Another edition of the Copernicus Startup Stars 2026 competition is behind us, proving once again that students of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń stand out with their extraordinary creativity, entrepreneurship, and ability to respond to real social and market needs. This year’s projects impressed the competition committee with their diversity of ideas, maturity of concepts, and high implementation potential, and the jury’s deliberations were exceptionally heated.
During the final presentations on stage, projects of a very diverse nature were presented – from infrastructure and technological solutions, through social platforms, to innovations supporting business and public administration. This year’s 10 projects that qualified for the Final are:
TK Storage – a modular workshop and storage infrastructure based on adapted shipping containers, aimed at craftsmen and entities from the e-commerce sector,
N-CUrent – a student platform operating on the principle of a second-hand market for items, supporting mobile students and the idea of sustainable consumption,
Mruk Druk – a concept of open access to aesthetic and user-friendly printers on campus,
9Żyć – an artistic project based on upcycling clothes and creating unique items through workshops and independent activities,
E-Report – an alarm system streamlining the work of government offices in the area of crisis management.
Filmedby – a marketing agency offering high-quality visual and video materials dedicated to social media,
Finder – a solution enabling the location of people during large events, such as conferences or trade fairs,
IM SmartWeld – a welding services platform connecting contractors with customers,
JobCraft – an intelligent career platform based on artificial intelligence tools,
Just Start – a digital subscription tool supporting people starting out with their own business ideas.
The final presentations attracted a lot of interest and provided an opportunity to directly confront ideas with questions and the experience of the experts sitting on the jury.
After heated deliberations, the competition committee selected the winners of this year’s edition.
The main prize went to Tomasz Kamecki, a fourth-year student at the Faculty of Medicine of the Collegium Medicum, for his TK Storage project. The jury appreciated the scalability of the solution, its implementation potential, and the skillful combination of a modern approach to urban planning with the real needs of small entrepreneurs.
The first-degree distinction was awarded to the team consisting of Zahira Rufaida, Karima Afandi, and Abdul Azis Baihaqi, second-year doctoral students at the Academia Copernicana Interdisciplinary Doctoral School, for their N-CUrent project. The project was recognized for promoting sustainable consumption and responding to the challenges of student mobility.
The second prize was awarded to Yan Lukashevich, a third-year student of Applied Computer Science at the Faculty of Physics, Astronomy, and Applied Computer Science, for his project Mruk Druk – a solution combining functionality, aesthetics, and real improvements to everyday academic life.
The projects were evaluated by a competition committee composed of representatives of the university authorities, the business world, and institutions supporting entrepreneurship. The committee consisted of:
Dr. Joanna Kucharzewska, Prof. UMK – Vice-Rector for Promotion and Cooperation with the Socio-Economic Environment,
Dr. Joanna Cieślikowska – Coordinator for Social Responsibility of the University,
Dr. Cezary Odrzygóźdź – Director of the Center for Academic Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer,
Hubert Lewiński – representative of Płock Industrial and Technological Park S.A.,
Malwina Nowacka-Smolicka – Director of the Management Board Office of the Entrepreneurial Toruń Foundation,
Jacek Ciesielski – owner of ONSEN,
Julia Ignasiak – representative of Ecom.
Copernicus Startup Stars 2026 has once again confirmed that students and doctoral students at Nicolaus Copernicus University have enormous innovative and entrepreneurial potential. The idea behind the competition is not to create a form of competition, but rather a space to showcase ideas and receive support, exchange experiences, and take the first steps towards further business and implementation activities. The mission of the Entrepreneurship Center is to support the entrepreneurial skills of anyone who wants to realize their ideas. We look forward to seeing you at the next edition of the competition!