The fourth Clausthal University of Technology ideas competition was once again organized by the joint startup service of Clausthal University of Technology and the Goslar Region Economic Development Agency (WiReGo) and provided a platform for innovative projects—once again featuring entries in English. At the closing ceremony on March 5, 2026, the jury selected three winning teams.

With 18 entries, the competition set a new record this year. Eight projects made it to the finals and presented their ideas to the audience and jury at the Clausthal-Zellerfeld Startup Center. The jury consisted of Iris Seeber (Volksbank im Harz eG), Samet Kibar (CLZ Startup Center), Christian Schäfer (Fels Werke GmbH), and Michael Reiß (Holos Excellence), as well as, for the first time, Prof. Dr. Ani Melkonyan-Gottschalk (Clausthal University of Technology).

Another special highlight of the evening was a guest lecture by Emil Alkountar, founder of or et vin—a perfume startup that was founded right here in Clausthal-Zellerfeld. With his personal entrepreneurial journey, he captivated and inspired the participants and impressively demonstrated the potential that lies within Clausthal as a hub for startups.

The eight finalist teams showcased the wide range of topics in this year’s competition, with a strong focus on AI: QuinAir (innovative air-redox flow battery for seasonal energy storage), Rotor (recycling of fiberglass-reinforced plastic rotor blades from wind turbines), Clara (AI-assisted voice documentation for nursing care), Peregrine Dynamics (AI-assisted morphing wing for drones), LV2CAD (AI-assisted shop floor planning based on bills of materials), Norscope (offline augmented reality for industrial maintenance), sortIQ.ai (AI-based pre-sorting of electronic waste), and OptiLift (intelligent, demand-driven elevator control).

1st Place

QuinAir

QuinAir is revolutionizing seasonal energy storage with a novel combination of redox flow and metal-air batteries. The technology aims for extremely low costs of less than 34 €/kWh as well as high energy densities, thereby addressing a key bottleneck in the energy transition: the seasonal storage of solar power.

Dr.-Ing. Marina Becker, Dr.-Ing. Maik Becker

2nd Place

Rotor

Rotor is developing a continuous pyrolysis process for the material recovery of GRP rotor blades from wind turbines. The idea: Instead of climate-damaging downcycling in the cement industry, glass fibers as well as oil and gas fractions are recovered from real, heterogeneous rotor blade materials—a true recycling pathway for a previously unsolved disposal challenge in the wind industry.

Maximilian Feyrer, Philipp von Güldenstubbe

3rd Place

Clara

Clara solves a pressing problem in everyday nursing care: time-consuming documentation. A hands-free, voice-activated AI system enables nursing staff to document care directly while on the job. Spoken content is transcribed, semantically analyzed, structured, and transferred into nursing software in compliance with guidelines—multilingual, capable of offline use, and compliant with data protection regulations.

Zaki Hussein, Dominik Schulz, Prof. Dr. David Unbehaun

A special sign of recognition this year: The jury was so impressed by the quality of all eight finalist teams that it unanimously expressed interest in a follow-up meeting. In about six months, the jury members would like to learn how the projects have progressed and are offering the teams further personal support in the process. The Clausthal University of Technology’s startup service is organizing this event—a strong signal of the sustainable networking between academia, business, and the startup culture in the region.