window and door offers. The winners‘ hard work was rewarded with a lucrative prize.

Stephan Kubinger, co-owner of Internorm said: “We are proud of our InnoCamp36®-project team. The students and pupils of various nationalities generated exciting and innovative solutions with a focus on the core products windows, sun shading and doors. We are looking forward to putting the ideas and contents into practice in the future.”

“The InnoCamp36® is a great platform for getting in contact with exciting companies and finding answers to questions of the future with students and pupils from a wide variety of nations”, says student, Stefan Schweiger (28) from the GSM-Master degree programme. He and his team won first prize for the company, Internorm.

The second prize went to Business Upper Austria’s project group. It focussed on strengthening the resilience of Upper Austria and its industry.

The Hilti team reached third place by developing an alternative concept for employee benefits in the form of an app-based cafeteria system.

Initiator, Margarethe Überwimmer, is proud of the results: „Everyone put in a great performance. The atmosphere was excellent and the participants were totally engaged. The InnoCamp36® stands for networking between the University of Applied Sciences, businesses, students and pupils.”

THAT WAS InnoCamp36® 2019 - 29TH / 30TH NOVEMBER 2019:
Creative, interdisciplinary solutions for the future

Even at FH OÖ Campus Steyr’s fourth InnoCamp36®, exceptional solution concepts for the participating companies were developed once again.

In the fourth round of the InnoCamp36, created by the study programmes Global Sales and Marketing / Campus Steyr, which took place on the 29th and 30th November 2019, students from 18 different countries gave free reign to their creativity. Eight renowned companies from the B2B and B2C sectors made use of the opportunity to let international groups of students drive their innovation challenges forward with a creative, interdisciplinary approach. The students and pupils used the latest creativity techniques and applied theoretical concepts from business economics to develop unique solutions, worthy of practical implementation. The Internorm team won first prize by developing differentiating, “After Sales Service Tools” for the window of the future.

“The InnoCamp36® offers students and pupils the opportunity to collaborate innovatively with successful companies on topics of the future, generating creative ideas and making them marketable. The extraordinary dedication of the participating companies and individuals is unique and offers both sides cooperation opportunities to strengthen the economy for the future,” said initiator Margarethe Überwimmer.

The 66 participants had 36 hours in which to process their challenge and present their results. The tasks were set by the renowned, globally operating companies: Emporia, Internorm, Leitz, Lely, Rubble Master HMH, Silhouette International, Sprecher Automation and voestalpine. Each team had exactly 360 seconds in which to present its project to the high-calibre jury of managers from the participating companies:

The jury ranked the Internorm project group in first place, with the topic, after sales services for windows. The second place went to the Emporia project group with a new market launch concept. The Leitz team made it into third place with a standardized product and service marketing tool.

That was InnoCamp36® 2015

Initially launched by the FH OÖ Faculty of Management Steyr in 2013 the 4th and 5th of November 2015 was the third year of "InnoCamp36®" where students from 20 nations let their creativity run wild. Ten well-known companies from the region took the opportunity to discover new and innovative ideas of the project groups. Students and pupils expertly tackled the myriad issues of the companies involved. The first place went to the team of Rubble Master which prepared exciting solutions for future business models. "The InnoCamp36® is a great way for the university, companies, students and pupils to network and strengthen the already excellent cooperation which exists between businesses and the FH OÖ Faculty of Management in Steyr," said Dean Margarethe Überwimmer.

The 90 participants had 36 hours to prepare their projects and present them. The tasks come from well-known international companies, including Rosenbauer, emporia, Engel, SKF, TGW and Voithofer & Partner. Each group had to present their project to the jury within just 360 seconds.

Project around social media and mobile apps awarded first place
The jury awarded first place to the project group of the company Rubble Master. The students and three pupils from the HTL 1 Construction & Design Linz, developed a concept concerning how social media and mobile apps can contribute to the success of the company. The hard work of the winner was rewarded with a lucrative prize. 

The second prize went to the project group of the Technology and Innovation Centre Steyr. It was about a vision for an "International Welcome Center" in Steyr, which is intended for international skilled labour but also for immigrants who are already living in Steyr.

The 3rd place went to the team managed by Voithofer & Partner with a marketing plan for a product which provides broadband data connections in places where the wireless network is no longer sufficient for data transmission.

FH-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Margarethe Überwimmer, Dean of FH OÖ Campus Steyr is completely satisfied with the results of InnoCamp36®: "Everyone did a magnificent job. The atmosphere was excellent and the participants were totally committed". She is proud of the international nature of the event. In total there were students from 20 different nations so only English was spoken in the teams and during the presentations. "The InnoCamp36® stands for the networking of the FH OÖ, businesses, students and pupils," says the dean.

