Press Report

Nowadays an almost unmanageable number of prizes is awarded to entrepreneurs honouring their innovative products and intelligent business ideas. However, the actual benefits of these awards are not without controversy

(Profil 02.2007) The company inet-logistics from Vorarlberg which has specialised in software solutions in the field logistics deliberately pursues a relatively selective strategy when it competes for innovation awards: "It does not make much sense if we try to win an award for a niche product," explains the press officer Markus Krüger. "Awards should highlight our main competencies." Thus, it is part of the company’s approach to leave out some competitions on purpose and not take part in each and every contest.

This strategy really seems to yield fruits: since 2000 when the company was allowed to take home the ’Innovation Award Vorarlberg’ the series of further awards apparently does not want to stop anymore: logistics and innovation awards from Austria, Germany and Switzerland meanwhile pile up in the headquarters in Wolfurt. The PR that is connected to these awards motivates inet-logistics to keep on handing in applications. "If, however, money was our driving force," says Krüger "we probably would have a separate department by now which would exclusively deal with the finding of awards and the writing of the respective orders."

Admittedly it seems that even those who are responsible for giving away the awards are unable to orientate themselves sufficiently in the thicket of the award jungle. Neither the AWS nor the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber can tell who exactly gives away which and how many innovation awards in Austria.