Significant change story: STARTUP

What is the most significant change you experienced during ILCA-project life-time?

Why you consider this as the most important?

LITHUANIA

Vilnius College of Technologies and Design

PhD. Alytis Gruodis, MB MISKANTAS Researcher

“The project in which Miskantas is participating is very challenging. Miskantas is working on applying artificial neural networks to solve very complex technological problems. In this case, the challenge is predicting the emissions of a diesel engine. Emissions such as CO, CO2, NO, NO2, and opacity can be measured, but measuring them requires burning large amounts of fuel. Neural networks can be used to make predictions, providing a more efficient alternative.

Our primary challenge was to take a large amount of raw data related to diesel fuel combustion and organize it into clusters from both technological and chemical perspectives. We then trained a neural network on this clustered data. Initially, the neural network’s performance was poor. However, by refining the network—discarding irrelevant parameters and adding significant ones from both technical and chemical standpoints—we were able to improve its accuracy significantly. Now, the neural network can predict emissions with an accuracy close to 90%. This achievement represents a major innovation, allowing for accurate predictions at minimal cost. It enables the mixing of different quantities of diesel fuel with various chemical additives to optimize combustion and reduce emissions. It’s important to note that the ILCA team collaborates with Miskantas on this project, highlighting a valuable partnership that fosters innovation.

While the future value of this innovation remains to be seen, it holds great potential given the critical importance of emissions reduction in modern society. I am very optimistic and believe that the ILCA team is also proud of its contributions.“

FINLAND

Savonia University of Applied Sciences

Arezoo Rahmani, Co-founder WonderBee Oy

“Hello, my name is Arezoo. I am one of the Co-founders of WonderBee Oy. We are a startup company who are developing superfood for honeybees. Our product is a novel product and it’s a pollen substitute which has this probiotic effect, it’s highly nutrition and have this probiotic effect will increase the immune system of the honeybees. So, we are helping the bees, trying to save them. We were one of the teams participating in the ILCA program and our main goal was to find some collaborators for our project. We were looking for some collaborator to develop our idea and process this patenting. So, during the project we had a chance to discuss with some expert and had some meeting to clear up our strategies. And there was a kind of meeting that we had the chance to meet other members of the ILCA from other countries. It was very interesting. I think the most significant part of this eco-project for us was meeting the other members and getting to know that what kind of experience they have and what kind of project they are dealing with and if we could get any collaboration, which ended up to find some contacts.

And yeah, and this process is in progress. Thank you! “

ROMANIA

University of Suceava

Georgiana Păstrăv, Vatra Boierească (Entrepreneur/Business)

“My name is Georgiana Păstrăv, owner of Vatra Boierească in Cacica, and at the invitation of Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava, I participated in the ILCA project with the aim of improving our skills and acquiring new knowledge. We organized a series of events at our premises, Vatra Boierească, where we hosted distinguished guests. During these events, we discussed our achievements and potential improvements, generating new ideas and receiving expert recommendations. Additionally, I was invited to Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava, where I spoke to master’s and doctoral students about thisproject, its impact on me, and the business I manage. The highlight, I would say, was the meeting with the project representatives, during which we had an in-depth discussion for over three hours about my business and ways to add and develop value“.

UKRAINE (CYFNU)

Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University

Lesya Opatska

“Hello, my name is Lesya Opatska and I am a representative of the Cemylo project. I was invited to participate in the Innovation Week as part of the ILCA project. What was valuable for me at this project, was that I saw a space and a community that is interested in ecology and eco-goods. Together with other speakers, we tried to show students the importance and necessity of small steps that lead to big changes in the environmental crisis that we are currently facing. The most important thing for me in this project was to see young people who are aware and offer creative, bold innovative ideas for various changes that will lead to an improvement in the environmental situation. Because nowadays, both pupils and students understand the seriousness of this. In times of full-scale war, there are great threats of ecosystem pollution, and our conscious youth fully assumes responsibility, they are ready to create, ready to create new means to clean up our land, our territory. I hope that the whole ecosystem of our world will be, so I thank the project for the opportunity it has given us, as business representatives, to be inspired by our youth, and the youth who can reach their full potential through this project.“

Thank you!

UKRAINE (KDU)

King Danylo University

Sergiy Maksymiuk, Head of New Energy LLC

“The ILCA project gave our startup the opportunity to experience a new approach to innovation and sustainable development. After the expert assistance, that took place within the project, we opened new products. First we created educational stands for students exploring which they were able to see technologies and innovations to see technologies and innovations in a new way within the “green” transition. We also attracted new partnerships and new grants for an educational project for schoolchildren where we held workshops, hackathons and educational events in the field of energy efficiency.

This change was extremely significant for our business as it affected its success and sustainability. Firstly we increased the number of visitors. We attracted new partnerships and grants. We have increased the financial income of our business. We also slightly changed our positioning in the market, moving closer to the market leader. Well, this change actually allowed us to fulfill our mission of sustainable development and adaptation to climate change.“

BULGARIA

University of Forestry

Silyan Ivanov, co-founder of Carbony

“The project has had a transformative impact on my company”

“The project has had a transformative impact on my company. It played a crucial role in resolving significant technical challenges impeding the project’s progress, ultimately determining whether the project would fail or succeed.“

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