Within the project, partners launched the second BIKE-HEI Innovation & Entrepreneurship Award 2026 competition, open to students, researchers, staff and alumni from all partner institutions. The four-member evaluation committee at the University of Primorska received three complete applications. The winning innovation was EMiFY Protection, developed by Lenart Tušar and Nejc Pisk.

The award includes:

· a cash prize of €2,000

· free mentorship from BIKE Hub experts

· the opportunity to present within the international project ecosystem

The award ceremony which has taken place in Koper on 4th of June marks the culmination of the second phase of the BIKE-HEI project.

Statement of winners of the award:

»We participated in the competition because we are interested in developing innovative and sustainability-oriented business solutions, particularly in the fields of sustainable mobility, the green economy, and the circular economy, which are also among the key focus areas of the Bike-HEI initiative.

For our application, we built upon a business idea that we had previously developed together. However, for the purposes of the competition, we thoroughly redesigned and enhanced it into an even more sustainable and socially responsible solution. We placed special emphasis on incorporating the principles of the circular economy and supporting the transition to a green economy, as we believe that initiatives of this kind can contribute to the development of long-term, environmentally responsible, and innovative solutions.

During the development and refinement of the idea, we received invaluable support from the experts at the Centre for Development and Knowledge Transfer of the University of Primorska - Simon Čotar, Prof. Dr. Simona Kustec, Astrid Petz, and Narajan Mehmedović - who have been actively guiding, mentoring, and supporting us throughout the entire process.

We are grateful for the opportunity and the support provided, and we believe that participating in this competition represents an important step in further developing our idea into a practical, feasible, and sustainability-oriented business solution.«