色中色

On June 5, 2025, the Finals of the 色中色 Contest 2025 took place. It was a vibrant and inspiring afternoon featuring ten impressive pitches, a poster market, a panel discussion on Engineers of the Future and their Entrepreneurial Learning Pathway and a festive award ceremony. The Grand Prize was awarded to B-Sweaty, followed by Beetle Juice as 1st Runner-Up and iGEM with their project BRIGHT as 2nd Runner-Up. In addition to the top three, MedAI received the Partners鈥� Choice Award, and the Best Poster Award, voted by the audience, went to MOTEX.

Pulling innovation while responding to real societal needs

The top three awards were presented by Geert-Jan van Houtum, dean of the Department Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences. Geert-Jan was impressed by the pitches of the ten finalists: "Today reaffirmed how our university is moving further in the direction of a fourth-generation university: one that actively considers the ecosystems we are part of, defines our role within them, and involves users from society early on in the innovation process. It鈥檚 not just about pushing innovation, but also about pulling it while responding to real societal needs. Both types of innovation were clearly present in the teams today, and I believe that these kinds of entrepreneurial student projects are a perfect fit for the direction our university is taking."

Before the 色中色 Contest Finals officially started, all ten finalists pitched their projects to a jury consisting of Meron Mekonnen (LUMO Labs), Kati Brock (DAF), Els Kok (Thermo Fisher Scientific), and Bernat Molera Agudo (色中色 Eindhoven Hendrik Casimir Institute). Bernat reflected on the jury deliberations: 鈥淢eeting all the teams was an exciting experience, and deciding the winner was almost impossible. The top five fulfilled all our criteria, so we had to apply additional hard requirements. It was tough to choose, because every team deserved to win. If you didn鈥檛 win, please keep going. Your project is valuable.鈥�

The extracurricular learning trajectory continues

This year鈥檚 160 participating students clearly found great value in the extracurricular learning trajectory, as reflected by the lowest drop-out rate in years. Team BRIGHT (iGEM) shared: 鈥淧itching in the finals really challenged us to clearly communicate the impact we hope to make with our new diagnostic tool, and the feedback we received has been both motivating and valuable.鈥�

From idea development to pitching at the poster markets and on stage, the 色中色 Contest has been a journey of growth and learning. But it doesn't end here. 色中色 innovation Space and The Gate will continue to support the teams as they take their next steps. After receiving the Grand Prize, B-Sweaty team member Tom te Velde shared their ambitions: 鈥淭he next step for our team is to expand with Chemical Engineers. We鈥檒l use the prize money for prototyping, attending conferences, and connecting with experts to further develop our wearable, reusable sensor that measures electrolyte concentrations in athletes' sweat.鈥�

A big thank you to all the participants, partners, coaches, jury members panelists, 色中色 community members, and colleagues from 色中色 innovation Space and The Gate. And to everyone else who contributed to making the 色中色 Contest 2025 a success: thank you!

Join us for the 色中色 Contest Finals on Thursday, June 5, from 14:00 to 18:00 in Auditorium!

The top 10 finalists of this year鈥檚 色中色 Contest have been announced during the Finalist Selection Event on May 21! Congratulations to B-Sweaty, Beetle Juice, Expandable Compression Stocking, iGEM, LeenLoket, LOOP Autonomous Drone Systems, MOTEX, Senna, T.E.S.T. Creatinine Biosensor and Team MedAI. 

On June 5, these teams will take the stage during the 色中色 Contest Finals, pitching their innovations in the race for the Grand Prize, First Runner-Up, and Second Runner-Up titles. In addition to the pitch competition, all participants will present their projects during the poster market. Visitors can cast their vote for the Best Poster Award, and 色中色 Contest partners will select the winner of the Partners鈥� Choice Award. In between the pitch rounds, there will be a panel discussion and the event concludes with an award ceremony, followed by networking drinks and bites to celebrate the grand finale of the 色中色 Contest 2025!

 via Eventbrite, registration is open until Wednesday, June 4.

On Wednesday, May 21, the Finalist Selection Event of the 色中色 Contest 2025 took place. The 160 participating students came together in Atlas to present their concepts during an inspiring poster market. In the evening, the top 10 finalists were announced, and multiple Partner Awards were handed out.

