INNO-STEM BRIDGE Officially Launched
We are pleased to announce that in September 2026, the startup of the INNO-STEM BRIDGE project – “Building Sustainable Innovation Ecosystems and Fostering Deep Tech Entrepreneurial Talents in STEM” – funded with the support of the EIT Higher Education Initiative, took place.
INNO-STEM BRIDGE is a two-year project with a clear goal: to transform partner universities into interconnected drivers of innovation where entrepreneurship and intellectual property management are embedded in STEM education and research.
The project is implemented by eight partners from Ukraine, Sweden, Turkey, and North Macedonia:
- · State University “Zhytomyr Polytechnic”, Ukraine
- · KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
- · Chernihiv Polytechnic National University, Ukraine
- · Amplifiers, Ukraine
- · Ukrainian Catholic University, Ukraine
- · Educational Center M6, North Macedonia
- · Osmangazi University, Turkey
- · Prof. Dr. Dimitar Stamboliev Foundation, North Macedonia
Each partner university builds its own Lab-to-Market path: STEM education, joint development of solutions with industry, prototyping and validation, acceleration, and market entry. Each university has its own role along this path, and together the consortium forms a roadmap from research to market. This path relies on the project’s Innovation Vision Action Plan (IVAP), which will be implemented during 2026-2028 and provides each partner institution with a structured framework to transform research into proven solutions on an ongoing, rather than a one-time, basis.
The project is focused on areas critically important for Europe’s technological autonomy: digital innovations (AI-based solutions, cybersecurity, digital transformation) and advanced manufacturing (industrial digitalization, prototyping, market release), accelerating the path from research to market specifically in these sectors.
Inclusion is a structural component of the project. A dedicated Women-Led Entrepreneurship track is complemented by targeted outreach and individual mentoring, expanding access to the Lab-to-Market pathway for female teams, researchers, and employees.
The next two years will open up space for participation through:
- · training in innovation, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property management
- · 2 hackathon cycles based on real challenges from industry
- · 2 startup acceleration cohorts with support
- · professional training of specialists/officers of technology transfer offices (TTO/KTO)
- · a Women-Led track to support women’s entrepreneurship
- · STEM Education & Industry Summit, a platform for interaction between universities, business, and investors
The INNO-STEM BRIDGE project is implemented within the framework of the EIT Higher Education Initiative (Topic 1: STEM Capacity Building) in synergy with 28DIGITAL and EIT Manufacturing.
We are proud to be part of the EIT Higher Education Initiative community and to contribute to the European network that sees universities not only as spaces for education and research, but also as drivers of innovation, entrepreneurship, and regional development.
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More details about the project – on the EIT Higher Education Initiative page: https://eit-hei.eu/funded-projects/explorer/inno-stem-bridge/