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When Innovation Touches the Soul - The Journey of the First EUT+ Incubation Program
Published on July 17, 2025
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Updated on July 17, 2025
Dates
on the July 11, 2025
The first EUt+ Incubation Program began in January 2025 with a clear vision: to transform students’ and researchers’ ideas into real, applicable solutions. Six months later, this vision not only became a reality – it became living proof that the European University of Technology (EUt+) alliance can combine technology and human values, all in pursuit of a more inclusive, creative, and human-centered future.
From January to June 2025, students, researchers, and creative teams from the nine partner universities of the European University of Technology alliance participated in a program filled with ideas, actions, challenges, and collaborations, all aiming to develop their entrepreneurial proposals and bring them closer to implementation.
The program followed a six-month journey, starting with training, moving through mentoring, and culminating in a European final. Participants attended nine online masterclasses delivered by specialized instructors covering all aspects of developing an innovative idea – from innovation management and business modelling to marketing, funding strategies, intellectual property, and more. Theoretical knowledge was paired with practical experience, as each team was given the opportunity to work with dedicated mentors, receive personalized guidance, and pitch their ideas to audiences and expert panels. Each university of the alliance selected, based on common criteria, the team that would represent it in the major pan-European competition in Germany.
The final took place in early June at the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences in Germany, during the EUt+ Week. Eight teams presented their ideas in front of a jury and audience. The pitches were impressive, but one stood out and deeply moved everyone. The team Rhythm Touch from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, composed of four students – Bara Iulia, Mihali Mărioara, Popa Ioana, and Rizel Cătălina – presented an innovative bracelet that allows people with hearing impairments to feel music through vibrations. During their presentation, a video was shown featuring deaf individuals dancing with the help of the device. The room fell silent – and then erupted in applause.
Rhythm Touch was not just a tech solution. It was a powerful example of inclusion, empathy, and the strength of human imagination. In that moment, the EUt+ alliance’s motto, Think Human First, wasn’t just a phrase – it took on shape, meaning, and substance. It found its truest, most profound expression through this competition and this award, proving that when innovation begins with the human in mind, it can inspire, move, and truly change lives.
The team rightfully won first place, earning a trip to Cyprus. They were hosted by the Cyprus University of Technology during the first week of July for a week of hospitality and networking. During their stay in Limassol, they participated in a local music festival where they presented their project to the public and to members of the Cypriot deaf community, who tested the device and shared their emotional responses. They also visited the Nicosia School for the Deaf, as well as several companies and research centers, where they presented their work and received valuable feedback from industry professionals. In addition, they were interviewed by local TV stations and recorded an episode for the EUt+ Podcast.
The EUt+ Incubation Program is not just another entrepreneurship initiative. It’s a call to young people to create with the human being at the center. It’s a support network that brings together universities, experts, businesses, and communities around a shared belief: that innovation is not an end in itself – it is a means to a better world. The success of the Rhythm Touch team proved that technology can become a language of communication, accessibility, and unity. And the message is clear: when you start with people, you can go anywhere.
This was only the beginning. The first EUt+ Incubation Program was completed with great success, laying strong foundations and sparking a network of inspiration that has only just begun. The initiative will continue next year – as part of the EUt+ Alliance’s Work Package on Innovation and Entrepreneurship where CUT is the coordinator, with even greater momentum, bolder ideas, and always guided by the principle that unites us: Think Human First.
The program followed a six-month journey, starting with training, moving through mentoring, and culminating in a European final. Participants attended nine online masterclasses delivered by specialized instructors covering all aspects of developing an innovative idea – from innovation management and business modelling to marketing, funding strategies, intellectual property, and more. Theoretical knowledge was paired with practical experience, as each team was given the opportunity to work with dedicated mentors, receive personalized guidance, and pitch their ideas to audiences and expert panels. Each university of the alliance selected, based on common criteria, the team that would represent it in the major pan-European competition in Germany.
The final took place in early June at the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences in Germany, during the EUt+ Week. Eight teams presented their ideas in front of a jury and audience. The pitches were impressive, but one stood out and deeply moved everyone. The team Rhythm Touch from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, composed of four students – Bara Iulia, Mihali Mărioara, Popa Ioana, and Rizel Cătălina – presented an innovative bracelet that allows people with hearing impairments to feel music through vibrations. During their presentation, a video was shown featuring deaf individuals dancing with the help of the device. The room fell silent – and then erupted in applause.
Rhythm Touch was not just a tech solution. It was a powerful example of inclusion, empathy, and the strength of human imagination. In that moment, the EUt+ alliance’s motto, Think Human First, wasn’t just a phrase – it took on shape, meaning, and substance. It found its truest, most profound expression through this competition and this award, proving that when innovation begins with the human in mind, it can inspire, move, and truly change lives.
The team rightfully won first place, earning a trip to Cyprus. They were hosted by the Cyprus University of Technology during the first week of July for a week of hospitality and networking. During their stay in Limassol, they participated in a local music festival where they presented their project to the public and to members of the Cypriot deaf community, who tested the device and shared their emotional responses. They also visited the Nicosia School for the Deaf, as well as several companies and research centers, where they presented their work and received valuable feedback from industry professionals. In addition, they were interviewed by local TV stations and recorded an episode for the EUt+ Podcast.
The EUt+ Incubation Program is not just another entrepreneurship initiative. It’s a call to young people to create with the human being at the center. It’s a support network that brings together universities, experts, businesses, and communities around a shared belief: that innovation is not an end in itself – it is a means to a better world. The success of the Rhythm Touch team proved that technology can become a language of communication, accessibility, and unity. And the message is clear: when you start with people, you can go anywhere.
This was only the beginning. The first EUt+ Incubation Program was completed with great success, laying strong foundations and sparking a network of inspiration that has only just begun. The initiative will continue next year – as part of the EUt+ Alliance’s Work Package on Innovation and Entrepreneurship where CUT is the coordinator, with even greater momentum, bolder ideas, and always guided by the principle that unites us: Think Human First.
Date of update 17 juillet 2025