Innovations for regions: UzhNU at the IaaS4DR partners meeting in Austria

From 18 to 19 February, a working meeting of the partners of the DRP0200211 IaaS4DR project was held in Dornbirn (Austria) at the Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences (FHV). ‘Innovation as a service to accelerate innovation and industrial transition in industrial rural and remote regions with low innovation potential in the Danube region’ (Interreg V-B Danube Programme). The following employees of Uzhhorod National University took part in this working meeting:  Vitaliy Serzhanov – Doctor of Economics, Associate Professor, Head of the Scientific Grant Activity Department, Project Manager; Viktoria Gotra – Doctor of Economics, Professor of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Trade Economics of the Faculty of Economics; Viktoria Shlyakht-Tsuranich – Chief Accountant of the Finance and Accounting Department; Kateryna Skubenych – Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Head of the Research Department, Lecturer at the Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology.

The project consortium brings together leading universities, regional development agencies, research institutions and business support organisations from the Danube region. The main partner is the Technical University of Košice (Slovakia). Uzhhorod National University joined the project in September 2025.

The partner meeting in Dornbirn was aimed at coordinating the consortium's next steps, exchanging experiences between partners and presenting regional developments. The programme of the event included: analysis of the achievement of key project indicators and assessment of major risks; familiarisation with the innovative ecosystem and start-ups in the region (WISTO Vorarlberg and Startup Vorarlberg); discussion of ways to improve the blended learning platform for innovation development and support for industrial transformation processes; formation of a sustainable transnational professional community of innovation and industrial transformation managers in the Danube region (IaaS4DR Academy); implementation of a scaling plan and ensuring the sustainability of research results at the regional and transnational levels; developing an Innovation as a Service model to support innovation and industrial transition in remote and rural regions with low innovation potential..

The working meeting of the IaaS4DR project partners in Dornbirn contributed to the coordination of further steps in the project implementation, strengthening transnational cooperation and exchange of innovative practices. The participation of Uzhhorod National University confirmed the active integration of the university into the European scientific and innovation space.

According to information from the research department

• Science