On Friday 31 March 2023, the Czech Institute of Robotics, Informatics and Cybernetics welcomed the participants of the first EIT Manufacturing Workshop in Prague entitled “Innovation in Manufacturing Sector: How to Find Partners and Funding with EIT Manufacturing”. Czech innovative start-ups & SMEs discussed the challenges they face in their businesses as well as the opportunities that EIT Manufacturing provides.
Companies such as Wiferion from Germany or Czech start-up RoboTwin shared their specific experiences across the entire innovation cycle, i.e. innovation scouting, searching for partners, developing new technology solutions and products or entering new markets.
The workshop covered a wide range of topics that every company may need on its way toward innovation such as financing or options for using research infrastructure available at Testbed for Industry 4.0. The main attention was focused on the call for proposals for the next year. The proposals can be submitted from 18 April 2023 and while applying, Czech companies can use the support of EITM Hub Czechia hosted by CTU in Prague.
Researchers from CIIRC CTU and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering presented educational tools and up-skilling programs designed for manufacturing companies. Petr Kolář, head of Institute of Production Machinery and Equipment from Faculty of Mechanical Engineering showed a wide range of educational opportunities, that EITM offers and gives industrial companies a chance to strengthen their competitiveness. Projects such as ManuLearn, Pathfinder, FlexMan, Live 4.0 and CAMplus4.0 were introduced. Pavel Burget, director of Tested for Industry 4.0, talked about the project Confacts, which focuses especially on smart production ecosystems, IoT edge computing and data analytics. An integral part was introduction of the possibility of companies‘ involvement in the project. Another presented project RIEMANN develops a didactic material on the control of fleets of mobile manipulators with ROS 2. All these examples of educational programs show concretely how industrial companies can leverage the potential of digital transformation.
The event was hosted by CIIRC CTU as the EIT Manufacturing Hub Czechia and organised by the EIT Manufacturing CLC East in Vienna, with the great support of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering CTU in Prague, CzechInvest and Technology Centre Prague.
More about the event is available here.
Photogallery: source CIIRC CTU
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EIT Manufacturing
is one of the nine innovation communities belonging to European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), which was established by the European Union in 2008. EIT Manufacturing has been operating since 2018. Its main focus is to promote innovation in European manufacturing sector and aims to increase its global competitiveness, sustainability, and productivity. EIT Manufacturing provides direct support to innovation projects, it brings together leading European manufacturing companies, academic institutions, innovative start-ups and SMEs, creates a space for sharing of experience and developing intensive international cooperation and builds an innovation community and ecosystems.
EIT Manufacturing Hub Czechia
CTU has joined EIT Manufacturing as the only full member from the Czech Republic through its units – the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME CTU) and the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics (CIIRC CTU). These two units, in cooperation with European partners, implement projects in the field of digital knowledge transfer in Industry 4.0, educational activities focused on advanced manufacturing technologies or the digital transformation of companies.
CTU has been the official EIT Manufacturing Hub for the Czech Republic since 2020. It aims to engage local companies and partners, support innovators and ensure mutual awareness between the academic and private sector about opportunities within EIT Manufacturing projects. Thanks to the Hub, Czech universities, research institutes, manufacturing companies and start-ups can more easily get involved in EIT Manufacturing projects.
