Because most of the deep tech knowledge and infrastructure is located at HEIs and research institutions, enterprises – especially SMEs and start-ups – have very little access to them. As a result, we have an under-utilisation of existing expensive infrastructure outside of fundamental research and a limited awareness of potential improvements to entrepreneurial competitiveness and innovation capabilities.

The goal of the REGINNA 4.0 Project is to address these issues by creating a collaborative ecosystem through an interactive platform. Within it, our consortium, consisting of well-established research institutions in diverse deep tech fields, will be delivering tailor-made training courses aimed at all stakeholders in the knowledge-based society. Besides that, a ‘Single-Entry-Point’ will be established through which external users (mainly companies) will be able to access the state-of-the-art research equipment. Participants will be able to request on-demand training, or use it for innovative industrial applications.

The implementation of the Project will be done in the context of three modules: Nanotechnology, Industry 4.0, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

In the Nanotechnology module, participants will learn about state-of-the art production, synthesis, and application of advanced materials for nanotechnology. For example, what the organic semiconductor alternatives for silicon-based electronics are, how to successfully produce high-quality two-dimensional materials, and what other advanced material systems there are.

The courses for Industry 4.0 will provide an in-depth understanding of Industry 4.0, including its impact on manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain management, and the technologies that are driving this transformation. We will also present the use of key enabling technologies in the tourism sector through the new Tourism 4.0 paradigm. Special emphasis will be put on the use of AI and its role in product development and industrial quality control.

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship module will give participants the basic skills to start a business, develop a business plan, and understand marketing and financial management. In addition, the principles of the Lean start-up methodology, a process for rapid testing and iterating on new ideas to validate their potential, will be presented.

Thus, the main beneficiaries of REGINNA 4.0 are students from the technical fields, business and management, as well as tourism, who will acquire deep tech competences and even access to infrastructure. Furthermore, the positive experience and increased collaborative and cooperative engagement of HEIs and industry will inspire future co-design and co-implementation of innovative socio-economic solutions.

Project coordinator

Jurij Urbančič, University of Nova Gorica (contact)

Project website

reginna4-0.eu