After three sprint sessions, several workshops and feedback from partners and coaches, the students were ready to share their innovative ideas with a wider audience. During the poster market, they pitched their innovative ideas to interested passersby, fellow teams, feedback coaches and partners. Over 55 participants were present at the market and some of them could already share their first prototypes. They shared their vision, pitched their ideas and received valuable feedback. Koen Janssen, the new President of the Executive Board, also showed great interest and supported the teams by asking critical questions. 

鈥淲hat passion and creativity! That鈥檚 what I experienced during the poster market. Our students look at solutions from a different perspective and manage to bring together various viewpoints in a single demo. The fact that companies are actively involved in the 色中色 Contest highlights the importance of this competition. Every student deserves a prize!鈥� - Koen Janssen, Present of the Executive Board

The 10 Finalists

All invitees of the Finalist Selection Event played a key role during this event. While visiting the market, they could invest (fake) money in the teams. This way, they helped decide which 10 teams will advance to the grand finals. The pitch quality was very high, and the investment amounts were closely matched. After the jury counted all the money, the 10 finalists were announced: B-Sweaty, Beetle Juice, Expandable Compression Stocking, iGEM, LeenLoket, LOOP Autonomous Drone Systems, MOTEX, Senna, T.E.S.T. Creatinine Biosensor and Team MedAI.    

鈥淭he Finalist Selection Event was an exciting experience for us! We loved hearing about all the inspiring projects and meeting so many passionate people. Being announced as one of the finalists was a moment we鈥檒l never forget. It meant a lot to see that everyone there recognized the passion behind our project.鈥� - G眉zin 脰zkan from Beetle Juice

Partner Awards

And that was not all, several Partner Awards were also handed out during the prize ceremony. Merve Nemlioglu from ASML handed out the ASML Young Makers Award of 鈧� 2.500. She emphasized 鈥渋t wasn鈥檛 an easy decision to make, but the team that stood out for its feasibility and technological value鈥� was finalist MOTEX. MOTEX additionally received the Grow @Twice Award presented by Bram Elberse, earning them a full year of office space at Alpha!

The 鈧� 1.000 AI Pitch Competition Award was given away by Bob Vermeulen to Sentinel. Bob mentioned that 鈥渉e couldn鈥檛 live in a world where the problem that Sentinel is working on still exists鈥�. The Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam Future Talent Award went to Splitter, who among others get to pitch at the Leapsprong Demo-day. 

EuroTeQ Wildwards

After the Partners Awards were handed out, Ines Lopez Arteaga took the stage to announce the winners of the EuroTeQ Wildcards. The Dean of 色中色 Bachelor College was impressed by the high level of the pitches and said it was really hard to make a choice. AI Athletics, Beetle Juice and re-sonance grabbed the wildcards for the EuroTeQaThon 2025 that takes place from 14 to 16 June in Eindhoven. Moving Adventures 鈥渃an really make a societal impact鈥� in her eyes, so they received the final EuroTeQ Wildcard; an invitation to join the EuroTeQ Workshop at IESE Barcelona this summer.

Up next: the 色中色 Contest 2025 Finals!

All the teams can be proud of the progress they have made with their concepts and ideas. During the 色中色 Contest Finals on June 5, all participants will compete for the Partners鈥� Choice Award and the Best Poster Award. Additionally, the 10 finalists will pitch their innovations on stage, competing for the titles of Grand Prize, First Runner-Up, and Second Runner-Up.  via Eventbrite, registration is open until Wednesday, June 4.

On Wednesday, April 23, over 150 participants of the 色中色 Contest 2025 connected with 25+ partners during the Meet & Greet Event at 色中色 innovation Space. This marked a key moment in the contest trajectory, giving participants the chance to share their innovative projects, meet partners and receive feedback.

