FeldSchau shows how AI is transforming plant research – Bavarian High-Tech Awards 2026
FeldSchau showcased its technology as one of four selected start-ups at the Bavarian High-Tech Awards 2026. The company’s story began with a research project at HSWT.
FeldSchau was founded by HSWT alumnus Michael Liepold, who studied Agriculture at the Triesdorf campus, and Emanuel Jacobowsky, a graduate of the Artificial Intelligence degree programme at Ingolstadt University of Technology. The AutoDGB research project laid the technical and technological foundations for the start-up, yielding key insights that informed subsequent product development. Joint project leader Prof. Dr Patrick Noack supervised Michael’s bachelor’s thesis as part of his research.
AI analysis for research and breeding
For FeldSchau, the presentation at the Bavarian High-Tech Awards 2026 – Germany’s most highly endowed research and innovation prize, worth 300,000 euros – was a special moment. As one of four start-ups, the team presented its technology at the Residenz in Munich. HSWT alumnus Michael sees the participation as a “great honour and important recognition”. Minister for Science Markus Blume visited the stand and engaged in in-depth discussions with the founders. Prof. Dr Patrick Noack and Prof. Dr Torsten Schön from Ingolstadt University of Technology, who provided supervision for Emanuel’s final-year dissertation, were also in attendance.
FeldSchau demonstrated its AI-powered analysis of agricultural drone imagery, which automatically evaluates large volumes of data. The software delivers objective and reproducible results, for example in potato trials where the number and size of tubers were previously recorded manually. The solution saves time, increases precision and supports expertise in research and breeding. “We deliver results that farms can use directly in their work,” says Michael.
Roots at HSWT and TH Ingolstadt
The founders’ university experiences were central to the development of FeldSchau. Michael benefited particularly from the practical plant production and experimental work in Triesdorf: “HSWT shaped my professional development and gave me the decisive impetus to set up the company.” Emanuel contributed his expertise from his AI studies at TH Ingolstadt.
Building on these experiences, FeldSchau is consistently further developing its technology. The team aims to extend its technology to other crops and automate the analysis process even further. The goal is intuitive use, with the focus on the technical question at hand.