About InnoCamp36®
InnoCamp36® was initiated by the Dean, Margarethe Überwimmer at FH OÖ Faculty of Management in Steyr and together with the organizer DI (FH) Friedrich Bauinger, ten companies and each project group of nine to ten members - including students, exchange students and pupils - were motivated to participate. The groups have 36 hours to work out their ideas on the issues raised by the companies and have to present them in 360 seconds before the jury. The prize money was from the Steyr FH Association (Förderverein) chaired by the Mayor Gerald Hackl and the participating companies.

 

Statements:
"Exciting topics, highly motivated team players and a great atmosphere are the ingredients for a new staging of this event in 2016."
Friedrich Bauinger, organizer of InnoCamp36®

"We are proud of our InnoCamp36® project team. Students and pupils from different nations have generated exciting and innovative solutions for future business models around the core product "Mobile Crushers". We are delighted to put the ideas and content into practice in the future. "
Gerald Hanisch, CEO of Rubble Master

"The InnoCamp36® is a great platform to connect with exciting companies and to get in contact with students and pupils from different nations to solve problems of the future."
Student Laura Casati (23) from Ancona in Italy, won with her team the 1st prize for the company Rubble Master

"This year we participated for the first time in InnoCamp36® because we believe in the creativity of the students, pupils and students from several nations working with very different educational backgrounds on the project, we encourage students to think in terms of business models and markets and want them to experience the entrepreneurial spirit of startups: You can thus be part of a start-up! “
Paul Voithofer, Managing Partner of Voithofer + Partner Consulting GmbH

"emporia is participating in InnoCamp36® for the 2nd time . We see InnoCamp36® as an opportunity to get innovative ideas and unconventional approaches from the students. It is always amazing how much is done in such a short time by the students, how professionally the solutions are worked out and all that without tunnel vision and pragmatic showstoppers as always happens in everyday professional life. Most important for us is the transfer of solutions to our company, which worked well in the past year. "
Karin Schaumberger CMO / CSO of emporia Telecom GmbH & Co. KG

"The InnoCamp36® provides room for creativity and fresh ideas. I'm excited about the commitment and potential of the students who have worked out such exciting solutions for our personnel marketing. "
Michael Grininger, HR of Engel Austria GmbH

"The exciting aspect of InnoCamp36® are the fresh ideas and innovations. For us as a company it is important to recognize the latest trends in time. The fact that there is a competition with time pressure rounds it all off. "
Michael Friedmann, SVP Global Customer Service & Product Management at Rosenbauer International AG

THAT WAS INNOCAMP36® 2014

On the Steyr Campus of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria students from 20 countries have been looking for innovative ideas and solutions together with students from the region.  The “customers” were eight renowned companies from different industries. The first place was taken by project group of the globally operating company Trumpf with a training model of the future. The tasks set by companies were as diverse and as colourful as the eight teams at the „InnoCamp36®“ which was carried out in English at the Faculty of Management. Alongside Trumpf were Engel, Emporia, SKF, LineMetrics, MC Technology, ZF, Rubble Master and die Bio-Hofbäckerei Mauracher. They wanted innovative ideas for developing the business issues of the future, 70 young "thinkers" from 20 nations were allowed to give free rein to their thoughts. For exactly 36 hours.

The jury awarded the first place to the project group Trumpf. What was needed was the optimal training agenda of the future. The concept which the students came up with envisages an online training course that prepares employees for the actual training. "In training courses spend a lot of time focusing on basic knowledge. That costs time and money. Our model ensures that the employee - for example, in Brazil - uses a special software on their own to bring themselves up to the required level of knowledge. The time in Austria can then be used efficiently for the actual training, "explains team member Gerald Badegruber, student at Steyr UAS degree "Global Sales and management". "Our service technicians are working worldwide providing training across time zones and language barriers. The concept presented at InnoCamp36® has convincing solutions that we will certainly pick up on, "says Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Stefanie Lasselsberger Trumpf Maschinen Austria in Pasching.

The second prize went to the project group of the company Emporia. They presented the Linz company with a marketing concept for the new smartphone for seniors. An innovative marketing concept for the products of the Mühlviertler Bio Hofbäckerei Mauracher made it to third place.

These 36 hours required creativity, team spirit and perseverance," says Dr. Margarethe Überwimmer, Dean at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria and director of the programme "Global Sales and Managament". For her InnoCamp36® is ideal, because it is an innovative platform. “Students, pupils and companies benefit from participation in the camp. If these go out and lateral thinking is made possible, many ideas are generated. And many ideas lead to great ideas."

In order to develop these ideas, innovations and solutions the teams were allowed to use technical tools and task-specific materials which the company had made available. In addition, each team was allocated a so-called innovation coach. Finally, the team summarized their entire project phase in a comprehensible and clear way and the documentation was handed over to the CEOs personally or to their representatives.

The second staging of "InnoCamp36®" was supported by Fachhochschulförderverein Steyr, the patronage was held by Dr. Michael Strugl and Regional Research Minister, Mag. Doris Hummer.

SAP supported the event generously with four employees who provided the team with valuable input from the design thinking process.