Ternopil Ivan Puluj National Technical University

On April 11^th – April 13^th, 2023 a series of trainings were held at Ternopil Ivan Puluj National Technical University as a part of the international project “Smart Manufacturing, Innovation, Learning-labs, and Entrepreneurship” (SMILE).

Total of 47 students took part in the trainings representing such specialties as 076 “Business, Trade and Exchange Activity” (group ПП-11), 192 “Civil Engineering” (groups МБ-21, МБс-21, МБ-22), 123 “Computer Engineering” (groups СІ-12, СІ-22) and 133 “Industrial Machinery Engineering” (group MO-41).

The training programme has been prepared and delivered by the TNTU academic staff, including Tetiana Vitenko, Head of the Food Technology Equipment Department, Yuriy Skorenky, Head of the Physics Department, Nataliia Marynenko, Professor of the Economics and Finance Department, Iryna Strutynska, Professor of the Computer Sciences Department and Viktor Voroshchuk, Associate Professor of the Food Technology Equipment Department.

The emphasis of the training programme was placed on four main topics: innovative entrepreneurship, development of a business model for a smart manufacturing startup project, challenges of digital transformations, and packaging design using CAD and CAM systems.

The main postulates of the Industry 4.0 and 5.0 concepts, smart manufacturing, and digital twins were thoroughly discussed.

The importance of both the technological and business components was substantiatedl, as well as the importance of teambuilding and believing in yourself. The trainings participants found out the importance of having not just a great idea but also a great team and a developed business model for a project. The issues of marketing research and market niche selection were discussed. Students had a chance to learn CAD and CAM technologies and prototyping in details.

The training programme also covered feautures of how the innovative infrastructure for entrepreneurship support, such as startup incubators and accelerators, functions. Participants developed business models for smart manufacturing startup projects using the Canvas model under the supervision of mentors. The ideas for these projects ranged from improvement the construction works management and optimization of the resources use, soil quality monitoring, production of smart sports equipment and clothing for sports training to production of food products for athletes.

In addition, the training programme addressed the trends and challenges of digital transformations in entrepreneurship, especially in the ecosystems of Industry 5.0. Participants learned about digital twins and their complex impact on production processes, ranging from a virtual copy of a single object for remote information retrieval and quality control to a virtual duplicate of the entire production pipeline for real-time remote control and advanced big data processing for process prediction and optimization. SolidWorks software complex was used to create a packaging model and participants practiced in preparing the project files for production and prototyping.

Despite an air alarm signal during the training at the Fab Lab of TNTU, participants moved to the shelter of Campus 4 where they continued to discuss and create being inspired.

The training programme proved to be interesting and informative. The knowledge and skills gained by the participants in different aspects of entrepreneurship and manufacturing will facilitate their successful future careers.

The cooperation and participation of all involved are greatly appreciated!