Release from
The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology wins first place in the prestigious Houska Prize, the largest private prize for applied research in Austria, in the non-university research category with the MEDUSA project (sustainable multi-megawatt fast charging on the medium-voltage grid). A second AIT project also received an award - the Mariella Schurz Prize honours "Electrical cell lysis for rapid antibiotic resistance tests". Both prizes honour practical research with high economic relevance.
New technology drastically shortens charging times
The pioneering MEDUSA project, which is being coordinated by the Center for Energy at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, is working on the development of multi-megawatt fast-charging stations with a direct connection to the medium-voltage grid in combination with an efficient and sustainable energy supply. This technology is crucial to making electromobility economically viable for the future, particularly in heavy goods transport. Previous charging stations require around 4.5 hours to charge a typical 400 kWh bus battery; MEDUSA reduces this time to just eight minutes. The combination of battery storage systems and photovoltaics minimises emissions. Medium-voltage technology is key to the global electrification of heavy goods transport.
"This award emphasises how crucial applied cutting-edge research is for the competitiveness of our business and technology location. MEDUSA stands for innovative solutions with direct market relevance - this is exactly what is needed to successfully bring new technologies into application," emphasises Brigitte Bach, AIT Managing Director and Spokesperson of the Management Board.
Alexander Svejkovsky, AIT Managing Director adds: "Winning the Houska Prize impressively confirms our strength in successfully utilising innovations. MEDUSA is a prime example of how we specifically transform research results into market-oriented solutions and thus create sustainable economic added value for Austria."
Innovation with practical effectiveness
Project leader Prof. Dr Markus Makoschitz, Principal Scientist at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and Professor at the University of Leoben, explains: "I am delighted to receive this award, as I see it as great appreciation for the outstanding achievements of our colleagues at the AIT and our partners. We focus on smart, economical solutions, performance, efficiency and market relevance. Only then will our multi-megawatt fast-charging stations really be effective in practice."
From conceptual design to application maturity
The MEDUSA project, launched in 2021 and currently in the second implementation phase (2024-2027), focuses on the construction of a large-scale demonstrator and on analyses of geographical conditions and traffic flows in conjunction with network simulations. MEDUSA is funded as part of the Zero Emission Mobility 2023 programme of the Climate and Energy Fund(https://www.klimafonds.gv.at/foerderung/zero-emission-mobility-zem-2023/). In addition to the coordinating organisation AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, the following partners are involved in the project: AVL List GmbH, Infineon Technologies Austria AG, EnerCharge GmbH, Lotus Wireless Technologies India Private Ltd, Virtual Vehicle Research GmbH, Miba Cooling Austria GmbH & Co KG, Vienna University of Technology and the University of Leoben.
Further information:
www.ait.ac.at/themen/power-electronics-system-components/projekte/medusa
AIT honoured twice
The project "Electrical cell lysis for rapid antibiotic resistance tests", led by Johannes Peham and Ivan Barisic from the AIT Center for Health & Bioresources, was awarded the Mariella Schurz Prize. Together with the AIT spin-off Cellectric Biosciences, the AIT researchers developed a method for the rapid detection of antibiotic-resistant germs. This is particularly important for the early treatment of septicaemia (blood poisoning). Traditional diagnostic methods for determining antibiotic-resistant germs often require 24 to 72 hours. The newly developed technology relies on electrical cell lysis, which selectively breaks down human cells within seconds without destroying the bacterial pathogens.
The system - consisting of a processing device, a microfluidic chip and a specially developed buffer solution - enables the rapid removal of interfering human cell material, which significantly accelerates the subsequent pathogen analysis. The innovation has been proven to reduce treatment costs by 50 to 70 per cent and has already gained its first clinical research partners in 2024. A basic technology component is already being commercialised by the AIT spin-off Cellectric Biosciences.