Standards of Living Award 2023 awarded to seven founders and startups

The Living Standards Award is one of the most important Austrian awards for standardization and innovation. Yesterday’s awards ceremony took place for the first time at the 4GAMECHANGERS Festival 2023. Outstanding achievements by founders, organizations, researchers and startups were recognized in seven categories, which aim to advance both economic success and social progress through the application or development of standards.

Communication as key to finding a solution

“We have created the 2015 Standards of Living Award in order to highlight the hugely accelerated success factor of Standards. For several years, an objective trend towards ecology and digitalization has been evident in the applications submitted. These are precisely the areas that play an increasingly important role in standardization at the EU and global level, ”emphasizes Valerie Hollinger, Executive Director of Austrian Standards, the most important Austrian organization for standardization and innovation. Its goal is to find solutions to social challenges and to increase the competitiveness of the Austrian and European economy. The standards are developed in cooperation With experts from different fields and continents.

2023 Standards of Living Awards winners

After many hybrid award ceremonies in recent years, the goal for 2023 is clear: “We are positioning the award and its staff in one place that represents innovation, future and sustainability like no other in this country, namely the 4GAMECHANGERS festival,” says Höllinger happily.

George Clooney came to Vienna as a guest star at the 4Gamechangers festival

Seven winners

This year’s laureates demonstrate “how social value added criteria can lead to entrepreneurial success”. The organizers were very impressed by the ever-increasing number of submissions in the areas of sustainability and digitization.

The positive response to the topics of ethics and artificial intelligence has been particularly satisfactory. The Vienna University of Economics and Business has received one of the prestigious awards in the IEEE Standards Partner category for its project, which addresses current challenges associated with artificial intelligence. The self-developed “standard model process for addressing ethical concerns during system design” is the first standard for AI ethical system design. By means of “value-based engineering”, risks must be prevented at an early stage and the possibility of adding value in autonomous systems identified. In addition, their standard defines a set of processes that organizations can use to incorporate ethical values ​​into policy development. The IEEE 7000 standard was developed in collaboration with UNICEF Africa to build Yoma platform to publish.

EET – Efficient Energy Technology GmbH also managed to impress the jury in the Energy of the Future category. With “SolMate”, the Graz-based company has designed and developed the first electricity storage device with a balcony light solar panel that you can plug into the socket yourself. The core of the innovation is the “NetDetection” metering technology, which makes it possible to record the household’s energy consumption from any socket. With this smart energy, SolMate supplies the household with renewable electricity when they need it.

Founder of the Week: Solmat Solar Makers from the balcony

Other awards went to VIRTUAL VEHICLE Research GmbH in the Future Mobility category, for a robottaxi that must be able to drive autonomously in urban areas and carry passengers. Also on the list of winners: REEDuce – Noise Shielding Technologies in the Future Infrastructure category, for an environmental noise shielding wall made of reeds, refractory films and clay developed by the startup itself, aimed at reducing noise in streets or production facilities. Lung-Diagnostics GmbH was also present in the Future Health category. The startup has developed an AI testing system that enables faster and more accurate suggestion for diagnosis, monitoring, and management to improve lung health. In the Future Logistics category this year, KNAPP AG managed to impress with a low-complexity warehouse that combines fully automated warehousing systems, robotics and artificial intelligence. Latest winners: nista.io in the Future Data category. A Vienna startup has developed data analytics software that uses artificial intelligence and sensor data to analyze and continually improve companies’ energy consumption.

nista.io: The Vienna startup makes energy saving software free for all businesses