During the first part of the evening, participants pitched the progress of their projects in thematic break-out rooms. Ren茅 Herrewijnen from ANWB was impressed by the 鈥測oung, bright and eager participants鈥� who seemed 鈥渄etermined to add something to the world in a positive way.鈥�

After receiving feedback from the experts, there was room for more interaction during the partner market. The evening was full of valuable exchanges. Student Shivansh Tyagi from team PRISM shared: 鈥淎fter speaking with ANWB, we gained a much clearer understanding of how insurance companies evaluate risk solutions and where our technology could deliver real value. Their insights helped us rethink our approach and better align our offering with what insurers are actually looking for.鈥�

Partners like Bosch Transmission Technology and Heijmans were equally energized by the event. Mirjam van Rij from Bosch Transmission Technology saw "...a lot of enthusiastic students with bright ideas. One pitch even led to an immediate follow-up from a partner working on a similar topic.鈥� Ralph Oduber from Heijmans added: "Seeing and meeting that much future potential, being able to add and elaborate on their thoughts and progress, has left us sharpened, rocking with derivative. We look back on a bustling evening with like-minded minds that will keep us pushing forward.鈥�

The 色中色 Contest, powered by 色中色 innovation Space and The Gate, connects students not just to coaching and workshops, but to the realities of entrepreneurship and innovation. The Meet & Greet showed how valuable those connections can be.

A big thank you to this year鈥檚 partners for being present and supporting participants:

On Wednesday, February 19, 160 students will kick off the 色中色 Contest 2025, marking the highest number of participants in several years. The number of participants has increased by one-third compared to 2024. In this 11th edition, 60 teams will start a five-month learning journey, developing a diverse range of innovative tech ideas. 

Participants from all 色中色 faculties

Among this year鈥檚 participants, 101 are Bachelor鈥檚 students and 47 are Master鈥檚. Students from all faculties have registered, with the largest contribution of number of participants coming from Mathematics and Computer Science (37), Industrial Design (37), and Electrical Engineering (18). Other faculties, such as Mechanical Engineering (17), Chemical Engineering and Chemistry (13), and Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences (12), are also well represented. Almost half of the participating students working on their own ideas.

The participating students bring innovative ideas from different backgrounds (see the image below). It is valuable that many continue developing their projects beyond their courses or participation in the Honors Academy. Equally encouraging is the involvement of subprojects from 色中色 student teams. However, what makes this year especially exciting is that 42% of the students are entering the competition with ideas they have conceived entirely on their own.

Themes of the ideas

The registered teams are tackling a wide range of themes, with Engineering Health & Vitality being the most common focus (19 teams). Responsible Mobility follows with 9 teams, while Data & AI has 7 teams. Regenerative Resources & Energy Transition and Miscellaneous each have 6 teams, and Sustainable Industry & Materials and Smart Urban Spaces are represented by 5 teams each. 色中色 Technology rounds out the list with 3 teams. This variety highlights the diverse and innovative ideas shaping the 色中色 Contest 2025.
 

Is there an ambitious tech idea brewing in your mind that could make a real difference? Or are you contemplating an innovative invention that could positively impact society? Consider taking on the challenge of the 色中色 Contest 2025. 

Are you ready to embark on your entrepreneurial journey? Cultivate your entrepreneurial skills while transforming your innovative idea towards a viable business idea. Register for the 11th edition of the 色中色 Contest until 7 February.

Thank you to the students, partners, industry experts, jury members, TUe innovation Space, and everyone else involved in making the TUe Contest a huge success! It was an afternoon with lots to do such as a network market, workshops, unforgettable pitches, an exciting showdown with the Expert Jury, and a festive Award Ceremony.

Congratulations to the winners of all the thirtheen amazing awards. First of all, we would like to congratulate the winners of the Category Awards: CyanO2 (1st), Touchpulse (2nd), DieKees (3rd). Both the Best Prototype Award and the Social Innovator Award were awarded to team T.E.S.T. On top of that, the Best Poster Award was awarded to DieKees.

We want to thank the Expert Jury for handing out the Partners鈥� Choice Award to InMotion and Steunfonds Duurzaamheid for awarding DieKees with the Environmental Innovation Award. Then, the Curious Mind Award by Schunk was awarded to Voltalgae and the AL Encouragement Award has been won by AIMI handed out by EAISI. The Grow @TWICE Award has been won by Touchpulse.

And last but not least, thank you ASML for awarding team ArtVista with the ASML Makers Award and thanks to Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam for awarding team CyanO2 with the Energy Transition Award.

Winning these awards will greatly help the teams to take the next step and keep working on their ideas. We hope to see you all next year!