The Austrian pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai celebrates the International Day of Education by welcoming a group of young innovative students from Austria. The innovators are the winners of the Austrian Youth Innovation Challenge, Austria’s biggest innovation contest for schools, and they are visiting the Expo on a three-day expedition to discover its offerings and share their findings.

Out of over 333 submissions done by 800 students from various fields such as Design, Engineering, Science, Young Entrepreneurship, Digital Education and Sustainability, 12 students from four winning teams were selected to travel to Expo 2020 Dubai. The aim is connecting them with other young entrepreneurs from all around the world and giving them the chance to present their innovative ideas.

Commissioner General, Beatrix Karl, says: “We congratulate the winning teams on their achievements. We are proud of our young innovators and their projects in different fields as they reflect Austria’s vision in creating a better tomorrow”. She adds “Expo 2020 Dubai offers the perfect educational platform as it brings together the greatest minds from around the world, and set a living example how different nations can come together to find better solutions for a more sustainable future, exactly like the scientific research”.

During the three days program, the Austrian innovators had the chance to meet young talents and students from Italy and New Zealand with the aim to exchange ideas that connect the youth and create the future. In addition; they were presented with the opportunity to showcase their out-of-the-box ideas inside the iLab, the knowledge platform within the Austria pavilion, to introduce their projects to the visitors.

“We believe in the potentials of today’s generation and we are optimistic that they will, creatively, be capable of finding solutions for the problems of tomorrow. We hope that the young innovators’ visit to Expo 2020 Dubai will work as a supportive step towards stimulating their innovative thinking, broadening their horizon and helping in shaping their skills and imagination” Karl added.

The Innovation Challenge is an annual event in Austria organized by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research and the Austrian Federal Promotional Bank Austrian WirtschaftsService GmbH. The winners of the challenge are sent to the EU Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS).

Austria pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai is located in the Opportunity District and it operates under the theme “Austria Makes Sense” offering its visitors the chance to immerse themselves in countless experiences designed to ignite their senses. The uniquely shaped pavilion, consisting of 38 white cones cut at different heights, is inspired by the Arabian wind towers featuring natural building materials and a smart, low-tech approach reflecting modern Austrian innovation that connects people, technology and the environment in a perfect example of sustainability.