Houska Prize Review 2025

Award ceremony and winners

University category

1 Prize

Project:	1st Prize: Neglected but with Tremendous Impact: Small Automotive Drives
Institution:	TU Graz/Electric Drives and Power Electronic Systems Institute
Project lead:	Univ.-Prof.in. Dr.in-Ing.in Annette Mütze

2 Prize

Project:	2nd Prize: Intelligent Operating Strategies for Fuel Cell Vehicles
Institution:	TU Wien/Institute of Mechanics and Mechatronics
Project lead:	Assoc.-Prof. DI Dr. Christoph Hametner

3 Prize

Project:	3rd Prize: ELAN – Innovative Laser Technology für Advanced Science and Industry
Institution:	TU Wien/Photonics Institute
Project lead:	Univ.-Prof. Dr. Andrius Baltuska

Non-university category

1 Prize

Project:	1st Prize: MEDUSA – Sustainable Multi-Megawatt Medium-Voltage Fast Charging
Institution:	AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
Project lead:	Univ.-Prof. Dr. Markus Makoschitz

Houskapreis 2025 - 2. Platz Hochschulforschung: Jürgen Lackern (Mitte) und Team vom Joanneum Research, Erich Hampel (B&C, re.), Foto: Alexander Müller

2 Prize

Project:	2nd Prize: Electrical Conductive Wood Surfaces for Sustainable Interior Design
Institution:	Joanneum Research
Project lead:	DI DDr. Jürgen M. Lackner

3 Prize

Project:	3rd Prize: Optimization of the Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) in Austria
Institution:	Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Osteology
Project lead:	Assoc.-Prof. PD DDr. Roland Kocijan

Research & Development in SMEs category

1 Prize

Project:	1st Prize: TricValve – Transcatheter Bicaval Valve System
Company:	P+F PRODUCTS + FEATURES GmbH
Project lead:	Prof. Dr. Siegfried Einhellig

2 Prize

Project:	CIT – Real-time Food Sorting via Chemical Imaging
Company:	Insort GmbH
Project lead:	DI Matthias Jeindl, DI.in Judith Lammer, DI Dr. Markus Schlagbauer

3 Prize

Project:	3rd Prize: Zero Waste Insect-Protein Factory
Company:	Livin Farms AgriFood GmbH
Project lead:	Katharina Unger

Houska Prize Winners Club

Networking platform for prize winners

Deepening ties and expanding the level of cooperation between universities and private research facilities is one of the B&C Private Foundation’s core goals. And to help achieve this over the long term, B&C set up the Houska Prize Winners Club in 2018. The aim is to promote exchange between business, science and research that goes beyond the annual Houska Prize award ceremony. All of the project owners and academics to have won the Houska Prize to date are members of an exclusive group of leading Austrian researchers.

Club