At the end of September, the European project SFF Deep Teach Valleys: STEM2Venture Pathway officially launched in Athens. The project is funded by the EIT Higher Education Initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and brings together nine partners from nine European countries, including the University of Ljubljana.

The project's objective is to strengthen entrepreneurial and innovation competences in the field of deep technologies and to facilitate the transfer of research results into the economy. Over the next two years, the project will connect students, researchers, and higher education staff through so-called STEM Valleys, where participants will develop entrepreneurial skills, create new start-ups, and improve university processes for knowledge transfer and the commercialization of intellectual property.

At the Faculty of Computer and Information Science, University of Ljubljana, the project is jointly led by Prof. Dr. Vlado Stankovski and Teaching Assistant Svetlana Fuks, MSc. Prof. Stankovski focuses on the field of micro-credentials, while Svetlana Fuks is responsible for quality assurance and implementation procedures.

The University of Ljubljana team also includes Prof. Dr. Bogdan Štefane from the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology and Prof. Dr. Ljupčo Todorovski from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics. By bringing together experts from different disciplines, the project aims to develop practical and transferable approaches for strengthening the links between research, education, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

The first training activities will begin at partner universities in November 2026. The project will also establish an Open STEM Incubator, designed to support research teams and start-ups in transforming research ideas into market-ready solutions.