Iva Mladenovic and Tommaso Bressa win the Italian Henkel Innovation Challenge
Two Bocconi students, Iva Mladenovic and Tommaso Bressa, have won the Italian final of the eighth Henkel Innovation Challenge, an international competition that invites university students and graduates from any discipline to develop innovative and sustainable ideas for new products or technologies in the Adhesive Technologies, Beauty Care and Laundry & Home Care sectors.
Both 22-year old students of Marketing Management, Iva and Tommaso convinced the jury with the project CyanoFix, an innovative application in the medical technology of cyano acrylate. The goal of the project is to use the adhesives to increase the effectiveness of surgery and treat diseases typical of the Western world, such as those of the cardiovascular system.
In the vision of the two students, in 2050 it will be possible to inject an adhesive directly into the bloodstream of the patient, activate it in a smart way and repair internal injuries, such as in the case of bleeding in the brain.
Four of the ten finalist teams were composed of Bocconi students.
"The jury", reads an Henkel statement, "acknowledged the excellent construction of the project and the team's ability to imagine the needs of people in 2050, and the solutions that technology will make available".
"The quality of the projects submitted this year was particularly high. We were once again amazed by the ability of students to step into the shoes of the innovators of the future, developing original ideas and well argue them", said Ambrogio Dossena, project coordinator for Human Resources Henkel Italy. "This year the participants have placed particular emphasis on the digital dimension of the projects, demonstrating the fact that innovation is also a matter of new languages ​​and modes of communication".
Italy this year counted 48 participating teams; 10 were selected for the national final which was held at the Henkel headquarters in Milan. Each team was mentored by an Henkel manager who followed the whole preparation and provided assistance and advice. The students were able to develop a valuable field experience, working in contact with the company and using its resources, including e-learning sessions and webinars.
Iva and Tommaso will now have to prepare for the international final of the competition, to be held in Vienna from 8 to 11 April, with students from 28 countries.
The winning team will be awarded a ticket for a trip around the world worth 10,000 euro. The second and the third team will also receive travel vouchers. The three winning teams will also have the opportunity to meet Kasper Rorsted, CEO of Henkel, and submit their innovative projects to him.