The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture (UNIZAG-FSB) is one of the organisational units of the University of Zagreb and is the direct successor of the High Technical School established in 1919. At present, it accepts 485 students every academic year in the study courses Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture and Aeronautical Engineering and employs about 250 teaching and research staff. The activities of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture cover a very wide field of both theoretical and practical solutions in various fields of design, production and maintenance of mechanical, aeronautical and marine structures and systems. Scientific activities, which constitute the major part of the activities at FSB, are carried out through a large number of national science and technology projects. As a result, there is close cooperation between UNIZAG-FSB and over 70 scientific and educational institutions.

Aalen University of applied science has a technological and economical focus. It is located in Aalen near Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg (Germany). It was founded in 1962 and has around 6000 Students. Aalen University is renowned to be the most research-intensive university of Applied Science in Germany and has a strong institute for Mechanical and Production engineering.

JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH ROBOTICS – Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics In its varied and interdisciplinary forms, robotics will have short and long term effects on important areas of our business and everyday life, as well as on classical industrial production. JOANNEUM RESEARCH utilizes ROBOTICS to address the current needs of the economy for applied research on Technologies, which interface between the digital and the real world. The main areas of expertise in the institute focus primarily on human-robot collaborations and interactions that occur in innovative production processes, as well as the subjects of robot safety and robot security. In addition, mobile robots and mobile manipulation in the areas of industrial manufacturing and logistics are important issues. ROBOTICS – Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics is located in Klagenfurt / Wörthersee.

The TU Wien is Austria’s largest research and educational institution in the field of technology and natural sciences. More than 4000 scientists are researching “technology for people” in five main research areas at eight faculties. In this project, the three institutes – Institute of Management Science, Institute for Manufacturing and Photonic Technologies and Institute of Engineering Design and Product Development – work together, with support of the TU Wien Pilotfabrik 4.0. This contains pilot projects and demonstrators concerning applied research in the fields of production, assembly, manufacturing technology and logistics of the future.

ŠKODA AUTO a.s. is one of the oldest car manufacturers in the world. Throughout its history, the Company has held an unmistakable position in the automotive industry that will continue long into the future due to its broad and attractive portfolio, and in a large part because it has been part of the VOLKSWAGEN Group (hereinafter the “Group”) for 30 years. ŠKODA AUTO has long been a pillar of the Czech economy, currently employing more than 35,000 people in the Czech Republic. The Company is based in Mladá Boleslav, where one of its production plants is also located; another two can be found in Kvasiny and Vrchlabí. However, vehicles bearing the winged arrow are also manufactured in India, China and Slovakia, mostly via Group partnerships, and in Ukraine in collaboration with a local partner. The business activity in which the ŠKODA AUTO is engaged primarily focuses on the development, manufacture and sale of cars, components, original parts, ŠKODA brand accessories and the provision of servicing.

TU Delft Robotics Institute unites all Delft University of Technology’s research in the field of robotics. Its main challenge is to get robots and humans to work together effectively in unstructured environments and real settings. TU Delft Robotics Institute is the heart of RoboValley. The institute is closely affiliated with RoboValley’s programme team when it comes to valorisation and matchmaking. RoboValley forms the link between research and industry.

Politecnico di Milano is one of the best scientific-technological universities in the world according to the QS World University Rankings, classified 1st in Italy and 139th worldwide (Ranking 2022). Moreover, it is ranked among the top 20 universities (according to the QS World University Rankings – by Subject 2022) in all the three areas of specialization: 13th in Engineering, 10th in Architecture and 5th in Design. Founded in 1863 it is the oldest of Milan’s universities and Italy’s largest school of Architecture, Design and Engineering with three main centres in Milan and five Campuses in Lecco, Cremona, Mantua and Piacenza, and one in China, in Shanghai. Thanks to a marked internationalisation policy, the majority of Master of Science and Doctoral Programmes take place in English. This attracts a growing number of high-achieving international students who form part of a community coming from more than 100 different countries.

LINPRA, the engineering and technology industries association of Lithuania, represents the interests of companies working in metal, machinery and equipment, electromechanics and electronics, plastics and rubber industry at the national and international level. At present LINPRA unites about 130 organizations: manufacturing companies, as well as technology service providers and educational institutions. LINPRA’s aim is to promote sustainable growth and international competitiveness of industry’s companies. Fuelling and accelerating Industry 4.0, LINPRA helps businesses reshape the way they work, innovate and create.

INESC TEC is a private, non-profit association dedicated to scientific research and technological development, technology transfer, advanced consulting and training, and pre- incubation of new technology-based companies. The University of Porto, INESC, the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, the University of Minho and the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro are INESC TEC’s associates. INESC TEC’s main sites are located in the cities of Porto, Braga and Vila Real. By 2020, INESC TEC’s 13 R&D Centres hosted 732 integrated researchers (354 PhDs) including staff researchers, researchers from Higher Education Institutions, grant holders and affiliated researchers. INESC TEC’s team also includes trainees and technical and administrative support staff. From this multidisciplinary team, researchers with expertise in robotics, and intelligent systems will play a key role in this project. INESC TEC’s vision is to be a relevant international player in Science and Technology in the domains of Computer Science, Industry and Innovation, Networked Intelligent Systems, and Power and Energy. As an institution operating at the interface between the academic and business worlds, bringing academia, companies, public administration, and society closer together, through its “managed science” model, INESC TEC leverages the knowledge and results generated as part of its research, in technology transfer projects, seeking impact both through value creation and social relevance.