DETECT! consortium has successfully completed the first phase of the project, which received funding from the 3rd call of the EIT HEI initiative: Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education. We are delighted that our efforts have been rewarded with a positive review and we can start the second phase of the project.
The partners of the consortium are University of Chemistry and Technology Prague (Czechia), University of Life Sciences Poznań (Poland), Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovakia), National University of Shipbuilding in Mykolaiv (Ukraine), University of Vienna (Austria), Maker Institute (Czechia), Technological Innovation Center Zlín (Czechia), and associated partners Humboldt Innovation GmbH (Germany), INiTS – Vienna's HighTech Incubator (Austria), and Bar-Ilan University (BIU, Israel).
Project goal
The aim of the project is to connect universities focused on STEM fields combined with "Deep Tech" disciplines with institutions with experience in business schemes and with industrial partners and third sector organizations, with a vision of continuing cooperation until 2030.
Deep Tech includes fields such as robotics, advanced materials, cyber security and data protection, artificial intelligence or biotechnology and life sciences, electronics and photonics, sustainable energy.
"The intention of the project DETECT! is to strengthen the position of higher education institutions as key players in innovation. By developing and strengthening practical skills, we aim to enable researchers to transfer research results to the technological innovation environment. The partner universities plan to introduce new training programs in the field of Deep Tech and mentoring in the field of entrepreneurship and the establishment of start-up companies for the commercialization of scientific research results. They will also focus on creating business incubators and strengthening the area of technology transfer in the university environment," said Hana Štěpánková from the UCT Prague Project Center.
What we have achieved
All members of the consortium did a great deal of joint work during the first phase of the project, which lasted only 6 months.
In the field of education, nearly 1100 participants were jointly trained and mentored. These were primarily 586 students who completed training both in Deep Tech fields and in areas focused on entrepreneurship, creativity, support for start-ups and technology transfer. 111 students participated in mentoring. Another trained group was academic staff. 217 participated in various types of training, 32 received valuable advice and experience through mentoring. Education and competence development was also made possible for non-academic staff, 123 of them received training and another 26 were successfully mentored.
During the first phase of the project, the need to create and improve a mentoring program, both career and DeepTech, was identified. In response to this challenge, the National University of Mykolaiv and UCT Prague created an innovative mentoring platform, which we present as a new pillar of our support structure. UCT Prague has also expanded its mentoring program, which is newly designed for both academic and non-academic workers. The University of Poznań and the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, which have not yet dealt with mentoring, created the foundations of a new mentoring program at their universities.
The consortium also managed to establish 5 new strategic partnerships. These partnerships, which strengthen the network of collaborating entities, have been successfully concluded through the research and technology transfer departments. The University of Vienna established a new collaboration with makerspace Quantum Industry Consortium, HappyLab and Maker Austria. These partnerships ensure that the students of the University of Vienna have the opportunity to use innovation laboratories not only for prototyping, but also for the overall use of makerspace spaces. UCT Prague established a new cooperation with Prague.bio, the result of which is a platform for cooperation between industry and academia. The main goals of this partnership are to strengthen the position of the biotechnology industry in the Czechia, to support technology transfer and the commercial use of research and development results. Other goals include raising the profile of the Czech biotechnology industry on the international scene and building a pool of talents, sharing resources and best practices. Other universities involved in the DETECT! laid the foundations for establishing new partnerships and plan their further development in the second phase of the project.
Project DETECT! has successfully provided support to a total of five start-ups, all of which operate in the Deep Tech field. These are 2 start-ups at the University of Vienna, Cortecs GmbH, which focuses on artificial intelligence and knowledge management, and Microlux GmbH, which focuses on electronics and photonics. The Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra supported the development of the Food Incubator, whose main areas of interest are biotechnologies and natural sciences. UCT Prague focused on supporting two perspective start-ups. The first of these is Galochrom, which specializes in the field of chromatography and provides innovative, customer-oriented solutions for HPLC separation, compound purification and method development. The second start-up is MarbleMat, which focuses on liquid oil sphere encapsulation technology for use in pharmaceuticals, food supplements and cosmetics. This unique solution brings not only better handling properties, but also dosing flexibility while maintaining a high oil content.
One of the key goals of the DETECT! also lays in the effective transfer of knowledge and expertise through the knowledge triangle, which represents the connection of education, research and development and innovation with industry. In this spirit, the cooperation between UCT Prague and the Maker Institute, an academic makerspace that provides students and employees with access to the necessary tools, equipment and technologies for the creation and prototyping of projects, was initiated. The cooperation was started on an individual basis between the director of the Maker Institute, Leyla Yunis, and several scientists of the UCT Prague, who expressed an interest in incorporating the know-how of the Maker Institute into their courses. The result were practical skills that became an organic part of the course offered by the Maker Institute. Thanks to the created learning materials, academic staff can further independently integrate practical activities into their own courses. This collaboration significantly enriches the study plans with parts aimed at strengthening digital skills and further supporting entrepreneurship. It also enables academics and students to translate their knowledge into solutions that have and added value to the society.
The University of Chemistry and Technology Prague (UCT Prague) is a natural center of study and cutting-edge research. One of the largest educational and research institutions in Central Europe, it specializes in technical chemistry, chemical and biochemical technologies, material and chemical engineering, food chemistry, and environmental studies. Remarkably, of the more than 4,000 students at the school, 700 are enrolled in PhD programs on average. Some of the study programs on offer at UCT are unique in the Czech Republic and are key to the future of the entire country. The school collaborates with more than 100 academic institutions, namely within Europe but also in the USA, Canada, Japan, Vietnam, and elsewhere.
Contact: Michal Janovský, spokesman, telephone: +420 733 690 543, e-mail: michal.janovsky@vscht.cz