When Students Explore the Future

Austria's largest competition for innovative student ideas, "Jugend Innovativ," is fostering the next generation of problem-solvers for a sustainable future. The "Sustainability" category, in particular, is seeing students tackle pressing environmental and societal challenges, from renewable energy to food waste.

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We want to enable young people to make their solutions for a sustainable society and an intact ecosystem visible.

The Raiffeisen Sustainability Initiative (RNI) has renewed its commitment to this category, acting as a sponsor and actively participating in the judging process. This collaboration, which initially began as a special prize over 15 years ago, was revived in 2025 after a brief hiatus. The RNI's involvement now extends beyond financial support, with representatives contributing to the jury that evaluates projects addressing ecological, economic, and social issues.

Mag. Robert Pichler, Managing Director of the RNI, expressed enthusiasm for the quality and breadth of the projects submitted for the 2025/26 season. He noted that the jury found the submissions to be both numerous and compelling, often characterized by practical, solution-oriented approaches. Pichler highlighted the impressive innovation, sense of responsibility, and drive to create change demonstrated by the young participants.

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The jury agreed that the projects were convincing in both number and quality. The submitted ideas were thematically diverse and often impressed with a practical and solution-oriented approach.

The "Jugend Innovativ" competition, organized on behalf of several federal ministries and managed by the Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (aws), has grown significantly since its inception. What started as a small project involving eight school teams has evolved into a major national event, attracting around 420 projects annually and over 11,000 participants in its 39-year history. The "Sustainability" category, now a permanent fixture, reflects a broader societal and educational emphasis on environmental consciousness and future-oriented solutions.

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The projects by students and apprentices impressively show that the next generation is intensively working on solutions for the challenges of tomorrow. As the Raiffeisen Sustainability Initiative, we are very happy to support this as a patron and are enthusiastic about the innovative strength, the sense of responsibility, and the demonstrated will to shape the future.