ABOUT
Intensive Courses for Higher Education Students (further on IC4HEDS) project provided students from Croatia and Hungary with an insight into current business trends and labour market needs. The project officially lasted from 1st August 2020 to 31st March 2022 and in that time nearly fifty students learned about new technologies that are rapidly becoming an integral part of every business. This was done through intensive courses about industry 4.0 and digital transformation and by involving students in various workshops and study trips. Participation in the courses helped prepare students for their future careers.
IC4HEDS was co-financed from Interreg V-A Hungary-Croatia Co-operation Programme 2014-2020. The project was implemented by a team composed of Hungarian partners, University of Pannonia (UP) and the Nagykanizsa Asset Management PLC. (NKVG), as well as Croatian partners, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Organization and Informatics (FOI) and lead partner, Technology Innovation Centre Medimurje Ltd (TICM).
The project addressed the challenges in the higher education system by enhancing the role of higher education institutions and connecting them with the business sector and business support organizations.
Two intensive learning courses are considered the project’s main result - the course about digital transformation implemented by FOI and the course about industry 4.0 implemented by UP. The courses last 35 to 50 hours and include a self-guided introduction phase using online materials specifically developed for this purpose.
In addition to that, more than a dozen workshops have been organized about digital marketing, career development and other relevant topics, led by successful individuals from the business community. Four study trips to the cross-border area have been organized for students, including visits to numerous institutions relevant to the economic and cultural development of the area. Around fifty students participated in the programmes. The project has been finalized with the study trip of the project staff to the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava.
The project's total value was 211.799,95 EUR, out of which 180.029,95 EUR was co-financed from EU funds.
PARTNERS UNITED IN ACHIEVING THIS MISSION
Technology Innovation Centre Medimurje Ltd. (TICM) as lead beneficiary.
TICM is a business incubator founded in 2009. The incubator operates in three buildings, boasting 3600 m2. TICM supported regional ICT scene from its very beginnings. More than 70 companies have gone through the incubation process in TICM since its establishment and 52 entities are currently incubated. TICM is a community of experts and entrepreneurs, companies, associations and institutions and provides services for business idea realization through incubation, consultation and education.
University of Zagreb, Faculty of organization and informatics (FOI)
Established in 1962, the Faculty of Organization and Informatics is an institution that reaches back more than half a century. Over the decades, the Faculty has been providing education to future experts in the field of information sciences and technologies, economics, organization, communication and other related fields. It is one of the constituent units of University of Zagreb, located in the northern part of Croatia, in the very heart of the beautiful city of Varaždin.
University of Pannonia (UP)t
University of Pannonia, headquartered in Veszprém, is operating in the picturesque cities on the lands of the former Roman province, Pannonia. 5 faculties of the university offer high quality education supported by cutting edge research activity and student friendly environment. In order to meet the needs of the labour market, our activities are carried out in close cooperation with the regional industrial partners and local governments. Based on the professional achievements of our faculty staff and the internationally recognized R&D results, the University of Pannonia is ranked among the best Hungarian universities. The degree obtained at their University is acknowledged and valuable certificate providing a solid basis for successful career perspectives.
Nagykanizsa Asset Management Plc.
The Municipality of Nagykanizsa established an Incubator and Innovation Centre inside the area of the Industrial Park. The area of the incubator expands on over 2496 m2 and it can incubate approximately 30 enterprises. They offer advantageous business environment for low cost. They help enterprises to reach the market, they foster the entrepreneurial environment and support the territorial economy, they facilitate cooperation between enterprises, give assistance to enterprises that are in the initial phase of launching a business, help enterprises to bridge the problems occurring due to the lack of capital and insufficient knowledge in economics.
RESULTS
2 joint intensive courses
2 joint intensive courses have been developed and launched. FOI developed a digital transformation course whereas UP developed a course about Industry 4.0. The courses comprised online elements (Moodle) and face-to-face lectures, seminars and workshops. 23 students from FOI and 30 students from UP received certificates of participation and 4 ECTS points as a reward.
12 workshops
12 workshops about digital marketing, career development and other topics relevant to the participating students, including 3 employability-related workshops for students to strengthen their capacities and skills so they can achieve better results once they enter the labour market.
4 students’ study trips
4 students’ study trips to a cross-border area. Trips included workshops organized by the incubator on the first day and visits to various institutions (faculties, incubators, etc.) on the next. As part of the trip, students also visited numerous institutions relevant to the economic and cultural development of the area.
1 Study trip of the project staff
1 Study trip of the project staff to several institutions, constituent parts of the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava. The study trip was chronicled by an article with a detailed journey description. The team benefited from the study trip by witnessing best practices in the higher education system, research and science development at the institution with over 260 years of history. Another result of the study trip was strengthening the connection and cooperation inside the project consortium and gaining new contacts which could potentially lead to a partnership in future projects.
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Contact
TEL: +385 (0)40 499 405EMAIL: info@ticm.hr
URL: https://www.ticm.hr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TICMedjimurje/
Address
TEHNOLOŠKO-INOVACIJSKI CENTAR MEĐIMURJE d.o.o.Ulica bana Josipa Jelačića 22/b
HR-40000 Čakovec
