Yesterday evening, IONYS AG was granted the 2012 Step Award in the “Processes” category in Frankfurt. The Step Award competition initiated by the F.A.Z. Institute for Innovation Projects and Infraserv Höchst is granted to innovative, high-growth enterprises in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The jury was convinced by IONYS AG’s business concept for the development of innovative and long-lived construction materials.
It is one of the objectives of IONYS AG to enhance the sustainability of bridges, tunnels, airports, and other technical infrastructure facilities by using new high-performance materials. An example is a gel that extends the service life of bridges when applied to the concrete. Such materials help reduce the lifecycle costs of buildings and prevent high-expenditure and costly repair. This approach pursued by the startup of KIT and the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences won the “Processes” category in the 2012 Step Award competition. In November already did IONYS AG succeed in the competition for the State Award for Young Startups: In the competition launched by the Baden-Württemberg state government and L-Bank, the company was ranked under the top ten of more than 460 participants. More information: http://www.kit.edu/besuchen/pi_2012_12248.php.
100 companies from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland competed for this year’s Step Award of the F.A.Z. Institute for Innovation Projects and Infraserv Höchst. The competition is aimed at giving companies in the growth phase major incentives for further successful development. It is focused on the branches of chemistry, pharmaceuticals, life science, bio-/nanotechnology, medical engineering, and green technologies. The jury consists of company representatives as well as of independent experts from industry and science. Awards were granted in four other categories, the overall winner was NanoTemper GmbH.
IONYS AG, established 2008 as a spinoff of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, offers special products and services for the construction sector. The services section focuses on status analyses of construction materials and components and develops overall prevention and restoration concepts. The paramount objectives are to reduce infrastructure costs and CO2 emissions.
Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences has about 7625 students and is one of the largest universities of applied sciences in Baden-Württemberg. Apart from education, applied research plays a vital role. As regards the acquisition of third-party funding, the university is among the top universities of applied sciences in Baden-Württemberg. It cooperates closely with regional and supra-regional industry.
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.