TUM Student Teams Win Top Two Spots at EuroTeQaThon 2025 with Sustainability and Social Impact Innovations

TUM Student Teams Win Top Two Spots at EuroTeQaThon 2025 with Sustainability and Social Impact Innovations

(IN BRIEF) TUM student teams have taken first and second place at the EuroTeQaThon 2025 in Eindhoven for innovative projects addressing global and local challenges. First-place winners BioThermoBox designed a banana-fiber mobile cooler to help Ugandan farmers reduce crop spoilage, while runner-up BRIQ created an energy-efficient carboniser producing biochar from agricultural waste. Another finalist, Mobility for Offliners, developed transport solutions for senior citizens without smartphones. The projects highlight sustainability, cross-cultural collaboration, and alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals.

(PRESS RELEASE) MUNICH, 11-Aug-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — TUM student teams have claimed the top two positions at the EuroTeQaThon 2025 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, showcasing creative solutions to pressing global and local challenges. The competition, part of the EuroTeQ Collider initiative, gathers students from across Europe to design and present projects that address societal issues through interdisciplinary, cross-cultural collaboration.

The first-place BioThermoBox team—Jakob Hirschfeld, Qiuyi Dong, and Ziwei Shi—partnered with Ugandan NGO Tukule Foundation to tackle post-harvest food loss among smallholder farmers in eastern Uganda. Their innovation, a mobile cooling box made from recycled banana fibers, is designed to be sustainable, durable, and locally producible. This solution aims to help farmers protect their crops from spoilage in high heat, significantly reducing waste and increasing income. The design was refined through surveys and direct engagement with local stakeholders.

Taking second place, BRIQ collaborated with the same NGO to create an energy-efficient carboniser that transforms agricultural waste into biochar. This substance enriches soil, stores carbon dioxide, and can be processed into affordable charcoal briquettes, offering farmers an environmentally responsible alternative to traditional charcoal production.

A third TUM team, Mobility for Offliners, also reached the finals with a project improving transport accessibility for senior citizens in Eching, near Munich. Their solution integrates personalised maps, visible signage, and organised group outings to help older adults navigate public transport confidently without smartphones.

Although each project addresses different challenges, they share a commitment to sustainability, social responsibility, and teamwork. The EuroTeQ Collider approach emphasises challenge-based learning, linking students with external partners such as NGOs, municipalities, and start-ups, while aligning their efforts with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

For BioThermoBox, the EuroTeQaThon marks the start of a longer journey. The team plans to test a prototype in Uganda with local students to ensure the solution’s practicality and effectiveness in real-world conditions. Participants also reflected on the value of intercultural communication, global networking, and developing skills that extend far beyond the competition.

The EuroTeQaThon is the flagship event of the EuroTeQ Engineering University, an alliance of leading technical universities from eight European countries. For the TUM participants, it was not only a contest but a transformative experience to create meaningful, lasting change.

Further information and links

• Learn more about the EuroTeQ Collider
• EuroTeQ course catalogue: Studying within the EuroTeQ network
• Visit the EuroTeQ Engineering University website

Media Contact:

Natalie Neudert
natalie.neudert@tum.de

SOURCE: Technical University of Munich