PBN HIGHLIGHTS – SEPTEMBER NEWS SUMMARY
2025-10-06
In September, PBN’s international projects gained new momentum: meetings, professional forums, and events were held across several countries, all sharing the common goal of strengthening innovation, digitalization, and circular thinking. Throughout the month, several projects reached important milestones, demonstrating how international collaboration can turn into genuine value creation.
SMERF Project Partner Meeting – Developing Innovation Ecosystems in Opatija
On September 10–11, 2025, the sixth in-person partner meeting of the SMERF project took place in Opatija, Croatia, organized by STEP RI. The two-day event aimed to jointly assess the project’s progress, particularly in activities supporting the green and digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises. PBN delivered a presentation under the topic “Innovation ecosystem development – transfer of best practices from more innovative partner regions”, introducing the methodology and planning concept of the upcoming “Behind the Scenes Workshop for Policymakers”. This international event was designed to facilitate knowledge exchange and transfer between more innovative regions – such as Germany and Austria – and less innovative Central European areas. The goal of the workshop was to provide policymakers and business support organizations with insights into successful innovation practices and inspire them to strengthen their own regional ecosystems.
SMERF – Focus on Sustainable Innovation and Future-Ready Enterprises
As part of the SMERF (SME Ready for the Future) project, the “InnoGreen Market Event – SME Ready for the Future” session was held in Linz during the 4th Industry Innovation Forum, organized by the Mechatronik-Cluster. The event aimed to showcase inspiring examples and practice-oriented approaches to help small and medium-sized enterprises prepare for future challenges. The forum focused on innovation culture, sustainable manufacturing, digitalization, and data-driven value creation, emphasizing how these principles can be effectively implemented in business practice. Through keynote presentations and discussions, participants explored topics such as supporting SMEs in internationalization, integrating sustainability into business strategies, and fostering an innovation-driven mindset. The program targeted decision-makers from industry and research, entrepreneurs, and development professionals who actively shape the economic future of the region.
WE.Circular – Two Days Dedicated to Circular Innovation in Bucharest
On September 17–18, the Impact Hub Bucharest hosted the WE.Circular project’s two-day international event, focusing on circular innovation and collaboration. During the Peer Review held on the first day, partners presented six newly developed circular business models – including PBN, which was responsible for developing two of them. The green and digital transition solutions were evaluated by experts through a structured feedback process, resulting in valuable recommendations to further improve the concepts and enhance their real-world applicability. On the second day, the Dissemination Event featured inspiring presentations, case studies, and showcases from the three finalists of the WE.Circular Innovation Contest, highlighting sustainable, women-led business models. The event marked one of the project’s key milestones, as the partnership prepared for the upcoming pilot testing phase involving 38 companies across the Danube Region.
NOTRE – Knowledge Exchange and Inspiring Good Practices from Emilia-Romagna
Staff exchange event was organized in Emilia-Romagna, in the framework of Notre project. It is an activity meant to be between limited number of partners to exploit knowledge sharing potential. ER was so exciting, that the entire partnership participated on the 3-day event. It started with a brief overview of the holistic structure of innovation support organizations, presented by ART-ER – another partner of PBN from AI-REDGIO. It is a formal, institutionalized structure of collaborating organizations and institutions, that is working on information sharing, strategic initiatives – also like S3 -, liaison with the EC Commission, etc. Under the umbrella of ART-ER series of valuable services are provided, that were partially shared in the follow-up presentations. 500 websites are monitored on the daily basis that is shared with the entire ecosystem, lobbying, connections towards EU platforms, alliances are in the service portfolio. It was a perfect example how the Szombathely2030 partnership can be developed from organization-perspective.
During the follow-up presentations multiple components of the ecosystem were introduced. It started with the Technopole concept, that is a strategic thematic network with high-level investment to translate research into business initiatives. Two examples were presented, where the flow of policy concept transformation into tangible R&D was shared. It consisted of two locations, one in Bologna and one on Piacenza. They perfectly illustrated how the local adaptation of the implementation is realized – like food in one region and automotive in the other. HPC in Bologna, hospital cooperations and enabling biotechnological research were the great potential cooperation possibilities.
Following these sites such an organization was visited where a private company provided applied research and development services to multiple sectors. This organization – with its size, orientation, culture – was almost identical with am-LAB. This visit was especially essential in the learning process for the accompanying engineers.
EUMPower – Focusing on Intra-EU Migration and Cross-Border Mobility
The interregional meeting in The Hague focused on the issue of intra-EU migration. Participants examined the phenomenon from several perspectives: labor market and economic factors (sectors, wages, working conditions, contract security), social and quality-of-life aspects (the burdens of commuting, housing, family life, education and language barriers), as well as issues of institutional relations and trust. Special emphasis was placed on exploring future prospects and service needs, highlighting under what conditions workers plan to stay abroad long term, and what supporting services – such as information points, mobile customer services, or multilingual digital tools – they would find useful.
