Frantisek Jakab

USP TECHNICOM at the Technical University of Košice has the ambition to become a central hub for building a regional innovation ecosystem. USP TECHNICOM is established to act as an internationally recognized technology research and technology transfer center for innovative applications with the support of knowledge technologies. Further, through its pre-incubation services, it significantly contributes to acceleration of business plans in creation (incubation) of new “spin-off or start-up” companies built on knowledge base as acquired from R&D.

USP TECHNICOM is a platform that should serve students, staff and business subjects to develop joint workplaces and to set up new hi-tech start-ups. Our goal is to create an environment that will inspire, motivate and encourage young people  in innovative thinking on how to build their life and their career.

The strategy of forming of USP TECHNICOM was based on the following three aspects:

• Flexible collaboration with top domestic and international research, which guarantees a permanent ‘repository’ of innovative initiatives, project ideas and prospective products used by USP mostly implemented in a form of targeted applied research and development (R&D) with potential acceleration of innovative entrepreneurship for relevant products or outcomes of the project.
• Effective platform for top (targeted) applied R&D, who’s technical, technological and knowledge infrastructure is able to guarantee expected solutions in required quality.
• Operative portfolio of business services aimed at an efficient business (contract) transfer of products and services generated by applied R&D into practice, and at provision of pro-active initialization and acceleration of innovative enterprising based on progressively selected initiatives and R&D output.

USP TECHNICOM has undertaken the following functions:

• To ensure open services for a wide-ranging, efficient and mutually beneficial research and development cooperation between relevant departments of the TUKE, USP or with other partner institutions and organizations of social and economic praxis,
• To promote, accelerate and ensure the incubation process of small and medium-sized hi-tech enterprises or “start-ups” and “spin-offs” based on the relevant results of R&D conducted within research and innovation activities of USP TECHNICOM,
• To become the first point of contact for companies interested in cooperation with R&D teams from USP departments or with research centres of excellence form partner universities, SAS institutes and other parties of USP TECHNICOM partner portfolio,
• To provide advisory services, education, training and expertise in applied research, development and innovation plans and projects.

In 2014, the Startup Center TUKE and Incubator TUKE were formed, being the very first of its kind in the region. As a result, the related startup support activities were initiated at the Technical University.  Its purpose is to significantly help students and innovative people generally to develop their potential in various areas and activities. The idea is ‘to trigger’ a process that will help the participants to develop their ideas and support turning their ideas into innovative and commercially utilizable products or services. The Technical University of Košice has the ambition to strongly support TUKE Startup Centre and Incubator members by high-quality professional advice as well as its infrastructure and technological equipment.

The Startup Center TUKE is an organizational structure that has been created as a part of the Entrepreneurship acceleration unit of USP TECHNICOM (Startup centrum TUKE is a pre-incubation structure) with regional competences. The Startup Center TUKE aims to create a motivating environment in the region of Košice and Prešov, which will help not only students but also all the inhabitants of the region with innovative potential to be developed in various areas. The main goal is to launch a process that will assist people in implementation of their innovative ideas and help to transform the idea into a commercially usable product or service.

The Incubator TUKE is one of the key components of the business accelerator ecosystem, technology transfer and innovations at USP TECHNICOM. It is formed as part of the USP TECHNICOM concept. Its purpose is to provide an incubation environment to ensure the acceleration process for the formation and development of small and medium-sized hi-tech companies or startup and spin-off companies. This is to be achieved particularly following the outputs of the relevant research and innovation activities realized within the TUKE that alternatively went through the preincubation process at Startup Center TUKE.

TUKE Startup Centre and Incubator offers:

• favourable conditions for the physical location of a startup company on the premises of USP TECHNICOM,
• expert and mentoring support for project objectives from specialized TUKE institutions and partner institutions,
• support in the utilization of specialized institutions, laboratories and other TUKE facilities for the implementation of project objectives,
• assistance with the acquisition of partners from the commercial sector, search for potential investors and business plan development.

When located in the USP TECHNICOM, the participating startup company has the opportunity to use:

• the office space to work on their project objective (idea) free of charge, for the maximum period of six months,
• Internet access,
• USP TECHNICOM boardroom space,
• specialist advice on the implementation of the project objective,
• assistance in utilising the research and development infrastructure TUKE.

Startup Centre and Incubator combines high-quality infrastructure and mentorship. Its mentors have vast experience gained in the Slovak academic and commercial sectors, but they are also able to fully develop the potential of the ideas and transform the outcomes of TUKE Startup Centre and Incubator operations into economic practice, by means of projects financed from European funds and European commercial environments.

The activities of USP TECHNICOM fully cover the areas related to the USP TECHNICOM project, especially:

• Information and communication technologies
• Electrical engineering, automation and control systems
• Mechanical engineering
• Civil engineering
• Environmental engineering

The aim and mission of​​ USP TECHNICOM is not to narrowly specialize in selected areas, but to connect people, ideas, opinions and experience from various areas of business and science and thus ensure multidisciplinarity and environment suitable for the overall development and success of companies operating within the USP.

The Technical University, wants to significantly support the area of innovation and technology transfer through high-quality expert consultation and available top-of-the-line research infrastructure as well as through utilization of developed structures, such as the Incubator TUKE, and by building an ecosystem based on USP TECHNICOM.