INNO-STEM BRIDGE Project
INNO-STEM BRIDGE Project
| Project title | “Building Sustainable Innovation Ecosystems and Fostering Deep Tech Entrepreneurial Talents in STEM” |
| Acronym | INNO-STEM BRIDGE |
| Duration | 01.09.2026 – 31.08.2028 (24 months) |
| Programme | EIT Higher Education Initiative (EIT HEI), Call for Proposals 2025, Topic 1: EIT-HEI-2025-STEM-CAPACITY-BUILDING |
| EIT KIC | EIT Digital (28DIGITAL) |
| Coordinator | Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University (Ukraine) |
| Partners | Chernihiv Polytechnic National University (Ukraine)
Ukrainian Catholic University (Ukraine) KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) Eskişehir Osmangazi University (Turkey) The Foundation “Prof. Dr. Dimitar Stamboliev” (North Macedonia) M6 Educational Centre (North Macedonia) LLC AMPLIFIERS (Ukraine) |
Overall aim
To transform partner universities into connected “STEM innovation engines” that convert STEM excellence into societal and economic value, with innovation and entrepreneurship (I+E) and intellectual property (IP) management embedded in the core of STEM education and research rather than delivered as stand-alone projects. To this end, each partner higher education institution will implement a repeatable, inclusive Lab-to-Market pathway comprising the following stages: STEM education, challenge-based co-creation with industry, prototyping and validation, acceleration, and market uptake.
Specific objectives
- Scale and institutionally embed inclusive STEM I+E and IP learning, reaching 4,000 successful participants, including 3,000 STEM students and additional academic and non-academic staff, with competence-based learning outcomes aligned with EntreComp and supported by a Training-of-Trainers model.
- Strengthen university-industry collaboration through demand-driven co-creation, including challenge-based formats, hackathons and the joint development of solutions to real industry and public-sector problems.
- Build a Lab-to-Market pipeline from teams to investable ventures: two acceleration cohorts, support for at least 16 start-ups and the creation of 2 new entities (start-ups/spin-offs), including a dedicated Women-Led track for women-led teams.
- Professionalise TTO/KTO and commercialisation operations across partner HEIs: train 100 TTO/KTO managers, establish a Community of Practice and implement UA-EU twinning.
- Institutionalise ecosystem partnerships, inclusion and long-term sustainability: mobilise and/or improve at least 4 HEI-level structures supporting innovation and entrepreneurship (including a Women Innovators Support Desk/Unit) and establish at least 4 new innovation-driven partnerships with key ecosystem actors.
Main areas of activity
- STEM entrepreneurship education – training modules, micro-credentials, Training-of-Trainers programme.
- University–industry co-creation – industry challenges, hackathons, mentoring, prototyping.
- Deep tech acceleration – acceleration programmes, EU-UA soft-landing and matchmaking, Demo Day.
- Technology transfer – TTO Manager Programme, Community of Practice, study visits to European technology transfer offices.
- Partnerships and community building – partnership pipeline, STEM Education & Industry Summit.
- Communication and dissemination – project website, social media, e-newsletter, open knowledge products.
The project’s target groups include STEM students, researchers, academic and non-academic staff in STEM disciplines, technology transfer (TTO/KTO) staff, start-up teams, as well as representatives of industry, public authorities and the investment community.
- Project website: innostembridge.ztu.edu.ua
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inno-stem-bridge
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InnoStemBridge
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/inno_stem_bridge
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.