Results

Phase 1 Results

2025 Achievements & Impact

πŸŽ‰ Phase 1 Successfully Completed

All planned milestones delivered. Official approval received to proceed to Phase 2.

Key Performance Indicators

TROPHY exceeded all major KPI targets in Phase 1, demonstrating strong engagement and impact across the consortium.

767
Participants
Students engaged in formal and non-formal training
Target: 450
7
Start-ups
Early-stage teams mentored and supported
Target: 6
5
Structures
Innovation support structures established
Target: 3

Major Achievements

Curriculum Enhancement
Successfully integrated Web 4.0 content across bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and VET programs in AI, blockchain, IoT, immersive technologies, cybersecurity, and cloud computing.
Non-Formal Training
Delivered intensive bootcamps, summer schools, and workshops with hands-on learning, attracting diverse participants and enabling work with contemporary Web 4.0 tools.
Structured Mentorship
Embedded mentoring schemes in formal courses and extracurricular activities, supporting students through ideation, prototyping, and validation stages.
Ecosystem Collaboration
Strengthened institutional partnerships with student organizations, industry actors, and external partners, ensuring continuity beyond project timeline.
Innovation Infrastructure
Upgraded institutional support structures including IoT centers, smart-home testbeds, and innovation facilities aligned with industry standards.
Measurable Impact
Documented success stories showing increased participation, international team formation, functional prototypes, internships, and permanent institutional structures.

Educational Outputs

TROPHY delivered comprehensive educational improvements across formal and non-formal learning:

  • Formal Education: Enhanced curricula at multiple levels without disrupting accreditation frameworks, using pedagogical redesign and project-based learning
  • Non-Formal Programs: Bootcamps, summer schools, introductory programs, and workshops addressing fast-evolving industry needs
  • Mentorship Integration: Structured mentoring embedded in courses and activities, with academic staff, teaching assistants, and industry experts
  • Applied Learning: Hackathons and project-based mentoring reinforcing experiential learning and innovation-oriented mindsets
  • Copyrighted Materials: Development of two textbooks for deep tech education

Deep Tech Focus Areas

Phase 1 covered comprehensive Web 4.0 technology domains:

Artificial Intelligence
AI-native development, prompting techniques, rapid prototyping, and functional application creation using AI tools.
Blockchain & Web3
Smart contracts, Solidity development, NFTs, decentralized applications, and blockchain-based business models.
IoT & Smart Systems
Smart-home testbeds, IoT experimentation, and applied research aligned with emerging industry standards.
Immersive Technologies
AR/VR development, immersive educational solutions, and industrial applications of extended reality.
Cybersecurity
Security in blockchain systems, digital wallet safety, and cybersecurity best practices for Web 4.0.
Cloud & Data Systems
Cloud computing integration, data-intensive systems, and big data analytics for decision support.

Partner Contributions

Each partner played a specialized role in achieving Phase 1 objectives:

FON - University of Belgrade
Project coordination, core training delivery, mentored 2 start-ups, developed 2 copyrighted textbooks, upgraded 2 support structures, expanded partnership network.
CERTH - Greece
Industry-facing technology transfer, mentored 2 start-ups, delivered staff training, supported IoT Center upgrade with smart-home testbed access.
MFNS - Faculty of Medicine Novi Sad
Academic capacity-building, curriculum modernization, co-developed ecosystem mapping methodology, provided domain expertise for WP2.
UBIK - Croatia
Blockchain entrepreneurship specialist, delivered non-academic staff training, mentored 3 start-ups, established internal evaluation system.
UMAIA - Portugal
Formal and non-formal education, established 1 new structure, enhanced existing support, expanded innovation network, contributed to start-up mentoring.
Moonstruck - Serbia
Dissemination and communication partner, developed project website, managed LinkedIn channel, coordinated outreach and visibility activities.
Politeknika Txorierri - Spain
Practical training delivery, upgraded 1 support structure, expanded innovation network, led Web 4.0 curriculum and mentorship deliverable.

Key Insights & Reflections

Phase 1 implementation provided valuable lessons for advancing deep tech education:

  • Strategic Redesign Over Restructuring: Meaningful transformation achieved through pedagogical redesign, assessment methods, and mentoring models within existing frameworks
  • Demand for Flexibility: Strong uptake of non-formal education highlights growing demand for practice-oriented, complementary learning formats
  • Mentorship as Strategic Activity: Structured mentoring significantly increased engagement and outcomes but requires clear frameworks and incentives
  • Infrastructure Challenges: Reliance on shared/external infrastructure limits autonomy; grant-based funding exposes sustainability vulnerabilities
  • Ecosystem Collaboration: Strong academia-industry-startup links evident, but commercialization pathways remain uneven across partners
  • Student Organization Role: Collaboration with student groups critical for embedding outcomes and ensuring activity continuity

Looking Forward to Phase 2

Institutional Anchoring
Stronger formal recognition of innovation and mentoring roles to enable scaling of successful models across institutions.
Funding Diversification
Improved access to specialized infrastructure and diversified funding mechanisms for sustained momentum.
Ecosystem Coordination
Continued investment in partnerships with student organizations, industry actors, and EIT HEI networks for systemic impact.
Commercialization Pathways
Strengthening routes to market for educational and research outputs, addressing regulatory and talent retention challenges.

Phase 1: Foundation for Systemic Change

TROPHY Phase 1 confirms the project is well positioned to act as a catalyst for deep tech education and innovation. The lessons learned provide a solid foundation for refinement, scaling, and deeper integration in Phase 2 and beyond.

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