MindWing – Regeneration and Mental Health in Everyday Work

The employees of Austro Control (ACG) work in an environment with a high density of information, demanding decision-making processes and intensive screen work. Many activities require a high level of concentration and attention over a longer period of time with high cognitive load and physical tension at the same time. This is why measures for mental health, regeneration and sustainable performance that are suitable for everyday use are becoming increasingly important.

The challenge is to enable short recovery phases even with tightly timed or changing work processes. There are already various health and recreation offers, however, these are decentralized, have different visibility and are not available at all times or at all locations. As a result, they are difficult to find, not equally accessible for all locations and working realities, and are only partially used.

The focus is on short measures during working hours, not classic leisure or fitness activities. Two- to five-minute "micro-breaks", for example with eye, breathing, relaxation or focus exercises, are intended to reduce stress without significantly interrupting the flow of work. The visibility, accessibility and everyday use of the services are therefore crucial. Voluntariness, data protection, co-determination and labour law requirements must be taken into account. It is crucial to reach employees early and regularly, before stress becomes acute, without creating additional organisational effort or new access hurdles.

ACG is looking for a sustainable approach to regeneration and mental health in everyday working life that supports employees in easily integrating breaks, regeneration, concentration and mental well-being into their everyday work. The company is not looking for a general fitness or leisure platform, but rather a workplace solution that makes existing offers visible and promotes regular voluntary use.

The solution can combine digital features with organizational, communicative, or advisory elements. Possible features include reminders—which users can optionally activate and customize—for screen breaks, physical activity, hydration, breathing exercises, or brief mental relaxation. In addition, short exercises as well as on-demand, live, learning, and coaching offerings are possible. Relevant topics include, in particular, stress management, resilience, mindfulness, relaxation, sleep health, burnout prevention, and coping with workplace stress.

The specific design should deliberately remain open-ended. Non-digital, analog, physical, or service-based approaches, as well as hybrid combinations, are expressly welcome, provided they contribute to the low-threshold and sustainable integration of regeneration and mental health into everyday work life. Existing health programs, informational materials, videos, and offline initiatives should be easily accessible through a central platform and simple to integrate into daily work routines. If digital components are part of the solution, they should be available on PCs and mobile devices and allow for use regardless of location or time. Non-digital or hybrid approaches should take into account different locations and work realities accordingly.

Employees should be supported in perceiving stress at an early stage and in using appropriate regeneration impulses in their everyday work. Introduction, communication and long-term anchoring should be considered from the outset, and short and recurring regeneration impulses should be enabled even with high workloads. Voluntary use should be promoted without monitoring, performance evaluation or personal health evaluation.

The goal is a permanently usable offer instead of a one-off campaign. Internal visibility, incentives and nudging as well as data protection-compliant community functions can be part of the approach.

Particularly relevant are:
• GDPR-compliant, privacy-friendly and trustworthy implementation
• Easy to use with a low barrier to entry on PC and mobile devices
• Integration and visualization of existing content, offers and offline measures
• Workplace micro-breaks of two to five minutes to support regeneration and mental health
• Voluntary use with individually controllable reminder and activation impulses
• Scientifically sound approach with a comprehensible understanding of impact
• Consideration of different locations, work realities and user groups
• Sustainable introduction, communication and long-term anchoring in the company

Non-goals:
• Storage of sensitive personal data or individual health evaluations
• Monitoring and evaluation of performance, behavior or productivity of employees
• Mandatory use as well as annoying or non-deactivatable reminders
• Isolated individual measures or one-off campaigns without sustainable integration
• High additional organizational or administrative effort
• Solutions that are only suitable for individual locations or user groups
• Classic fitness, sports or leisure activities that are not directly related to regeneration and mental health in everyday working life

Take this opportunity to showcase your innovative approaches. ACG is seeking companies and collaboration partners that promote regeneration, focus, well-being, and mental health in the day-to-day work environment. The focus is not on a single, isolated measure, but rather on a practical, holistic approach that meaningfully combines offerings, features, and motivational elements.

Please highlight the following in particular:

• Your solution (features and use cases) and the specific benefits for employees in their daily work
• Whether the solution can be used on PCs and mobile devices, takes different work realities into account, and supports sustainable use within the company
• How content, wellness programs, handouts, videos, or offline offerings can be integrated or made visible
• How regular use, engagement, and long-term acceptance will be supported
• Experience, references, or comparable use cases
• The technical or scientific basis and expected effectiveness
• Data protection, data security, hosting, and any anonymized and aggregated usage metrics
• Technical requirements, integration options, and necessary customizations
• Costs associated with piloting, implementation, support, and training

Focus your submission on the following key factors:

• Demonstrable effectiveness in promoting regeneration, stress reduction, concentration, and mental health in everyday work life; preferably backed by professional or scientific evidence.
• Simple, intuitive, and accessible use on PCs and mobile devices—regardless of location, job profile, or workflow.
• GDPR-compliant and trustworthy implementation without monitoring, performance evaluation, or analysis of sensitive personal data.
• Realistic feasibility with minimal organizational effort, as well as technical integrability and the ability to integrate existing offerings

IMPORTANT: This challenge is part of a market exploration process. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare drafts or feasibility studies specifically for this occasion. The market exploration is intended to identify which solutions align with ACG’s framework conditions from a functional, technical, organizational, and economic perspective. Submit your idea via the online form. Describe your technical solution, the overall approach, as well as ongoing support and potential training measures. Make sure your submission aligns with the requirements and key factors. Make a compelling case with clear use cases and references. Submissions from consortia are welcome. Keep it concise (guideline: a maximum of 10–12 presentation slides or 4–5 DIN A4 pages).

Summary of Added Value: Summarize the key benefits! What makes your solution particularly innovative? What sets it apart? Examples of use, references, and a realistic project timeline will help with the evaluation. Optionally, you can also attach a file. This file should supplement—not replace or repeat—the text in the form fields! Use the file attachment, for example, for graphics.

Confidential Information (for Project Managers Only): This information can be submitted confidentially via the platform. In this text field, you can enter additional information that you wish to share exclusively with the project managers. Alternatively, you can email a PDF to the challenge moderators.