Politehnica University Timisoara

Politehnica University Timisoara, a leader in avant-garde research

 
 
Politehnica University Timisoara, a leader in avant-garde research

The project for a new center for research on cutting-edge technologies, unique in Romania, was launched with the support of industry world leaders

14 April 2021

 

 

 

 

Politehnica University Timisoara, together with ADR West and world leaders in the industry, opens the way for research applied in cutting-edge technologies through the first co-design process of a research center unique in Romania. The launch and validation conference with industry partners of the preliminary concept of the new Research Center in Data Engineering, Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems brought together top representatives of over 40 companies, world and regional leaders in automotive, software, artificial intelligence and telecommunications.

The new research center aims to develop applied research programs in data engineering, artificial intelligence and intelligent systems to support the theoretical and technological developments in the coming years and to meet societal challenges by creating new businesses, services and jobs.

The launch event on April 13, 2021 of the preliminary concept, organized by UPT in partnership with ADR West, part of the co-design process of the center reunited online the most important global and regional stakeholders on state-of-the-art technologies, with a footprint in the western region. As one of the attendees said, "we witnessed the largest gathering of intelligence in Romania in the same event in recent years."

Associate professor Eng. Dr. Florin Dragan, Ph.D., rector of Politehnica University Timisoara: “Politehnica University Timisoara has taken a leader role in positive social change and is a vital part of the economy and community in the region. This role is becoming increasingly significant given the focus placed on contributing to the development of society through the creation, transfer and exchange of knowledge and technologies. The university can be more than a provider of knowledge and talent. We nurture and build innovative structures that incorporate and respond to the needs of the community, we become real-time co-creators of new solutions, along with the core mission of skill development and knowledge creation. Through this center we propose a paradigm shift from passive to proactive technology transfer, supported by a better understanding of the regional needs of the industry.

We initially aim to promote excellence in education and research in Artificial Intelligence, Cloud computing, Cyber Security and Robotics and intelligent control. By facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations within faculties and with industry and government partners, we aim to push the boundaries of research in these areas, educate next-generation experts, develop and apply technologies for growth and address societal challenges, from medical care to mobility or city planning. The main feature of this center is that the majority of the subdomains and topics of research and innovation will be defined in direct partnership with the industry, for a rapid capitalization of research results and for increasing indicators related to research and development in Western Romania. Furthermore, the governance structure and the implementation mechanism of the Center will have an important autonomy, bringing together industry partners, public figures and other education and research institutions."

The research center is mainly relying on the existing human resources of UPT, with over 5800 students in the presented research field, in the faculties of electrical profile, over 90 Ph.D. students and over 50 doctorate coordinators in 5 fields. Moreover, the 4 new master programs in the fields of Artificial Intelligence - Machine Learning, Cloud Computing & IoT (Internet of Things), Cyber Security and Data Engineering, along with existing master programs, will represent the structure on which the excellence of the research center is built. However, the center will be open to researchers from other Timisoara universities and will try to attract resources from all over the country and abroad. In fact, the Western University also attended the conference.

The research center in data engineering, artificial intelligence and intelligent systems aims to provide over 5,000 square meters of research spaces, laboratories and research-related structures, with a preliminary budget of approximately 19 million euro, almost 50% of which will be invested in state of the art equipment in the aforementioned fields. It is desired to obtain funding through the new regional operational program 2021-2027 to cover the implementation costs of the center.

In the next period, the co-design process of the center will continue through individual meetings between industry partners and the project team, to define the research subdomains and validate the concept, indicators and process and through working groups on each research area that include industry and university specialists. A meeting with public authorities will define the role of the center in the challenges faced by the city and the county in smart technology fields.

 
 
 
 
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