Five days, nine creative minds, one common goal: developing solutions for a better future – that’s Ideation Week at Hof University of Applied Sciences. In 2025, the week was once again all about innovation. Students from a wide range of disciplines came together in mid-June to solve real-life challenges using design thinking. Supported by coaches and method training, they immersed themselves in a highly relevant topic: “From Waste to Future – Wool needs your idea!”
Why sheep’s wool?
The 2025 thematic focus sent out a clear signal for regional sustainability: the teams looked at the untapped potential of German sheep’s wool, especially from the robust blackface sheep. While merino wool from Australia is booming, domestic wool usually remains a waste product – a waste of resources with great potential for innovation. The aim was to develop applications that give domestic wool a new, marketable value. It is typical and characteristic of the design thinking process to first understand the problem from the user and customer perspective. The week therefore began with an excursion to shepherd Michael Ulsamer, who, together with a colleague, grazes the green belt with his more than 600 sheep and provided the students with their first contact with the wool problem and the topic of sheep.
Further in-depth insights were provided by Lena Bächer, who conducts research into the efficient production of food at the Institute for Sustainable Water Systems (inwa) at Hof University of Applied Sciences. Raw wool from sheep already plays an important role in this area too. Together with the Institute of Materials Science (ifm), we are researching the possibility of using sheep’s wool as a substitute for plant substrate(click here for the Campuls article). Ms. Bächer’s technical expertise on the technical properties of the raw product “sheep’s wool” and wool fibres led the students’ idea development further into the depths of possible, exciting areas of application.
Together with the ideas from the first ideation round, Ms. Bächer’s workshop produced a wide range of innovative initial solutions. The best and most promising ideas were ranked by the students. The three teams focused on the following solution ideas and developed them further during the Ideation Week:
GreenLine: The wool fleece against dripping organic waste bags
The “GreenLine” team developed a solution to a well-known household problem: soggy organic waste bags. The approach: a biodegradable wool fleece that is placed in the bags as an insert. The prototype made from Schwarzkopf wool showed impressive results: It kept moisture out for over an hour – conventional paper failed after just one minute. The team relied on a clever business model with a subscription system and freemium test packages for public institutions. A strong USP: the wool not only has a stabilizing effect, but also reduces unpleasant odours – and all without plastic.
LanoPot: the pot that grows with you
Sustainable plant cultivation without plastic – that’s what the “LanoPot” stands for. The team behind this product developed a biodegradable plant pot made from black wool that is not only compostable, but also actively stores water and provides nutrients. The pot is simply placed in the soil and improves the soil quality in the long term. The emotional component is particularly exciting. The LanoPot should not only be functional, but also available as a sustainable gift set – with seeds or herbs, for example. In the pitch, the pot impressed as a plastic-free, regional and aesthetically pleasing alternative for horticulture.
TerraWool: The fertilizer for urban gardens
Another team focused on the synergy of sustainability and urban gardening. Their product “TerraWool” combines potting soil with unwashed black wool to create a natural slow-release fertilizer with a water-retaining effect. The target group: urban balcony gardeners, raised bed fans and anyone who wants to garden ecologically in small spaces. The highlight: the sheep’s wool decomposes slowly, enriches the soil and stores water – particularly valuable in hot, dry summers. The business model is also impressive: direct sales via an online store with a QR code and storytelling about the origin of the wool. In keeping with the “trash-to-cash” principle.
Teamwork, creativity – and a raft-building challenge
A particular highlight of this year’s Ideationweek was the targeted use of artificial intelligence to support the creative process. In an interactive workshop on the topic of prompting by Bastian Schatz, participants learned how to tease out innovative ideas from AI systems such as ChatGPT using targeted input – known as prompts. Whether for brainstorming, visualizing prototypes or evaluating concepts, AI was experienced by many teams as a valuable tool that expands thought processes, enables a change of perspective and accelerates idea generation. The workshop impressively demonstrated how digital tools can be meaningfully integrated into creative processes – not as a substitute, but as an inspiring addition to human innovation.
In addition to intensive project work, the Ideationweek also offered space for fun and team building. In the legendary raft-building challenge at Untreusee lake, two teams competed against each other to build a floatable vehicle using pallets, barrels, boards and ropes. Both constructions held up – but were secured by the DLRG Hof during their journey, just in case. The challenge impressively demonstrated how much creativity, craftsmanship and team spirit the students possess – a perfect metaphor for the innovation process itself.
Conclusion: From the idea to the prototype – and beyond
Ideationweek 2025 showed once again how a seemingly banal resource such as unused sheep’s wool can be turned into marketable, creative products. Using methods from design thinking, AI-supported idea generation and a great deal of commitment, the students developed solutions that are both ecologically and economically viable. The week was not only an innovation laboratory, but also an experience that gave courage – for the future, for regional raw materials and for young start-ups at Hof University of Applied Sciences.
