Meet Marius Hügel
We spoke with Marius Hügel,Development Engineer in Electronics R&D at ESS and a longstanding mentor for the Kreative Köpfe project. In this role, he provides guidance to our young students, supporting them throughout their projects and helping them develop their skills.
Marius joined Kreative Köpfe in 2007 as a member, where he worked on the “Alternate Emergency Power Supply” project. In 2008, he began his training at BARTEC, supporting mentors in their work and gaining valuable hands-on experience.
Over the years, he continued to develop professionally while maintaining a strong connection with both BARTEC and Kreative Köpfe. After returning to BARTEC in 2025, he stepped into the role of a mentor for Kreative Köpfe, contributing his experience to support the next generation.
What motivated you to become a mentor for Kreative Köpfe, and what does this project mean to you personally?
As a former participant in this competition, I understand how complex it can be to bring ideas and projects to life. The participants rely on the expertise of the supporting companies.
I also enjoy working with young, motivated people. Here, I can draw on both my own experience in the competition and the expertise I’ve gained from 10 years of development work.
How do you encourage children to develop their creativity and confidence during the mentoring process?
As mentors, we often offer small suggestions to the participants, intended to spark their creativity. We then work together over several sessions to develop these ideas. In the process, we frequently encounter problems, both minor and major. We encourage the participants to come up with solutions on their own.
What has been the most inspiring or surprising moment you’ve experienced while mentoring?
What fascinated me most was the participants’ creativity and ingenuity. Often, there’s already a concrete plan behind an idea that seems almost ready for production. These are the kinds of projects you hope to see in a competition like this. In such cases, we mentors offer only minor suggestions and can focus our attention on the details.
In your opinion, what long-term impact can initiatives like Kreative Köpfe have on young people’s development?
First and foremost, projects like Kreative Köpfe ensure that participants must take the initiative. Whether it involves describing the projects, reaching out to companies, or implementing the project—participants are constantly faced with new challenges. I believe this factor is significant and plays a formative role in their future and personal development.
Likewise, the participants’ technical development should not be overlooked. Most of the approved projects present technical challenges during implementation. Participants must identify these challenges in a timely manner and work through them in collaboration with their mentors.
What does BARTEC gain by participation in the initiative?
Simply being present among the participants offers significant value to BARTEC. This allows us to establish initial contacts with potential apprentices and students. Furthermore, networking with local companies and educational institutions is important. From a marketing perspective, Kreative Köpfe naturally helps us move forward and regularly provides publicity on social media and in the local press.
For more information on this topic, take a look at the Kreative Köpfe Awards in 2025 and 2024.