Centria DropIn
Date and place
05.10.2023, Centria Campus of Ylivieska
Short description of the event
The Centria DropIn event held at the Ylivieska Centria campus provided a unique platform for showcasing our research and development endeavors. This open event served as an opportunity to familiarize Teachers, RDI staff from various campuses, Companies, and students with our latest solutions and the extensive capabilities offered by the campus laboratories.
The event featured a series of engaging activities, with a particular focus on deep technology (Deeptech). Kicking off the proceedings was Antti Merilehto, a prominent digital business professional, who delivered the first keynote address. Antti’s insightful speech delved into the practical implications of artificial intelligence on both everyday life and the professional sphere, illustrated through tangible examples.
Following this, the event welcomed Tomasz Serafin, an esteemed International speaker, Researcher, and Entrepreneur from Wroclaw University of Science and Technology. Tomasz’s keynote address centered on “Processes and digitalization first: How to avoid the trap of AI?” shedding light on crucial considerations in navigating the realm of artificial intelligence without falling into potential pitfalls.
The event fostered vibrant discussions during and after the keynote speeches, providing an enriching exchange of ideas among attendees. Participants also had the opportunity to explore the campus labs and engage with the research and development teams at dedicated presentation points, gaining valuable insights into our ongoing projects and innovations.
To further enhance networking opportunities, a delightful session over a bite to eat was organized. This casual setting facilitated meaningful connections among attendees, fostering collaboration and exchange of perspectives.
In summary, the Centria DropIn event successfully showcased our commitment to cutting-edge research and development, bringing together a diverse audience to explore the transformative potential of technology and innovation in our educational and professional landscapes.
Lesson Learned
- The Idea-up program exposed Centria students to international perspectives, transforming their mindset and entrepreneurial skills. Students from different domain areas (E.g: Business students who wanted to start a deeptech startup for example) got access to deeptech knowledge through the Idea-up International open innovation program. Further also deeptech students got immense knowledge from different countries on Deeptech SoA lectures. Further, Academic and Non-Academic staff learnt a lot from other partner lectures for incorporation into their lectures and project research.
- Start engaging talents from different levels as early as possible. Allocated enough time in this process for the talents to be acclimatization to the program before actually starting the program.
- Capturing students’ interest poses a formidable challenge influenced by factors such as time limitations, diverse interests, and varying levels of familiarity with relevant platforms such as IIOT. The process of engagement is not instantaneous; it necessitates a gradual acclimatization period for students. Initiating this involves effective marketing and clear communication to help students comprehend the process. Frequently, students may be unaware of the benefits associated with such programs, emphasizing the need for sufficient time allocation to yield desired results.
- Unfortunately, during Phase 1, we had to achieve it within a span of hardly 2 months which was a major challenge.
- This is a great tool in order to identify talented students and subject them through an Innovation process through the catalogue of the DEETECHTIVE actions. However, time is a major constraint as it is not easy to transform students within a short period of time of the project and is a slow cooked process in my opinion. However, it is a great foundational start
- The Deeptech dates were significant for Centria Academic and Non-Academic staff, students, and companies in our region, providing an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the state-of-the-art technologies Centria is actively developing. Further key note speakers from our partner university gave great perspectives of AI during our Centria deeptech event. Events like Deeptech dates are poised to facilitate future collaborations on a global scale, extending beyond national boundaries.