At the meeting, PBN brought the topic of cross-border commuting into the common discussion, with a particular focus on the Vas County - Burgenland axis. The planned research aims to identify the motivations, living conditions, and labor market characteristics of commuters, which directly supports the long-term objectives of the Szombathely2030 strategy.
Iaas4DR – Exploring the Innovation Landscape and Pilot Activities in Bosnia
During the study visit combined with the partner meeting, PBN colleagues gained valuable insights into the economic and social characteristics of Bosnia, particularly the Prijedor region, as well as its innovation framework. The agenda included presentations from the emerging Science and Technology Park and several successful local innovative companies showcasing their products and developments. The project meeting focused mainly on the newly launched pilot activities, where PBN will be playing an active role in three areas: establishing a “Living Lab,” educating the utilisation of our teaching and learning factory line, and supporting companies applying artificial intelligence solutions.
eTOM Symposium – Innovative Educational Approaches for the Future of Learning
On September 23, 2025, around 200 educational professionals gathered in Baden at the University College of Teacher Education in Lower Austria to jointly discuss the key challenges shaping the future of education. The event, held under the title “Education for Tomorrow”, took place within the framework of three INTERREG projects and provided participants from across the Central European region with the opportunity to share and exchange innovative approaches to education at an international level. The symposium was organized by the Department of Kindergartens of the Province of Lower Austria, in close professional cooperation with its project partners.
At the invitation of PBN, Hungary was represented in the panel discussion by Judit Bogáthné Erdődi from the ELTE Bolyai János Primary and Secondary School. Her contribution played an important role in ensuring that Hungarian pedagogical experiences and perspectives were also highlighted in the international dialogue.
As part of the event, seven interactive workshops were held, showcasing practical examples of how new methods can be applied in education. Topics included using multilingualism as an educational resource, integrating artificial intelligence into everyday school life, environmental education and climate change, as well as the pedagogical use of digital tools such as LEGO Education, virtual reality, and augmented reality. These workshops provided participants with concrete ideas and inspiration to implement in their own institutions.
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eTOM & SpinIT – Shared Experiences in Technology at the Researchers’ Night
This year we again joined the nationwide Researchers’ Night series of events. Under the umbrella of the eTOM project, we welcomed visitors with exciting maker activities at several stations. The aim was to introduce children and young people to modern technologies in a playful, creative way and bring them closer to the digital world of the future.
At one station, participating students could try creating with 3D pens. In addition, within the SpinIT project they had the opportunity to explore and use various digital devices, gaining hands-on experience with the practical application of technology. This year’s theme revolved around robots, allowing visitors to examine several types up close. They could not only observe these devices in action, but also learn the basics of how they work—and even interact with them.
SMERF Project Partner Meeting – Developing Innovation Ecosystems in Opatija
On September 10–11, 2025, the sixth in-person partner meeting of the SMERF project took place in Opatija, Croatia, organized by STEP RI. The two-day event aimed to jointly assess the project’s progress, particularly in activities supporting the green and digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises. PBN delivered a presentation under the topic “Innovation ecosystem development – transfer of best practices from more innovative partner regions”, introducing the methodology and planning concept of the upcoming “Behind the Scenes Workshop for Policymakers”. This international event was designed to facilitate knowledge exchange and transfer between more innovative regions – such as Germany and Austria – and less innovative Central European areas. The goal of the workshop was to provide policymakers and business support organizations with insights into successful innovation practices and inspire them to strengthen their own regional ecosystems.
SMERF – Focus on Sustainable Innovation and Future-Ready Enterprises
As part of the SMERF (SME Ready for the Future) project, the “InnoGreen Market Event – SME Ready for the Future” session was held in Linz during the 4th Industry Innovation Forum, organized by the Mechatronik-Cluster. The event aimed to showcase inspiring examples and practice-oriented approaches to help small and medium-sized enterprises prepare for future challenges. The forum focused on innovation culture, sustainable manufacturing, digitalization, and data-driven value creation, emphasizing how these principles can be effectively implemented in business practice. Through keynote presentations and discussions, participants explored topics such as supporting SMEs in internationalization, integrating sustainability into business strategies, and fostering an innovation-driven mindset. The program targeted decision-makers from industry and research, entrepreneurs, and development professionals who actively shape the economic future of the region.
WE.Circular – Two Days Dedicated to Circular Innovation in Bucharest
On September 17–18, the Impact Hub Bucharest hosted the WE.Circular project’s two-day international event, focusing on circular innovation and collaboration. During the Peer Review held on the first day, partners presented six newly developed circular business models – including PBN, which was responsible for developing two of them. The green and digital transition solutions were evaluated by experts through a structured feedback process, resulting in valuable recommendations to further improve the concepts and enhance their real-world applicability. On the second day, the Dissemination Event featured inspiring presentations, case studies, and showcases from the three finalists of the WE.Circular Innovation Contest, highlighting sustainable, women-led business models. The event marked one of the project’s key milestones, as the partnership prepared for the upcoming pilot testing phase involving 38 companies across the Danube Region.
