SpinIT Live Event in Pécs: Two Days of Innovation, Collaboration, and Inspiration

Day 1 – SpinIT Meets Pécs

The first day focused on project progress and knowledge exchange. Representatives from partners including ZEDA, DEX Innovation Centre, Ekonomski fakultet Zagreb, Pannon Business Network, ASPECT, and the University of Pannonia presented updates on their activities and outlined the next steps in SpinIT.

A highlight of the day was an interactive workshop, where participants worked together on solving key challenges, exchanging ideas, and sharing best practices. The collaborative spirit set the tone for the rest of the event.

The day concluded with a company visit to KONTAKT-Elektro Kft., a leading Pécs-based enterprise specializing in automation, robotics, and hydrogen technologies.

Day 2 – Panels, Keynotes, and Pilot Showcase

The second day shifted attention to forward-looking discussions through four thematic panels:

• Industry 4.0 in Developing Regions

• R&D Cooperation between Academia and Business

• Green Transition and Regional Development

• AI Applications – Challenges & Opportunities in the Region

As host Gabor Vicze explained:
“We have invited lots of external panelists from the key stakeholders of the regional economy, of the regional politics, from the city, from the chamber of commerce but also from the key companies in the region. And we also had plenty of speakers outside of the region. We were able to discuss multiple topics – one of them is that the whole region in general is lagging behind in digitization and in Industry 4.0, but there are still couple of very good practices which are existing in the regions and this is really showing that the opportunity is there and it is possible to do but we really need to focus on the actions.”

The most anticipated part of the conference was the Pilot Project Showcase, where SpinIT territorial partners presented their innovative pilot ideas.

As Mirza Sikirić from ZEDA highlighted:
“We finally presented our pilot projects that have been developed by our 10 territorial partners in 10 locations of the Danube Region and we finally hear the successful stories from these pilot projects. We had the opportunity to choose the pilot that we will be validating and translating to another and make this cross-country collaboration alive. We will in the end have like 20 pilot projects implemented in the new locations so that is quite a big success for SpinIT and also for the Danube Region. All of our pilot projects are related to IT, digital transformation and Industry 4.0 and cross-sectoral collaboration.”

After careful deliberation, the jury awarded the TOP 3 pilots:

• Natali Bernatović (Optimization Ltd / Invento Capital Partners) – for the innovative “3P Pilot” improving SME processes.

• Mirza Sikirić (ZEDA) – for the impactful SpinIT CyberSafe solution.

• Christina Zlatanova (Bulgaria Economic Forum) – for her pilot on Telemedicine Education and Awareness Training.

Looking Ahead

The SpinIT conference in Pécs was more than just a meeting; it was a showcase of how collaboration across borders can accelerate digital transformation. With pilots advancing, partnerships deepening, and knowledge being shared, SpinIT is set to deliver long-lasting impact for the Danube Region.