UNIVERZITA KOMENSKÉHO V BRATISLAVE
ABOUT
Comenius University in Bratislava is a modern European university. As the only Slovak higher education institution, it is regularly ranked among the best universities in the world. Across its 13 faculties, it offers the widest selection of study programmes (currently 731) at three levels of study, several of which are unique in Slovakia. Students can choose from a broad spectrum of fields of human knowledge – from medicine, through the humanities and social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics, to theology. Comenius University is also a research institution, coordinating hundreds of domestic and international research projects.
OUR ACTIVITIES IN THE CONSORTIUM
Comenius University, specifically the Faculty of Management, is involved in WP1, WP2, WP5: Task 5.2 Task Leader UK, T6.5, WP 7: T7.1, WP 8: T8.4 Task Leader
BENEFITS OF OOUR OUTPUTS AND TARGET GROUP
As the key contributions of our team, we see addressing tasks and conducting research in areas that assess the effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency of how municipalities use publicly available funding to invest in smart solutions that are economically sustainable, environmentally friendly, and responsive to social challenges. Additional contributions will include innovative business models and investment approaches to solving these tasks. Since municipalities often lack the capacity to formulate effective innovative projects, combine different sources of funding, or engage in entrepreneurial activities due to complex legislation, we aim to identify financing opportunities aligned with long-term development strategies and to procure innovative solutions available on the market. The primary target groups will be municipalities and their management, but also academia and educational organizations.
Our results will contribute to supporting the development of strong innovation-oriented regional economies, building infrastructure for a green innovation-driven economy, improving the sustainability and resilience of regional economies, enhancing the accessibility, transparency, and efficiency of public administration, and strengthening the economic sustainability of municipalities, cities, and regions.
PETER ŠTARCHOŇ
Peter Štarchoň
What Are Your Expectations from the STICS Project?
From the STICS project, we expect an integrated programme of cooperation that ensures the development and transfer of innovations supporting smart and green transformation processes in the public sector. Since Living Labs have the potential to initiate and support long-term transformation processes in urban and regional communities and their economies—which require a constant demand for innovation, stimulate research and development activities, and enable the rapid transfer of innovations into societal practice—they will create a platform for consortium collaboration and participatory processes even after the project ends.
A special role among the Living Labs will be held by the pilot Smart Green Campus, based on the joint activities of STU and Comenius University in the past. It will provide space for joint R&D activities of the consortium, a technology incubator, startups, spin-offs, and scale-ups, and will serve as a permanent interface between partners of the quadruple helix (research and development, business partners, representatives of the public sector and municipalities, and the third sector).
For Whom and When Will Your Outputs Be Applicable?
Part of the results aimed at supporting the development of strong innovation-oriented regional economies, building the infrastructure of a green innovation-driven economy, improving the sustainability and resilience of regional economies, enhancing the accessibility, transparency, and efficiency of public administration, and strengthening the economic sustainability of municipalities, cities, and regions is intended primarily for municipalities and regions. Another part of the results is applicable and usable in the academic or business sphere. The transfer of some innovations into societal practice can be observed in the short term, while in the case of other results, the timeframe is medium-term.