Project teams from nine European universities presented innovative solutions to real challenges before a jury when the European innovation competition Euroteqathon was held at the innovation hub DTU Skylab.
The best pitches and poster presentations were celebrated and awarded prizes. But throughout the innovation programme, which is held as part of the European university partnership Euroteq, the focus was just as much on collaboration as on competition:
“Euroteq is really about bringing people together, learning from each other, and learning from our differences,” said Jens Øllgaard Duus, Associate Dean for Education at DTU, before announcing the winners to a packed room.
Learning across universities
In the run-up to and alongside the students’ innovation competition, a group of 31 educators and staff members took part in a workshop where they exchanged experiences with teaching entrepreneurship and innovation.
Three of the workshop participants all point to the same key value of the university partnership: Euroteq provides the universities with a shared framework, while allowing room for different ways of working. The students come from different disciplines, countries, and educational cultures, but meet around the same task: translating broad, real challenges into concrete solutions.
For Akos Wetters from TU/e, Eindhoven University of Technology, the competition is not only about winning over the other teams, but about the students becoming “the best version” of themselves, and ultimately creating value for the people who may benefit from their solutions.
The workshop provided Ilya Eigenbrot from EPFL, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, with practical inspiration, such as concrete and useful ideas for composing project teams next year.
For Peter Finger from TUM, Technical University of Munich, the innovation programme leading up to Euroteqathon is part of Euroteq’s broader ambition to modernize engineering education by learning from other universities rather than working alone. As he puts it, collaboration makes teaching stronger:
“It makes you a stronger educator if you have friends and people around you who understand what you are working on and who can support you in your development.”
DTU team wins with solution for flexible energy consumption
DTU participated in Euroteqathon 2026 with three student teams. One of them, Peak Response, won its pitch group with a solution that connects existing solar cell batteries in private homes to energy markets.
For team member Sebastian Kaels Vigh, the competition was an opportunity to take the next step towards turning the idea into a real startup:
“We saw it as a good opportunity to continue working on the project and get feedback. We received ideas for funding opportunities, open-source software, and accessible design. The latter can help us make the product easier to use and accessible to a broader group of people,” he said.
According to Sebastian Kaels Vigh, the best part - apart from winning - was meeting other teams that are also working with energy startups. The most demanding part was sharpening the pitch so that it fit the competition format and could convince the jury.
