91桃色

How can smallholder farmers in eastern Uganda transport their fresh fruit and vegetables without them spoiling in 95-degree heat? That鈥檚 the question driving Jakob Hirschfeld, Qiuyi Dong, and Ziwei Shi. The three TUM students form the BioThermoBox team 鈥� and find a simple, smart answer that secures them first place at the EuroTeQaThon 2025. 

In collaboration with the Ugandan NGO Tukule Foundation, they design a concept for a mobile cooler made from recycled banana fibers 鈥� sustainable, durable, and locally producible. Their aim is to help farmers who lose significant portions of their harvest due to heat and inadequate packaging. A survey with local stakeholders helps the team better understand the needs on the ground. 鈥淭he idea grew step by step,鈥� says Qiuyi Dong. 鈥淚t was exciting to see how it developed into something that could really work.鈥� 

Learning with real impact: from Uganda to Munich 

This year, 16 teams at TUM entered the Collider phase, with eight of them qualifying for the local finals. There, the jury selected the EnviroLink team for the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp at the renowned IESE Business School in Barcelona 鈥� a real springboard for further developing their project with international support and perhaps even laying the foundation for a start-up. Three teams made it to the European final event in Eindhoven 鈥� alongside the winning team, also the runners-up BRIQ and the project Mobility for Offliners. 

BRIQ also worked with the Tukule Foundation 鈥� on an energy-efficient carboniser. This device converts agricultural waste into biochar, also known as plant charcoal. Biochar improves soil quality, stores CO鈧�, and can be processed into charcoal briquettes. It promotes more sustainable charcoal production with a technology that is affordable and practical for smallholder farmers. 

The Mobility for Offliners team worked in the municipality of Eching near Munich. Its mission: better mobility solutions for senior citizens. Their approach combines traditional sources of information with digital coordination and personal support: Individually designed maps, clearly visible information boards, and group outings are intended to help older adults navigate public transport safely 鈥� entirely without a smartphone. 

Thinking ahead together 鈥� across borders

Three very different projects 鈥� and yet they have much in common: the courage to tackle complex problems, the determination to help shape societal change, and the realization that good solutions only emerge as a team. 鈥淚 now know how important communication is in intercultural collaboration,鈥� notes Qiuyi Dong.

This is precisely what keeps the projects alive: exchange across disciplines, cultures, languages 鈥� and even continents. They take shape through dialogue with external partners such as start-ups, NGOs, or municipalities and are aligned with the United Nations鈥� Sustainable Development Goals.

For BioThermoBox and other teams, the competition is only the beginning: 鈥淲e now want to explore how we can test a prototype on site in Uganda,鈥� explains Jakob Hirschfeld. 鈥淭o do this, we will work with students in Uganda to develop a truly suitable solution.鈥�

Challenge-based learning in the EuroTeQ network

The EuroTeQ Collider is a challenge-based learning initiative of the EuroTeQ Engineering University 鈥� an alliance of technical universities from eight European countries. Its highlight is the EuroTeQaThon: the European final competition where the best teams present their innovations each year. 鈥淚t was inspiring to meet so many international students and their challenges. A unique experience I would wish for everyone,鈥� says Jakob Hirschfeld.

Angela Wester, EuroTeQ Collider coordinator at TUM, sums up the core idea of the format: 鈥淭he journey of the student teams shows how challenge-based learning creates sustainable networks 鈥� not only of knowledge, but also of people, shared goals, and Europe鈥檚 potential.鈥� Her colleague Diane Baumer, responsible for EuroTeQ start-ups, adds: 鈥淚n the process, the students develop key competencies for taking on social responsibility.鈥