A student from the Technical University of Moldova was part of the team that won European Innovation Academy 2026 in Rome and received the USD 10,000 prize. Another team, with three UTM representatives, ranked among the top three at the same international competition.
The results place UTM students among the strongest young innovators who took part in this year’s edition of the European Innovation Academy, an international programme dedicated to entrepreneurship, innovation and startup development.
Seven young people and one professor represented UTM at EIA 2026. For them, the experience in Rome was the continuation of a learning process that began at ICEBERG Bootcamp 2026, UTM’s entrepreneurship and innovation programme.
The team that won ICEBERG Bootcamp, MEDVIO, earned the opportunity to take part in the European Innovation Academy. UTM also selected the three most active Bootcamp participants to join the delegation in Rome.
MEDVIO is a digital healthcare platform designed to help patients follow their treatment, monitor medical progress and communicate more easily with doctors.
European Innovation Academy 2026 took place in Rome from 15 July to 4 August, in a hybrid format. Participants worked in international teams and went through the main stages of building a startup: identifying and validating a problem, developing an MVP, building a business model and presenting the solution to mentors and the jury.
The winning team, ANIMETRYX, included Andreea Onu, a student at the UTM Faculty of Design. The team won the competition and received the USD 10,000 prize for developing and implementing its startup idea.
“I can honestly say that ICEBERG Bootcamp was one of the most meaningful experiences of my four years at university. It gave us not only entrepreneurial knowledge and skills, but also connections, friendships and memories that we will carry with us for a long time. Being able to continue this experience at the European Innovation Academy was a unique opportunity. We are very grateful for the university’s support and honoured to have taken part in these programmes.”
UTM was also represented in the top three by the TERRAVOLT team, which included Mihaela Dorina Odainâi, Andreea Grigoriu and Mihai Vrabie. For the team, the result in Rome continued an international entrepreneurial path that began in 2025, when TERRAVOLT took part in the Berkeley Method of Entrepreneurship, won the competition and later represented the Republic of Moldova in the United States.
Bogdan Stanciu, another member of the UTM delegation, described the European Innovation Academy as an experience shaped not only by the startup idea itself, but also by the process of building it together with people from different countries.
“European Innovation Academy was not just about the idea itself, but about the process of building it: the hard work, the collaboration with international teams and the need to find solutions as we went along. What mattered most, however, were the people I met and the connections I made. ICEBERG Bootcamp, followed by the opportunity to take part in EIA, showed me how many doors UTM can open for students interested in innovation and entrepreneurship. I am proud to have chosen this university and to be part of this community.”
UTM’s delegation to the European Innovation Academy 2026 included:
- Andreea Onu, Faculty of Design;
- Anastasia Zabolotna, Faculty of Computers, Informatics and Microelectronics;
- Andreea Grigoriu, Faculty of Mechanical, Industrial and Transport Engineering;
- Mihai Vrabie, Faculty of Mechanical, Industrial and Transport Engineering;
- Mihaela Dorina Odainâi, Faculty of Economic Engineering and Business;
- Nicolae Croceac, Faculty of Economic Engineering and Business;
- Bogdan Stanciu, graduate of “Ion Creangă” Theoretical Lyceum in Chișinău and currently a UTM student.
The delegation was accompanied by Boris Galcenco, UTM professor, ICEBERG Bootcamp mentor, Project Manager and BI Team Lead at Monsanto.
ICEBERG Bootcamp 2026 was organised by UTM with the support of the Foundation for Development, Moldcell Foundation, UMAEF – Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund, OTP Bank and Mixbook. The programme is based on the Berkeley Method of Entrepreneurship and gives participants practical experience in developing and validating startup ideas with support from mentors and experts.
Now in its fourth edition, ICEBERG Bootcamp is strategically coordinated by Viorel Bostan, Rector of UTM, and implemented by Nina Puțuntean, Associate Professor, PhD, Head of the International Relations Office, and Rina Țurcan, Associate Professor, PhD, Head of the Department of Economics and Management at FIEB.
The results obtained in Rome show how ICEBERG Bootcamp connects entrepreneurship education at UTM with international startup programmes. Students test their ideas, work with mentors, develop entrepreneurial skills and, for the most active participants, continue their experience in international environments such as the European Innovation Academy.
UTM thanks the partners and sponsors who contributed to the organisation of ICEBERG Bootcamp 2026 and helped create these opportunities for students: the Foundation for Development, Moldcell Foundation, UMAEF – Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund, OTP Bank, Mixbook Moldova and the other partners involved in the programme.
Through initiatives such as ICEBERG Bootcamp, UTM supports young people interested in entrepreneurship and innovation, helping them develop their ideas, work with mentors and access international startup programmes.
