Education, research, and innovation!
The Biobased Battle is an annual competition where multidisciplinary teams work on biobased and circular challenges. Students receive support through workshops and coaching, such as a pitch workshop from the Pitch Academy and a Multi-Criteria Analysis workshop. This year, three challenges were central:
- Peatland BIOTUTO – In Finland, where large parts of the country consist of peatlands, students explored which crops could be sustainably cultivated there. They developed ideas for crops that could be both ecologically grown and economically viable for local farmers, with a focus on biogas production.
- Vertical Garden Billiwild – For this case, participants searched for a biobased solution to replace the PVC foam currently used in vertical gardening systems. They sought bio-circular alternatives and designed a circular approach to reduce ecological impact without compromising product functionality.
- Biobased Building – This challenge examined the use of “rammed earth” as an alternative to traditional building materials. Students evaluated the environmental benefits, economic feasibility, and safety of this geo-based material for a five-story building.
The winners in the spotlight
On the final day, a panel of experts assessed the solutions and selected the winning teams, who stood out for their innovative approaches to the biobased challenges. The winning teams presented practical and future-oriented solutions with the potential to further advance the circular economy.
Challenge 1: Peatland BIOTUTO
Winners: Daan Molhuijsen (HAN), Thijmen Bakker (HZ), Enni Poikela (OAMK) and Nicke Tenkanen (OAMK).
Challenge 2: Vertical Garden Billiwild
Winners: Lucas Jan Juarez Hageman (HZ), Jaimey Lensen (HZ), Tirza Loijenga (HZ) and Deniss Terescuks (HZ).
Challenge 3: Biobased Building
Winners: Kendall Brents (Avans Hogeschool), Koray Erbisim (HZ) and Elena Josephine (Avans Hogeschool)
The winning teams received a prize package from Coffee Based, containing various products such as coffee cups, luxury notebooks, and bio-plastic pens made from coffee grounds, along with a kit for growing oyster mushrooms on coffee grounds.
Collaboration and impact
The Biobased Battle 2025 has once again demonstrated the value of multidisciplinary collaboration. The mix of technical and non-technical disciplines led to surprising insights and creative solutions. “This year, we saw even more collaboration across different fields. The input from students with backgrounds in business, communication, and ICT was a great addition,” said HZ lecturer Ingrid de Vries.
This year, the event was organized by HZ University of Applied Sciences. A total of 88 students from seven universities of applied sciences participated, including the Dutch institutions Avans University of Applied Sciences and HAN, and the Finnish institutions LAB UoAS, Karelia University of Applied Sciences, and Oulu University of Applied Sciences (OAMK).
With this third edition, the Biobased Battle has once again been a great success. We look forward to the innovative solutions that students will come up with next year!
