A working meeting was held at the TIP UPJŠ Technology and Innovation Park with the aim of strengthening the connection between the university environment and the IT sector in the region. The invitation was accepted by Juraj Girman, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Košice IT Valley, and Miriam Hučková, Executive Director of Košice IT Valley. It was not a formal visit, but a substantive discussion focused on specific steps that can accelerate cooperation and support the innovation potential of eastern Slovakia.
The discussions focused mainly on three key areas: accelerating the connection of TIP UPJŠ with companies associated in IT Valley, setting common goals and policies in the field of innovation, talent and digitalization, and clearly defining the roles of the university and the cluster in regional development. The participants agreed that effective cooperation requires not only a shared vision, but also practical mechanisms that will transform strategic plans into real results.
TIP UPJŠ and Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice stated that the university sees its role primarily in delivering high-quality research and training talents capable of solving real challenges in practice. According to representatives of TIP UPJŠ, it is equally important to systematically open the university to companies and accelerate the transfer of scientific results into practice. The ambition is also to build an environment in which new technologies, start-ups and spin-off companies naturally emerge.
Košice IT Valley brings to the cooperation mainly the strong voice of companies and their current needs. The cluster can help set common strategies so that they do not remain only on paper, and at the same time effectively connect the entire IT ecosystem with the university for the benefit of regional development. According to the participants of the meeting, it is this connection that is key to the long-term competitiveness of the region.
“If we want to change Eastern Slovakia through innovation, we need to stop working ‘side by side’ and start working ‘together’. This meeting was another step in the right direction for me,” said TIP-UPJŠ Director Andrej Miroššay.
The meeting confirmed the common will to deepen cooperation between the academic and technological sectors and transform it into concrete initiatives that will bring measurable benefits to the university, businesses and the entire region.
