TecHnology and EntrepreneUrship Education – Bridging the Gap for Smart Product Development Erasmus Project

Project Title

TecHnology and EntrepreneUrship Education – Bridging the Gap for Smart Product Development

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

According to Grand View Research, Inc, the global Additive Manufacturing (AM) market is expected to reach $62.79 billion by 2028. AM technologies, as a core component of the Industry 4.0 revolution, add two key elements to the innovation: speed and customization of the products. As an emerging technology spanning generations, it’s vital to understand the 3D AM processes.
The project focuses on the education of AM technologies and of Technology Entrepreneurship, based on the following objectives: OS1. Increasing the number of non-business students – attending a technical faculty – who benefit from innovative training approaches and increasing level of digital competences, by using a curricula that meet their learning needs and are also relevant to the labour market and societal needs, including better use of open and on-line, blended, work-based, open web-based interactive platforms, multi-disciplinary learning, and open interactive digital content, and providing more attractive training programmes, in line with individual needs and expectations and also with the new Industry 4.0 concept, focused on use of AM technologies for successful smart products development as subject of new business opportunities; OS2. Increasing the AM technologies literacy, development of relevant and high-quality competences, and entrepreneurial ability to develop start-ups starting from an idea of innovative Customized Smart Product – using AM technologies – by students enrolled at technical universities, in the context of the internationalization of activities and work within interdisciplinary and multinational teams, in a project-based learning system, emphasizing technology entrepreneurial techniques, commercialization and selling of technology based ideas, and patenting and protecting technology based ideas. OS2-extended: The use of AM technologies to cover broad subjects of high interest to the European community: foster employability, develop / disseminate tools for the assessment of cutting-edge technical competences, as well as actions that apply “learning outcomes”. (OS1, OS2 and OS2-extended are the core objectives). OS3. Developing an on-line community that actively participates in the continuous development of the digital educational materials and of AM solutions and projects, as part of Industry 4.0 revolution. Build an on-line system that transforms technology entrepreneurship education into a continuous development process, with the goal of creating an educational platform and an open-source community where all intellectual outputs developed within the project are freely available.
The identified target group was defined by learners, teaching staff, invited teachers, professionals, industry representatives, and hobbyists, as defined: • Learners: a) undergraduate students, attending a technical faculty who already have a basic knowledge of technology and engineering, b) graduate non-business students, attending a technical faculty who already have knowledge in the field of technology / manufacturing engineering, including product development and computer aided design skills and c) PhD students, having knowledge in the field of technology / manufacturing engineering, including product development and computer aided design skills, enrolled with technical subjects; • Teaching staff from participating university partners; • Invited teachers – teaching staff from non-participating partners and expert specialists; • Other interested stakeholders (professionals, industry representatives, researchers, hobbyists etc.). A total number of 1294 participants attended in E and C type project activities, as follows: E1 – 159 participants (43 project funded (PF)); E2 – 59 participants (50 PF); E3 – 41 participants (30 PF); E4 – 188 participants (53 PF); E5 – 68 participants (40 PF); E6 – 60 participants (30 PF); E7 – 459 participants (46 PF); C1 – 35 participants (2 PF); C2 – 131 participants (26 PF); C3 – 40 participants (2 PF); C4 – 36 participants (3 PF); C5 – 18 participants (8 PF).
A number of 7 intellectual outputs (IO) were assumed and delivered as direct as results within the project, totalling up into 730 days for trainers and 215 days for managers and were made available as open-source materials on the project website and OIP. All IOs were disseminated during the multiplier events and other dissemination activities. The developed results helped improve technology literacy, 3D printing adoption and entrepreneurial practice amongst the target group, based on their feedback (see research papers published by authors).
The long-term project benefit is the development of then on-line community that actively participates in the continuous improvement of digital educational materials and of AM solutions and projects, as part of Industry 4.0 revolution, by creating and maintaining an educational platform and an open-source community where all intellectual outputs developed within the project are freely available.

Project Website

http://smart-techub.eu/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 176531 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA DIN BUCURESTI & Country: RO

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITATEA LUCIAN BLAGA DIN SIBIU
• POLITECHNIKA CZESTOCHOWSKA
• UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTER