Meet the Project Team
University of TARTU
Project Coordinator
The University of Tartu (UTartu) is Estonia's leading research university and the oldest higher education institution in the country, founded in 1632. As Estonia's only comprehensive national university, UTartu serves as the center of the country's academic spirit and plays a crucial role in preserving and developing Estonian language, culture, and intellectual capacity.
With over 17,000 students and staff members, UTartu operates across four faculties: Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, Medicine, and Science and Technology. The university employs approximately 3,500 staff members, with about half being academic staff, of whom 63% hold PhD degrees. The university includes 220 professors and educates over 1,100 doctoral students annually.
UTartu ranks among the top 400 universities globally (358th in QS World University Rankings 2023) and is among the 1% most-cited research institutions worldwide in 15 research fields. The university maintains a strong commitment to international collaboration through 66 partner universities across 26 countries and hosts approximately 1,600 international students.
As a national university with global reach, UTartu emphasizes research-based activities, academic freedom, openness to innovation, cooperation across disciplines, and social responsibility. The university actively engages with industry and public sector partners, generating €12 million in R&D services annually and maintaining an impressive portfolio of patents and innovations.
UTartu's core values of research excellence, cooperation, and human-centered approaches directly align with this project's goals of democratizing access to robotics education through collaborative, inclusive methodologies.
Österreichische Computer Gesellschaft
Project Partner
The Austrian Computer Society (OCG) is the largest non-profit association in Austria to promote information and communication technology (ICT) and to foster digital literacy. OCG as the national operator for the ICDL (International Certification of Digital Literacy) has more than thirty years of expertise in designing and conducting ICT courses and certifications for different target audiences. ICDL addresses both school education as well as adult education as well as the general public (i.e. with learning modules such as the ICDL Digital Citizen).
OCG with its 1200 members from science, academia, education, SMEs, industry, and public services acts as an interdisciplinary forum for the latest IT topics and is therefore an important and respected dialogue partner. In this context, OCG also organizes events focusing on sociopolitical ICT topics.
Over 20 OCG working groups (i.e. e-government, genderIT, informatics didactics, …) promote professional exchange and receive support in disseminating their opinions and concerns as well as in promoting the events. OCG conducts the Bebras Computing Challenge in Austria which engages annually over 30.000 girls in informatics and computational thinking.
Additionally, OCG has been a certification body for the ISO/IEC 27001 standard since 2013. Since 2023, the OCG has been accredited for the current standard version, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, and also offers gap analyses and transition audits.
Project Partner
Joanneum Research Forschungsge Sellschaft MBH
Joanneum Research is Austria’s second largest RTO with around 500 employees in total and participates with its Institute for Robotics and Flexible Production (ROBOTICS). The Institute has around 20 team members in two research groups and runs a 500m2 laboratory infrastructure (ROBOTICS Solution Center) providing a wide variety of industrial (mobile) robots. In its research activities ROBOTICS covers multiple topics within the fields robotic, automation and artificial intelligence including perception, path planning, simulation, safety, security, software and system engineering and Human-Robot-Collaboration.
Further, ROBOTICS is highly involved in regional, national and international education and qualification activities, cooperates with local universities in supervising Master- and PhD-Thesis and provides internships for students and pupils. The institute is well connected within the regional teacher education landscape. The institute operates an evaluation laboratory (ROBOTICS Evaluation Lab) for contact situations between human and robots as well as a competence group for education, qualification and training (ROBOTICS Training Center).
Association Digital Fabrication Laboratory
Project Partner
Association 'Digital Fabrication Laboratory', shortname FabLab BiH is an independent, private, non-profit Research and Technology Organization (RTO) that bridges the gap between industry and academia. Established in 2020, it fosters innovation, entrepreneurship, and technological development by providing access to advanced digital fabrication, prototyping, and training facilities.
As a Digital Innovation Hub (DIH), FabLab BiH is actively engaged in entrepreneurship and startup support, offering business advisory services, incubation, and intellectual property protection. It provides upskilling and reskilling programs, including ISO certification and EIT Academy services. The organization specializes in 3D printing, collaborative robotics, AI, XR (VR/AR), and biotech, including 3D cell culture and organ-on-a-chip platforms.
It actively participates in EU-funded projects such as Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, Interreg, and EIT KIC programs. Additionally, it runs circular and green economy initiatives, including the Precious Plastic and Recycling Program.
FabLab BiH has around 10 paid staff members, over 20 volunteers, mentors, and industry experts, and supports more than 300 learners annually, including startups, SMEs, students, and professionals. Recognized as a Pact for Skills signatory and as a Center of Vocational Excellence by the European Training Foundation, FabLab BiH contributes to innovative learning methodologies and workforce development across Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Aakademija Strukovnih Studija Politehnika
Project Partner
The Academy of applied studies Polytechnic (former The Academy of Applied Technical Studies Belgrade) is a state higher education institution where more than 3,500 students study on more than 30 study programs in the technical-technological, artistic, medical and social-humanistic fields.
Akademija Politehnika offers study in nine different study fields:
Electrical Engineering, Computer Science And Mechatronics
Environmental Protection And Occupational Safety
Mechanical Engineering
Management
Traffic
Agricultural And Food Engineering
Health Care And Pharmacy
Graphic Engineering And Technologies
Design
The Academy organizes and conducts professional studies that equip students for the application of knowledge and skills needed for direct involvement in the work process:
First degree studies - basic professional studies (three years, 180 ECTS) - EQF6
and specialist vocational studies (one year, 60 ECTS) - EQF6.2
Second-level studies - master's vocational studies (two years, 120 ECTS)- EQF7
Our mission is to provide high-quality education by putting the needs of students in the center of our work. As an institution with a significant social role, the Academy focuses on the social partner demands as an essence of its action.
We are dedicated to the creation, transfer and exchange of knowledge and skills, emphasizing knowledge as a fundamental value that permeates all our activities – higher education, research and development and cooperation with society.
Bonded to long-standing tradition, the main characteristic of Academy’s Units is excellence in the education of experts in specific, applied fields, that is recognized by graduate students, leaders in the professional world. In the educational area, the outcome of our work is highly qualified staff with focused knowledge and skills that qualifies them for direct involvement in the work process.
Emphasizing commitment to quality of education as our fundamental goal, we constantly evaluate our results in relation to the degree of students and partners satisfaction.
Our vision is ‘’Connecting internationally via education that will be able to respond to rapid and profound changes induced by the technological revolution and social demands’’.