Since 2012, the PHÖNIX award has been honouring outstanding work of Austrian start-ups and spin-offs to support them on their way into the market. This year, UpNano GmbH, partner of the Cluster, has won the prize for the best spin-off project.
PHÖNIX has been organised by Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH in cooperation with the Austrian Research Promotion Agency and the Federation of Austrian Industry to promote innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. Out of 205 candidates, an expert committee selected the most promising projects in four categories. Alongside innovative ideas, a strong emphasis was put on the start-ups’ contributions to sustainable development according to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. UpNano, a system provider for 3D-printing and partner of the Cluster, is one of them: The company convinced the jury with their highly precise and fast 3D-printing technology for micro-optics and micromechanics as well as bioprinting for biological applications.
UpNano has successfully developed a high-resolution printing system based on the principal of 2-photon polymerization. Their first commercially installed NanoOne system was successfully put into operation at the Medical University of Vienna in late September 2019. NanoOne combines highest resolution with unmatched high throughput rates. The technical team of UpNano under the lead of co-founder Peter Gruber is constantly working to push the technical development and implement new features to increase speed and precision even further.