USTP Expert Nominated for International UIIN Award

Gabriele Permoser from USTP – University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten is one of the twelve finalists for the international UIIN Champion Award 2026. She has been nominated in the category “Next Generation Boundary Spanner” – for individuals who bridge the gap between higher education, business, and society and who turn collaboration into tangible results. The nomination recognises her commitment at the intersection of research, entrepreneurship, and knowledge transfer and highlights USTP’s role as an active partner in international innovation networks.

Higher Education Institutions as Innovation Hubs

How does research lead to new applications? How do ideas become start-ups? And how can a university link its expertise with businesses, start-ups, public institutions, and the region in such a way that innovation is fostered?

USTP works intensively on these questions. Today, universities are not merely places for study and research. They are increasingly becoming hubs within regional and international innovation ecosystems – and need people who can bridge different worlds.

It is precisely this role that is at the heart of the UIIN Champion Awards. In 2026, Gabriele Permoser is one of twelve international finalists and has been nominated in the “Next Generation Boundary Spanner” category. The awards recognise individuals who bring together people, ideas, and opportunities across institutional and disciplinary boundaries, thereby facilitating change at universities and in their wider communities.

From St. Pölten to International Innovation Networks

At USTP, Gabriele Permoser works at the intersection of research, knowledge transfer, entrepreneurship, and university development. One example of this is the European project “Accelerate_FutureHEI” which explores how universities can systematically develop their capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship.

At the UIIN Future of Universities Summit in Lisbon on 28 and 29 October, Permoser will also present USTP’s “7 steps to Start-up Support” – an approach designed to support those interested in setting up a start-up, from the initial idea right through to the further development of their project.

For USTP, the nomination also serves as confirmation of its strategic direction: research, teaching, business, and society should come together where new solutions can emerge.

St. Pölten as a Place of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

“Gabriele Permoser’s nomination is further proof of our highly successful journey as an ‘Engaged & Entrepreneurial University’ and a clear indication that the activities established at USTP to further develop innovation and entrepreneurial education, and to strengthen and connect regional ecosystems, are now internationally recognised as best practice. With our guiding principle ‘Local Pulse, Global Waves’, we serve as a model for many universities across Europe. What is crucial here is that we bring together knowledge, research, and talent with business and society, thereby generating tangible impact,” says USTP CEO Hannes Raffaseder.

Permoser also sees the nomination as recognition of a shared journey: “Innovation rarely arises in isolation. It emerges where people with different perspectives come together, share knowledge, and try out something new together. These are precisely the kinds of connections we want to foster at USTP – within the university, in the region, and with our international partners.”

The winners of the UIIN Champion Awards will be announced at the end of October during the Future of Universities Summit in Lisbon.

About UIIN

UIIN – University Industry Innovation Network – is an international network at the interface between higher education institutions, business, and innovation. Its focus includes university-industry collaboration, entrepreneurship, innovation, and the further development of higher education institutions as active drivers of social and economic transformation.