On May 13, 2025, the official mid-term consortium meeting of the Interreg Robot Hub project with a focus on Robot Hub Transfer and Robot Hub Academie took place at the Rhein Business Center of the Alsace Eurométropole Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI Alsace Eurométropole) in Strasbourg.
Representatives of all funded project partners came together to present the current project status, reflect on joint successes and plan the next steps for the second project phase. The participating institutions include:
- University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW)
- Hightech Zentrum Aargau (HTZ Aargau)
- Trier University of Applied Sciences (HS Trier)
- Zurich University of Applied Sciences (HSO)
- Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA)
- Alsace Eurométropole Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI Alsace Eurométropole)
- Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA)
Focus of the meeting:
The meeting focused on the presentation of the project results to date and the evaluation of the cooperation between business, science and regional institutions. The successful technology transfers in the field of robotics and the development of joint innovation and qualification formats were particularly highlighted.
In the area of academia, the project partners were able to present an incredible number of participants.
- In 2023, over 6,000 people came into contact with robotics through consortium activities and learned about the diversity of robotics.
- In 2024, the consortium also managed to reach almost 6,000 people through various activities such as workshops, trade fairs and open days.
- In the first half of the project, the efforts to get girls interested in robotics reached almost 80 schoolgirls.
A particular highlight was the participation of representatives from the Interreg Upper Rhine program, who actively took part in the exchange and supported bilateral cooperation in a tri-national context. Together, questions were discussed, challenges were correctly addressed and the next planning steps were defined.
Outlook:
The outlook for the second project phase showed a clear commitment from all partners to intensify cross-border cooperation. Planned measures include new pilot projects with small and medium-sized enterprises in the Robot Hub Transfer sub-project, the expansion of the competence network and further training courses for specialists in robotics and automation. In the coming months, the Robot Hub Academy will focus strongly on cross-border event formats in order to further strengthen cross-regional cooperation and deepen training concepts. In addition, one of the goals is to network students from the region even better.