NOTRE – Knowledge Exchange and Inspiring Good Practices from Emilia-Romagna
Staff exchange event was organized in Emilia-Romagna, in the framework of Notre project. It is an activity meant to be between limited number of partners to exploit knowledge sharing potential. ER was so exciting, that the entire partnership participated on the 3-day event. It started with a brief overview of the holistic structure of innovation support organizations, presented by ART-ER – another partner of PBN from AI-REDGIO. It is a formal, institutionalized structure of collaborating organizations and institutions, that is working on information sharing, strategic initiatives – also like S3 -, liaison with the EC Commission, etc. Under the umbrella of ART-ER series of valuable services are provided, that were partially shared in the follow-up presentations. 500 websites are monitored on the daily basis that is shared with the entire ecosystem, lobbying, connections towards EU platforms, alliances are in the service portfolio. It was a perfect example how the Szombathely2030 partnership can be developed from organization-perspective.
During the follow-up presentations multiple components of the ecosystem were introduced. It started with the Technopole concept, that is a strategic thematic network with high-level investment to translate research into business initiatives. Two examples were presented, where the flow of policy concept transformation into tangible R&D was shared. It consisted of two locations, one in Bologna and one on Piacenza. They perfectly illustrated how the local adaptation of the implementation is realized – like food in one region and automotive in the other. HPC in Bologna, hospital cooperations and enabling biotechnological research were the great potential cooperation possibilities.
Following these sites such an organization was visited where a private company provided applied research and development services to multiple sectors. This organization – with its size, orientation, culture – was almost identical with am-LAB. This visit was especially essential in the learning process for the accompanying engineers.
EUMPower – Focusing on Intra-EU Migration and Cross-Border Mobility
The interregional meeting in The Hague focused on the issue of intra-EU migration. Participants examined the phenomenon from several perspectives: labor market and economic factors (sectors, wages, working conditions, contract security), social and quality-of-life aspects (the burdens of commuting, housing, family life, education and language barriers), as well as issues of institutional relations and trust. Special emphasis was placed on exploring future prospects and service needs, highlighting under what conditions workers plan to stay abroad long term, and what supporting services – such as information points, mobile customer services, or multilingual digital tools – they would find useful.
At the meeting, PBN brought the topic of cross-border commuting into the common discussion, with a particular focus on the Vas County - Burgenland axis. The planned research aims to identify the motivations, living conditions, and labor market characteristics of commuters, which directly supports the long-term objectives of the Szombathely2030 strategy.
Iaas4DR – Exploring the Innovation Landscape and Pilot Activities in Bosnia
During the study visit combined with the partner meeting, PBN colleagues gained valuable insights into the economic and social characteristics of Bosnia, particularly the Prijedor region, as well as its innovation framework. The agenda included presentations from the emerging Science and Technology Park and several successful local innovative companies showcasing their products and developments. The project meeting focused mainly on the newly launched pilot activities, where PBN will be playing an active role in three areas: establishing a “Living Lab,” educating the utilisation of our teaching and learning factory line, and supporting companies applying artificial intelligence solutions.
eTOM Symposium – Innovative Educational Approaches for the Future of Learning
On September 23, 2025, around 200 educational professionals gathered in Baden at the University College of Teacher Education in Lower Austria to jointly discuss the key challenges shaping the future of education. The event, held under the title “Education for Tomorrow”, took place within the framework of three INTERREG projects and provided participants from across the Central European region with the opportunity to share and exchange innovative approaches to education at an international level. The symposium was organized by the Department of Kindergartens of the Province of Lower Austria, in close professional cooperation with its project partners.
At the invitation of PBN, Hungary was represented in the panel discussion by Judit Bogáthné Erdődi from the ELTE Bolyai János Primary and Secondary School. Her contribution played an important role in ensuring that Hungarian pedagogical experiences and perspectives were also highlighted in the international dialogue.
As part of the event, seven interactive workshops were held, showcasing practical examples of how new methods can be applied in education. Topics included using multilingualism as an educational resource, integrating artificial intelligence into everyday school life, environmental education and climate change, as well as the pedagogical use of digital tools such as LEGO Education, virtual reality, and augmented reality. These workshops provided participants with concrete ideas and inspiration to implement in their own institutions.
eTOM & SpinIT – Shared Experiences in Technology at the Researchers’ Night
This year we again joined the nationwide Researchers’ Night series of events. Under the umbrella of the eTOM project, we welcomed visitors with exciting maker activities at several stations. The aim was to introduce children and young people to modern technologies in a playful, creative way and bring them closer to the digital world of the future.
At one station, participating students could try creating with 3D pens. In addition, within the SpinIT project they had the opportunity to explore and use various digital devices, gaining hands-on experience with the practical application of technology. This year’s theme revolved around robots, allowing visitors to examine several types up close. They could not only observe these devices in action, but also learn the basics of how they work—and even interact with them.