https://www.tuke.sk
The Technical University of Košice was founded in 1952, but its roots must be sought much deeper in the past. As early as 1657 the Universitas Cassoviensis was established in Košice, but technical education in Slovakia was only elevated to higher - education level in 1762, when the Austro-Hungarian monarch Maria Theresa established the Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica. This provided education and promoted research activity in a group of scientific disciplines ranging from ore mining through to production and processing of metal materials. The origins of higher technical education in Košice reach back to 1937, when the M.R.Štefánik State Technical College was established in the city. Teaching was supposed to start in the academic year 1938/39, but the pre-war events following the Vienna Arbitration caused the college to be moved first to Prešov, then to Martin and finally to Bratislava, where it remained and later formed the basis for the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava. The true birth of the Košice Technical College came on 8th July 1952, when the Czechoslovak Government issued Directive No.30/1952 Statutes setting up three faculties, namely the Faculties of Heavy Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy. These were joined in 1969 by the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and in 1978 by the Faculty of Civil Engineering. The important event of the renaming of the College into the Technical University of Košice occurred on 13th February 1991. In 1992 the Faculty of Professional Studies was set up in Prešov, which was transformed in 1996 into today’s Faculty of Manufacturing Technologies. The year 1992 also saw the introduction of the Faculty of Economics, which meant that the University outgrew its original framework of purely technical disciplines, and it continued in this trend in 1998 with the founding of the present-day Faculty of Arts. The Faculty of Aeronautics of the Technical University of Košice was established on 1st January 2005 as a successor of the Air Force Academy of Milan Rastislav Štefánik in Košice, which has been a prestigious educational institution in Europe and in the world providing university education for pilots and air operating personnel for over 30 years.
The form of DIH TUKE
The Technical University of Košice was founded in 1952, but its roots must be sought much deeper in the past. As early as 1657 the Universitas Cassoviensis was established in Košice, but technical education in Slovakia was only elevated to higher - education level in 1762, when the Austro-Hungarian monarch Maria Theresa established the Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica. This provided education and promoted research activity in a group of scientific disciplines ranging from ore mining through to production and processing of metal materials. Nowadays the Technical University of Košice is a public college covering a wide range of educational needs and in many fields it is the only science, research and education center, not just for the East Slovak region but also for Slovakia and the Central European area.
One of those fields is the field of robotics in which the Technical University of Košice has traditionally been a center of robotics research and innovations.
Several different faculties, centers and laboratories, with various specializations related to robotics, AI, cybersecurity etc. have the possibility to cooperate and bundle forces on research, development and innovation.
A typical technology center in this framework is the Prototyping and Innovation Center. This center has extensive facilities for developing, manufacturing and testing of innovations and offers custom-made responses to the needs of business partners / customers. Multidisciplinary teams of experts, if applicable also from other faculties/laboratories, are involved in these customer innovation projects.
Robotics Hub Kosice is related to the Prototyping and Innovation Center with a focus on robotics challenges and applications.
TUKE Robotics Hub Kosice
Robotics Hub Kosice has full service profile to bridge technology and business in the field of robotic systems, especially applications for Inspection & Maintenance tasks.
The hub serves its clients with technology transfer, development of new robots, system design/simulation, prototyping, testing under relevant conditions, trainings and business plan development.
In collaboration with industry, various projects (CERN, nuclear power, automotive, aerospace, etc.) have been successfully solved based on robotics.
As part of a larger European network of Robotic Hubs we strive to co-create new productive solutions for actual challenges within our society.
These challenges offer excellent opportunities for industry and research & development institutions to develop (together) new competitive solutions.
Industries: Manufacturing, Nuclear, Inspection & Maintenance, etc.
Business development (regarding TUKE technologies)
Category: Business service: Incubator/accelerator support
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Dedicated mostly to spin off and start up promoting TUKE technologies.
Support on business creation, Accompanying the creation of start-ups, Protecting research results, advising on IPR management, Carry out strategic analyses, Find scientific and technical information, business intelligence, Set up industrial and collaborative contracts
Format (how?): Meetings, conference calls, project management.
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Experts in business creation, in IPR management
Involvement, effort from DIH: Meetings with experts in business development
Financial charge for customer: Free for TUKE members
Funding, business plan: Mixed public funding and internal investment in DIH.
