hessian.AI Supports TU Idea Competition 2026 with €3,000 AI Award
Applications open until May 25, 2026,
for students and researchers at TU Darmstadt.
The TU Ideas Competition 2026 has launched: HIGHEST, the innovation and entrepreneurship center of TU Darmstadt, is once again seeking business ideas and research results with innovation potential. Students and researchers at TU Darmstadt are eligible to apply. The application deadline is May 25, 2026. For the first time, hessian.AI is supporting the competition with the “hessian.AI Innovation Award.” This special €3,000 prize will be awarded to the best AI idea.
The competition is looking for ideas that arise from research, studies, or everyday university life—from initial concepts to more developed project ideas. The goal of the competition is to make visible the potential emerging at TU Darmstadt and to encourage participants to turn early-stage ideas into viable innovations.
Submissions will be awarded in two categories: students and researchers. At the heart of the competition is the question of which ideas have the potential to combine scientific insight, entrepreneurial thinking, and societal relevance.
hessian.AI Supports the TU Ideas Competition with an Innovation Award for AI Projects
Anchored at TU Darmstadt, hessian.AI brings together AI excellence from 13 Hessian universities, involving more than 80 scientific members. As part of its commitment to transferring research into practical applications, hessian.AI is supporting the TU Ideas Competition 2026 with a special prize of 3,000 Euros.
Michael Marquardt, hessian.AI coach and mentor at the TU Ideas Competition, emphasizes the importance of such collaborations:
“AI innovations reach their full potential especially when scientific excellence meets entrepreneurial courage. With the hessian.AI Innovation Award, we aim to make this spirit visible at TU Darmstadt and encourage young teams to think big with their ideas.”
Whether Students or Researchers: “Take Part!”
“Thoughts become ideas, and ideas become innovations. No matter how unusual an idea may initially seem—it is worth being heard. That is exactly why the TU Ideas Competition exists. HIGHEST is looking for the best ideas in two categories: from students and from researchers. Think creatively and take part,” says Professor Thomas Walther, Vice President for Innovation and International Affairs at TU Darmstadt.
With this competition, TU Darmstadt is sending a strong signal for an innovation culture in which new approaches are identified early and further developed. The TU Ideas Competition is therefore an invitation to everyone who wants to turn an observation, research result, or idea into something more.
Students, researchers, or startups affiliated with TU Darmstadt can apply until May 25, 2026.
No Connection to TU Darmstadt? hessian.AI | AI Startup Rising Can Help
Though its entrepreneurship project AI Startup Rising, hessian.AI supports founders from Hesse and across Germany – from early-stage development to market entry and scaling. We provide support through consulting, coaching, matchmaking, programs, and the hessian.AI network, which connects research, industry, and the wider ecosystem.
You might not be eligible for the TU Ideas Competition, but hessian.AI can still support you with your AI startup if:
- AI is an integral part of your business model
- You are a German startup with a connection to Hesse
Send us an email at to schedule an appointment with one of our coaches.
Cover image: Benjamin Schenk / HIGHEST
Text: HIGHEST, with an additional section on hessian.AI (by hessian.AI)
