Winners of the Fribourg Innovation Prize
On November 9, 2022, the canton of Fribourg honored its most innovative companies. The Prix Entreprise was won by Comet SA based in Flamatt, the Prix Start-up was awarded to Neuria from Fribourg after a public vote, and the Prix Economie Durable, for the first time this year, went to the project presented by PMF-System based in Marly. The awards ceremony with the nine finalists took place at Forum Fribourg and was also broadcast live.
The Prix à l'innovation du canton de Fribourg is awarded every two years by the Promotion économique du canton de Fribourg and the Banque cantonale de Fribourg. This year, the event was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Promotion économique cantonale, founded in 1971. Olivier Curty, President of the Conseil d'État, said at the awards ceremony: "Over the past five decades, Fribourg's economic development agency has done an exemplary job. For their part, the finalists of this Innovation Prize are impressive for their capacity for innovation and their breathtaking level of competence, and also for the diversity of the projects presented. They testify to the extraordinary potential of our canton."
Comet: new X-ray technology for testing electric vehicle batteries
Comet was awarded the 10,000 franc Prix Entreprise by Daniel Wenger, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Banque Cantonale de Fribourg. The company has developed a completely new technology for X-ray sources, enabling batteries for electric cars to be tested more efficiently.
When it comes to defective batteries that can trigger fires, the surest way of detecting production faults is X-ray inspection. However, traditional solutions are only suitable to a limited extent: either they make production errors visible, but the modules are not suitable for the industrial environment, or the solutions are suitable for production, but the image quality is insufficient. Comet's MesoFocus X-ray technology enables batteries to be accurately tested in an industrial environment. The result is long-life batteries and enhanced safety for electric vehicle users.
With this year's Enterprise Award, the jury honors a technology project that provides a practical answer to a highly topical and relevant problem. With its new MesoFocus X-ray technology, Comet not only enhances safety in the field of electromobility, but also opens up a new market with the automotive industry.
Start-up Awards: jury and public vote Neuria the winner
The winner of the Start-up Award was Neuria, the company that received the most votes. The winning start-up was chosen by the jury and the public. Since the finalists were announced a month ago, the public has been able to vote, and those who watched the awards ceremony were also able to vote by SMS.
Neuria of Fribourg has developed a digital therapy hidden in video games to improve eating habits. Conventional approaches to treating overweight rely on prescribing restrictive diets. As these diets often involve fighting cravings, and are frustrating to control over the long term, they fail in 90% of cases. Neuria has turned the paradigm on its head with the discovery of a way to modify food preferences. The start-up has identified cognitive tasks whose repeated practice induces targeted brain plasticity in the brain's reward circuits, thereby reducing the appeal of unhealthy foods. As a result, less unhealthy food is consumed, and weight is naturally reduced. Training tasks are "hidden" in smartphone video games, so all you have to do is play, and your health improves without even realizing it.
The Start-up Prize, endowed with 30ʼ000 francs, was presented by the President of the Conseil d'Etat Olivier Curty, who chairs the jury of the Prix à l'innovation du canton de Fribourg.
PMF-System wins first Sustainable Economy Award
Marly-based PMF-System has won the canton of Fribourg's very first Sustainable Economy Prize, endowed with 10,000 francs. The company has developed a digital assembly assistant for SMEs and sheltered workshops. Leave no one behind: this is one of the messages of the Agenda 2030 for sustainability. PMF-System's digital assembly assistant opens the doors of the job market to disabled people too. The opportunity for sheltered workshops to expand their services and for small and medium-sized manufacturers to gain in efficiency is the direct impact enabled by this digital assistant.
The Prix Economie Durable was presented by Chantal Robin, Director of the Fribourg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIF) and member of the jury. The prize is awarded jointly by the CCIF, the Service de l'énergie and the Promotion économique du canton de Fribourg.
Source : innovation-fribourg.ch