Connect to funding sources
Category: Business service: Access to financing
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Connect businesses and public organizations to relevant funding opportunities including tax refund mechanisms. Lead or contribute to proposal writing the funding opportunities. Business development as part of proposal writing.
Format (how?): Meetings, conference calls, proposal writing.
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Business developer, technical expert.
Involvement, effort from DIH: Meetings with experts in funding of research, development and innovation in robotics. Proposal writing.
Financial charge for customer: Free(sales activity, or as limited support offer) or paid (DIH involvement only in proposal/funding investigating phase)
Funding, business plan: Subsidised by the DIH when as part of sales activity or as limited support offer (e.g., a 1-hour information meeting). Private funding when DIH involvement is only in sales phase and not in a potential consecutive project.
Hands-on training
Category: Business service: Skills and education
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Training of technical and science personnel
Format (how?): Courses given by DIH personnel. On demand and regular.
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Technical experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: 1-2 day events and shorter events, , supply of training reference material.
Financial charge for customer: Paid service.
Funding, business plan: Flat-fee per seminar/training course.
Research, development and innovation opportunities
Category: Business service: Project development
Description of activity, value proposition (what?):
Advising on technological research, development and innovation activity. Elaboration of an action plan for R&D&I with milestones, deliverables, agreement on the respective role of stakeholders and on the final delivery. Basis for initiating, e.g., bilateral projects between industry and RTOs in the DIH, or as basis for proposal writing to secure funding.
Format (how?): Meetings, conference calls.
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Business developer, technical expert
Involvement, effort from DIH: Meetings with experts in research, development and innovation in robotics
Financial charge for customer: Free if the activity can lead to project for the DIH or else paid.
Funding, business plan: Subsidised by the DIH. Private finding.
Hosting to Spin off and Start up
Category: Business service: Offering housing
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Accompaniment and hosting follow-up of early-phase spin offs from TUKE.
Format (how?): On demand
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Business facilitator
Involvement, effort from DIH: Office space, workspace, located in DIH premises, Internet infrastructure, lab facilities.
Financial charge for customer: Free
Funding, business plan: Paying service or granted by National or EU Funds.
Brokerage, Matchmaking
Category: Ecosystem service: Community building
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Organisation of meetings and workshops between players in the value chain to make demand and offer sides meet, share ideas and analyse opportunities for collaboration.
Format (how?): Minimum one event per year at the DIH or online with presentations from stakeholders, networking lunch (if not digital), dialogue b2b, tour of the DIH if visit on site.
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Business facilitators, technical experts.
Involvement, effort from DIH: One day event with participation of 3 to 4 experts from the DIH, supply of communication material
Funding, business plan: Subsidised by the DIH
Awareness creation
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Robotics awareness presentation for decision-makers and suppliers
Format (how?): Webinar/workshops/conferences that the DIH is invited to
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Senior technical experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: Presentation by one technical expert.
Dissemination
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Communication about the offer of services of the DIH. Dissemination of results and key facts in local language and in English
Format (how?): Information distributed through e.g. web sites, social media, newsletters, mailing
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Experts in communication, technical experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: Involvement of the communication teams belonging to the organizations involved in the DIH
Ecosystem building
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Putting people in touch with professional, sectorial associations certification bodies, public and private investors in region and in Europe
Format (how?): Reference information provided through the DIH web portal and via DIH contact points.
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Business facilitators, technical experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: Access to networks, clusters, associations and federations to which the organizations of the DIH belong and/or has contacts with.
Funding, business plan: Subsidised by the DIH. Potential economic upside for DIH in generating projects which involve the DIH.
Market research, market awareness, market/technology trends
Category: Ecosystem service: Strategy development
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): provision of contact to experts in market analysis, market data held in the network and at the DIH at European and International level
Format (how?): Conference call, meeting with business developers at the DIH
Profile of DIH contact (who?): contact to experts in market analysis
Involvement, effort from DIH: One hour with experts
Financial charge for customer: paying service
Mentoring by technical and application experts
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Advising on possible usage of robotics and automation
Format (how?): Conference calls, bilateral meetings, meetings on customer's premises
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Technical and application experts
Financial charge for customer: Free (typically 1-2 hours, online) or by payment for larger efforts
Funding, business plan: Subsidised by the DIH (as part of investigating project opportunities) or cost per hour for larger efforts. In some cases mix of public and private funding.
