The winning prize was a trip to Boston Seafood Expo
The winners of the innovation competition, Vitinn 2023, generously sponsored by Fisheries Iceland (SFS), Icelandair Cargo, and the American Embassy, were rewarded with an opportunity to attend the prestigious Boston Seafood Expo last March. Renowned as one of the largest seafood conferences in North America, the expo provided an ideal platform for the winners, who are all studying Engineering at Reykjavik University, to present their innovative idea for marketing herring in the North American market. Their concept encompassed a comprehensive marketing plan and a pioneering new product that had not been previously introduced.
Vitinn is an innovation competition organized at Reykjavik University, where students are tasked with implementing a specific solution or product for a partner company within three days. Team Mar was victorious this time, with members Jakob Freyr Sveinsson, Hákon Hákonarson, Sæþór Orrason, Birgitta Rós Ásgrímsdóttir, and Pedro Þór Roismann Guðmundsson, all of whom are studying engineering at RU.
The trip to Boston as the winning prize was a resounding success, with the students making noteworthy visits to various companies during their time at the fisheries conference. Icelandic and foreign companies alike warmly received them. At the conference, they had the honor of meeting with the Director of the National Fisheries Institute, Lisa Wallenda Picard, and the institute's experts to present their idea and discuss their project. They also visited the Marel booth at the exhibition and received a warm reception from Eimskip, where they had the opportunity to present their innovative ideas to the CEO, Vilhelm Már Þorsteinsson.
In recent years, RU has established a fruitful collaboration with the University of Southern Maine (USM), and to capitalize on this opportunity, a visit was arranged to the school. Accompanied by the President of RU, Ragnhildur Helgadóttir, and the project manager of industrial relations, Katrín Sif Oddgeirsdóttir, the student group traveled to Portland, Maine. During their visit, they were provided with a comprehensive overview of USM's work and had the chance to tour their impressive engineering department. Furthermore, the students were given the opportunity to present their ideas to the university staff.
In addition, the group also had the privilege of learning about the New England Ocean Cluster, which has close ties with the Ocean Cluster in Iceland. Patrick Arnold, the manager of the New England Ocean Cluster, shared valuable insights with the group regarding innovation in the blue economy and how the cluster collaborates with entrepreneurs, companies, and universities to foster innovation.
The entire trip was a delightful experience, and the reception and response to the winning proposal were overwhelmingly positive. The students performed exceptionally well and brought honor to HR with their impressive achievements.
