| Success stories
Hydrogen tanks, unique saddles and disabled people as superheroes. Winners of the Ústí nad Labem Innovation Companies can succeed globally
The Innovative Company of the Ústí nad Labem Region competition annually recognizes innovations in products, services or technologies implemented in the region over the past three years. An expert jury with representatives of CzechInvest, ICUK, competition partner Komerční banka and other expert consultants selected the best corporate innovations in two categories – small and medium-sized enterprises and large enterprises.
At the gala evening on Wednesday, January 29, the awards were presented by representatives of the competition partners - Councilor of the Ústí nad Labem Region Jiří Valenta, Rector of the Jan Evangelista Purkyně University Jaroslav Koutský, Mayor of Děčín Jiří Anděl, and on behalf of the organizers, Director of the Ústí nad Labem Region Innovation Center Martin Mata.
Technology with global impact
In the large enterprise category, Chart Ferox from Děčín won for the development and production of unique tanks for storing liquefied hydrogen. The tanks are a key element of the largest planned hydrogen storage facility in the EU (Rotterdam) and strengthen the company's position as a global leader in hydrogen technologies.
"The Chart Ferox company is proof that innovations from the Ústí nad Labem region have an international impact. Their hydrogen technologies represent a promising alternative in the energy sector and demonstrate the industrial potential of our region. I am proud that projects that can change the world are being created in our region.", said ICUK director Martin Mata, who personally presented the awards to the winners.
Success in this segment opens the door for the company to ambitious projects, such as the use of hydrogen propulsion for a large cruise ship, which should set sail in 2027, or for aircraft, with the first hydrogen-powered commercial flight expected in 2035.
The company won the second place prize Investment Pulse with an innovation consisting in automating the shaping of wire leads of electrical components using three separate robots that collaborate in a controlled manner in one system in real time. The third place was taken by the company SSI Technologies for the use of artificial intelligence in the automatic inspection of soldered joints.
Practical innovations for sports, safety and industry
A company from Varnsdorf triumphed in the small and medium-sized enterprise category She was obsessed., the world's first company to produce completely custom 3D printed bicycle saddles. Their latest model brings more precise ergonomics, lower weight and greater variability and, like the winner in the large companies category, is already trading globally.
Second place went to the company Jabor, which brings a unique solution to the lack of water supplies during fires in remote areas thanks to an innovative self-supporting tank, and third place goes to the company Drone Vision, which specializes in collecting data using drones and using them for photogrammetry and 3D modeling.
"In the SME category, we saw extraordinary creativity and technological progress. The awarded companies show that innovation is not only the prerogative of large corporations, but can also come from smaller, agile teams with vision. And it is these companies that often bring the boldest ideas - not being bound by conventions gives them enormous power to change established rules and find interesting solutions," commented the successes of the award-winning jury representative Jaroslav Tichý, director of the corporate center of Komerční banka, a partner of the competition.
Turn a handicap into a superpower
A special category of the Innovative Company of the Ústí nad Labem Region competition is the Professor Jiřina Jílková Award, which recognizes a personality with an extraordinary contribution to the development of the Ústí nad Labem Region in the field of innovation.
The 2024 award went to Filip Molčan, an entrepreneur, volunteer ranger of the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, and a visionary who has long connected technological innovation, sustainability, and the inclusion of the disabled.
Filip Molčan is the founder of the IT company Good Sailors and in the current concept Gaming Heroes he is completely changing the way we look at the disabled, whose "disability" can be their strength, their superpower, for example in testing computer games or programming. He is currently heading to the USA with the project, and is trying to break through in Silicon Valley with it.
"Filip Molčan proves that innovation is not just about technological breakthroughs, but above all about people and an original way of looking at things. His ability to turn a handicap into a superpower is an inspiring example of finding new paths and pushing the boundaries of what is possible," Martin Mata, director of ICUK, added in conclusion.
The winning companies received a financial reward of CZK 50,000, commemorative plaques and the opportunity to use the Innovation Company of the Ústí nad Labem Region logo for 2024.
The competition is organized by the Innovation Center of the Ústí nad Labem Region. The main partners are the Ústí nad Labem Region and Komerční banka, the expert partner is the CzechInvest agency. Other partners are the Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem and the Regional Chamber of Commerce of the Ústí nad Labem Region. The competition is supported by the Smart Accelerator III project for the Ústí nad Labem Region, CZ.02.01.02/00/22_009/0004316 and this year it was also supported by the mayor of the host city, Jiří Anděl, at the Chateau in Děčín.
