"Innovate4Vienna" helps to keep businesses and institutions in Vienna running. 15 projects have already been identified for funding.

4 million euros are available for the funding program "Innovate4Vienna", up to 200,000 euros per project are possible (end of programm June 30th). In order to enable companies to start quickly with the realisation of promising projects, "Innovate4Vienna" has four submission phases and an expert jury has already selected a variety of promising projects for funding.
These projects demonstrate the innovative power and enormous potential of Viennese companies to overcome the crisis. A rapid and flexible response was made to the changed conditions caused by the Corona crisis and intensive consideration was given to offering the best possible solutions in this extraordinary situation.
From ideas from virtual reality to the pneumatic tube system of the future, enabling sports classes in online mode, holiday offer apps, development of a digital visiting time management system and tangible products from 3D printers: the wide range of project ideas and their realisation is impressive!
Read here the summary of the first funded projects (in German only):  Overview projects "Innovate4Vienna" (PDF)

Some quotes from the project submitters:

•  "From now on, our pneumatic post boxes will transport goods in the hospital of the future with virus protection". (Peter Friedrich, business unit manager pneumatic tube systems and transport robots Ing. Sumetzberger GmbH)
• "The state-ordered closures of sports facilities in connection with the rapidly spreading novel corona virus meant that athletes were no longer allowed to visit their sports studios and sports providers lost their entire work base and turnover at a stroke. In close cooperation with our partner studios, we have developed an integrated solution for online class streaming that enables them to at least partially maintain studio operations even in times of "social distancing". (Hanno Lippitsch, CEO and founder Eversports)
• "Our Covid-19 Crowd Printing combines the capacity of over 800 private 3D printers into one large distributed factory. This enables us to produce thousands of face shields for doctors' offices, pharmacies or grocery stores within a few days. In the next step, we want to produce high-quality respirators for hospital staff in this way. We are working intensively with hospital operators to design the masks, and the first prototypes are already finished. (Roland Stelzer, founder and managing director of Happylab GmbH)
• "With the new holiday offer app, Viennese children know what's going on in summer. For example, we use virtual points to collect. Through this gamification element, children are encouraged to actively participate instead of passive consumption." (Petra Permesser, project manager at datenwerk innovationsagentur)
• "This year more children will stay in Vienna during the holidays than ever before. It is therefore essential that parents know what activities are taking place and can trust that their children will be well looked after." (Wolfgang Zeglovits, managing director at datenwerk innovationsagentur)

• Happylab's "Austrian COVID-19 Crowd Printing" project calls on motivated "makers" to make their private 3D printers available for the production of face protection made of Plexiglas and certified respirators. Roland Stelzer, founder and CEO of Happylap says: "Our Covid-19 Crowd Printing combines the capacities of over 800 private 3D printers into one large distributed factory. This allows us to produce thousands of face shields for doctors' offices, pharmacies or grocery stores within a few days". Happylab - an open workshop in front of Corona, which gave the general public access to digital production machines (laser cutters, CNC cutters), changed over to the crisis and initially produced these faceshields on their 3D printers at cost price. Since the enormous rush could not be handled with its own equipment, Happylab now launched the "Crowd Printing" project. "In the next step, we want to produce high-quality respiratory masks for hospital staff in this way. We are working intensively with hospital operators on the design of the masks, and the first prototypes are already finished," says Roland Stelzer.
• How can institutions that offer care and leisure activities for children during the holidays best keep in touch with children and guardians in times of Corona? How can they communicate the changes to their services - which are necessary due to the ongoing changes in legal requirements - quickly and easily? The datenwerk innovationsagentur has thought about this and developed an app. Petra Permesser, project manager at datenwerk: "With the new holiday offer app, Viennese children know what's going on in summer. For example, we use virtual points to collect. Through this gamification element, children are encouraged to actively participate instead of passive consumption". And the managing director of datenwerk, Wolfgang Zeglovits, adds: "This year more children will stay in Vienna during the holidays than ever before. It is therefore necessary that parents know what activities are taking place and can trust that their children are well looked after.". WienXtra is already on board as the first pilot customer for datenwerk's holiday game app.

Vienna, 30.4.2020