How innovations work for regions: presentation of the IaaS4DR project at UzhNU

On Wednesday, January 28, the presentation of the international project "Innovation as a service for accelerated implementation of innovations and industrial transition in industrial, rural and remote areas with low innovation potential in the Danube Region (IaaS4DR)", implemented within the framework of the Interreg Danube Region Programme, took place. The initiative was aimed at strengthening the innovation potential of traditional industrial and backward rural areas of the Danube region.

The project focuses on the development of new models of innovation support and technological transition based on the principle of Innovation as a Service (IaaS), which combine educational, coordination and expert services. The purpose of the event was to discuss and implement approaches that would allow regions with low innovation capacity to form sustainable integrated innovation support systems, strengthen the potential of local specialists, and promote the development of technologies and entrepreneurship.

Opening the event, vice-rector for scientific work Ivan Myronyuk noted that when talking about innovation, they usually mean the process of transferring knowledge to business with the support of the state, which performs a regulatory function. This approach, according to him, is known in economic theory as the three-spiral model of innovation, which involves science or the university, business as the main consumer of innovation, and the state as a policy maker.

At the same time, as the speaker emphasized, the IaaS4DR project is truly innovative, because it is already based on a four-helix model. In it, the consumer of the corresponding service is considered not as a passive element, but as an active participant in the transfer of innovations - he is the one who determines needs, tests solutions and provides feedback.

— The task of the university is usually to transfer knowledge and innovative technologies to the business, after which the business implements them and brings them to the market. The fourth component appears in this project, which is already extremely important, he concluded, thanking the participants for their participation and wishing fruitful cooperation and successful implementation of the project.

In his speech, the head of the project, Vitaliy Serzhanov, emphasized that 16 partners from different countries are involved in the initiative. The leading partner is the Technical University of the Czech Republic, and the participants include universities, public organizations and innovation centers from Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Croatia, Hungary and other European countries.

The main task of the project, according to him, is to study the problems of introducing innovations in the regions and the business environment, analyze structural changes, as well as study the challenges that have intensified in recent years, in particular, after the start of a full-scale war. The initiative also explores the city's culture of innovation and issues of risk management.

The overall goal of the project is to create integrated innovation support services and form an innovation support center. Such a center will not be created directly in Uzhgorod as part of the program — it will be opened in Hungary, but Uzhgorod partners will join its work and promote the introduction of innovations in the region.

Particular attention is paid to the online-platform created within the project. It provides training programs for representatives of business, entrepreneurs, authorities and civil society and is designed to provide practical knowledge for the implementation of innovations. Employees of the university, representatives of the government, business, business incubators and all interested parties will be able to participate in the training by registering on the platform.

Kateryna Skubenych, the head of the research department, also made a presentation and emphasized that the region is one of those that are currently transforming very quickly, and changes are actually happening every day. That is why the problems raised within the framework of the IaaS4DR project are focused on supporting regions such as ours, which are in a state of constant socio-economic transformations.

The speaker shared her experience of participating in a mission to the city of Prijedor, which also experienced military actions, noting that the challenges that this city is facing today are in many ways similar to those that will be faced by Ukrainian regions during the post-war reconstruction period. In her report, Kateryna Skubenych also emphasized the problem of the low level of commercialization of innovations. Despite active discussions around innovation, transfer and entrepreneurship, the share of commercialized innovative developments remains insignificant, which requires overcoming systemic barriers and forming a risk culture in the economy. Separately, the shortage of qualified personnel was noted, which, according to forecasts, will only increase in the coming years.

At the end of the event, a lively and fruitful discussion took place with the participation of invited guests, representatives of the university community, business and expert environment. The participants exchanged opinions on the practical aspects of project implementation, the possibilities of involving regions in innovative services, and also outlined potential directions for further cooperation. The discussion confirmed the interest of the parties in the development of joint initiatives and confirmed the relevance of the IaaS4DR project to strengthen the innovative potential of the region.

Anna Feltsan,

Information and publishing center

• Science