Resources and knowledge sharing
Category: Ecosystem service: Ecosystem learning
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Organizing access and informing about resources, databases, seminars, workshops, conferences, field trips, newsletters and other information of interest
Format (how?): Reference information provided through the DIH, newsletters and RIMA network web portal. Conferences, field trips, workshops organized by the DIH or in cooperation with partners. Profile of DIH contact (who?): Communication team. Experts.
Involvement, effort from DIH: Involvement of the communication teams of the organizations involved in the DIH
Financial charge for customer: Free (information sharing, some conferences) or paid (e.g., conference fee)
Funding, business plan: Subsidized by the DIH. Mixed Public and private funding.
DIH network promotion, promotion of the offer
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Promote both the DIH and its members
Format (how?): Web-pages, newsletters. Participation on roadshows, exhibitions, dissemination, and otherwise represent interests (e.g., suppliers, end-users).
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Communication, business and technical experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: Involvement of the communication teams and technical experts.
Financial charge for customer: Free or paid.
Funding, business plan: Subsidised by the DIH. Mix of public and private funding.
Research and development collaboration
Category: Technology service: Strategic RDI
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Research aiming at reaching TRL 5/6, removal of doubts, specifications, research and development, validation in laboratory
Format (how?): Collaborative research with several partners in Slovakia, EU and/or outside the EU for 2 years or more
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Project manager, technical experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: Support from experts in the submission of European or national proposals. Long term participation (over 2 years) of several experts from the DIH for technical research and development in robotics
Financial charge for customer: Free or paid and/or via in-kind from the industry
Funding, business plan: Funded by European or national research programmes, mix of public and private funding, or solely private funding (rare cases).
Innovation projects: technology demonstrators, proof of concepts
Category: Technology service: Contract research
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Research and development aiming at reaching TRL 6, application of existing technologies, validation in laboratory
Format (how?): Bilateral or collaborative projects from one to a few years.
Involvement, effort from DIH: Support from experts in the submission of European or national proposals. Participation of several experts from the DIH for technical research and development in robotics
Financial charge for customer: Paid
Funding, business plan: Funded by bilateral contracts, European or national innovation programmes, private investors.
Proof of concept, prototyping, commercialisation/industrialisation, small series production
Category: Technical service: Technical support on scale-up
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Demonstration in real environment or in realistic conditions. Adaptation of existing technologies to specific use case
Format (how?): Bilateral projects from one to several months
Involvement, effort from DIH: Support from experts in the submission of European or national proposals Participation of several experts from the DIH for development and innovation
Financial charge for customer: Paying
Funding, business plan: Funded by bilateral contracts, European or national innovation programmes, investors
Lab facilities, equipment for lease/use (sensors, robots, robot tooling, etc.), rapid prototyping
Category: Technical service: Provision of technology infrastructure
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Demonstration with equipment held in the Prototyping &Innovation Centre or laboratories at the DIH or deployment of sensors etc. at customer site. Realization of interfaces with DIH equipment. Provision of test benches (for actuation, perception, etc.).
Format (how?): Conducting experiments with the assistance of DIH personnel
Involvement, effort from DIH: Support from experts in the submission of European or national proposals Participation of several experts from the DIH for maturation
Financial charge for customer: Paying, financial charge based on daily rate and depending on the personnel involved, equipment used at the DIH and adaptation needed.
Funding, business plan: Funded by bilateral contracts, European or national innovation programmes, investors.
Certification, product demonstration & testing, comparison of products
Category: Technical service: Testing and validation
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): For testing and benchmarking, TUKE holds and can offer access to a set of dedicated to infrastructures to make assessment in realistic conditions (e.g., aquaculture, pipelines, high-voltage environment, outdoor/indoor, large scale pools, ocean (outdoor) facilities). TUKE can also organize access to infrastructure in other sectors of applications.
Format (how?): Conducting experiments with the assistance of DIH personnel following evaluation protocols. Provision of metrics and tools for benchmarking the utility, usability, effectiveness
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Technical experts. For certification issues, TUKE usually involves the Technical Inspection Office in Slovakia.