#IMM2025 Kick-off in Bratislava — Industry meets Makers

Looking back: 10 years of Industry meets Makers – first kick-off in Bratislava

On December 4, the moment had finally come: Industry meets Makers officially launched its 10th anniversary edition – and for the very first time beyond Austria’s borders, as part of the Twin City Future Innovation Hub project in Bratislava. The inspiring kick-off at the “The Spot” co-working space marked the start of five months of intensive co-creation around eight brand-new Future Tech Challenges.

In this recap, we share first impressions – and invite you to dive into the atmosphere of the evening through the video recordings of the stage programme and our photo gallery.

Premiere in Bratislava: An anniversary with a strong signal

The fact that the 10th IMM kick-off took place in Bratislava is no coincidence: the twin-city region Vienna–Bratislava is increasingly evolving into a shared innovation space. The evening, set in the modern environment of The Spot, impressively demonstrated just how strong the interest is in unlocking this cross-border potential.

From the very beginning, the atmosphere was shaped by curiosity, openness, and a genuine desire to collaborate. After the welcome by the hosting organizations and the IMM team, the people in the room took centre stage: representatives from companies, start-ups, research institutions, the maker community, students, developers and many more who want to work together on future topics.

Eight new Future Tech Challenges – five months of hands-on innovation

The core of the evening were the eight new Future Tech Challenges presented as part of IMM2025/26. The challenge briefings covered a wide range of topics – from digital and industrial future technologies to new forms of collaboration between industry and the maker scene.

#IMM2025/26 – Welcome

Welcome and intro by our lead partner Markus Kleinfercher (EIT Manufacturing East), our host Jaroslav Bukovina (SAPIE), our supporters Nilufar Mokhtari (Interreg Slovakia-Austria) and Michael Schwantzer (Vienna Business Agency) as well as our Future Tech Bootcamp co-organizer Prof. Franz Fidler (University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten) and our founder Sandra Stromberger (Industry meets Makers).

AUVA

NextGen Safety: Innovating Safe Journeys to School
How can we turn analogue school route plans into a digital, interactive experience – and make the way to school even safer for thousands of first graders? In this video, you’ll learn how AUVA and the maker community are rethinking the entire process from scratch. With Klaus Wittig, AUVA

City of Bratislava

AI for Open Governance: Data Transparency Meets Privacy
How can cities make data open and usable without compromising citizens’ privacy? The City of Bratislava presents its challenge – from GDPR-compliant anonymisation to AI applications for a modern, transparent city administration. With Zuzana Šefčík Aschenbrennerová & Peter Beňo, City of Bratislava

GRÜNSTATTGRAU & RENOWAVE

Re:Build: Plug-and-Play Renovation for a Circular Future
Renovation inspired by automotive production: modular, circular and “plug-and-play”. This challenge is about developing retrofit solutions that build in recycling, resource efficiency and greening from the very start – scalable from single buildings to entire neighbourhoods. With Elisabeth Leitner, GRÜNSTATTGRAU

NEOALP

The Human Touch: Designing the Next Generation of Humanoid Robots
Humanoid robots that truly work for people: NEOALP invites you to address the technical, psychological and legal questions around using such systems in everyday life. In the video, you’ll discover what “human touch” really means in this context. With Christian Tauber & Mathias Hazibar, NEOALP

BeKa Software

BeKa Software – From Smarter Buildings to Smarter Workflows
From intelligent HVAC automation with waste heat recovery to natural-language interfaces for open-source CRM systems: BeKa Software explores how smart sensors, AI and voice-driven tools can cut energy use, streamline daily work and make complex systems easier to control. In this joint session, you’ll see where makers can plug in – from IoT and control engineering all the way to business process automation.

smander.com & Mariahilfer i

Back in Control: The Open Appliance Maker Challenge
What if household appliances were truly repairable, hackable and extendable again? Building on the open-source project “MyGenWashy”, this challenge explores new approaches for open, modular and long-lasting appliances. The talk shares a vision for democratized appliance technology. With Clemens Mayer (smander.com) & Patrick Awart (IoT Austria & Mariahilfer i)

Slovak Centre for Productivity

Build the Smart SME of Tomorrow: Odoo x Digital Twin Challenge @ INFINITY LAB
A training lab turns into a smart demo factory: together with the Slovak Centre for Productivity, a digital twin of an SME is being built on top of Odoo ERP. In the video, you’ll see which modules and interfaces makers can help shape – from e-shop to production planning. With Milan Botka, Slovak Centre for Productivity

#IMM2025/26 – Call to Action

Now the actual co-creation phase begins!

Over the next five months, teams can be formed, prototypes developed, experiments launched, and first pilot projects initiated.

The kick-off served as the starting point for many conversations, idea sketches and “What if…?” moments that will gradually turn into tangible outcomes.

With Markus Kleinfercher, EIT Manufacturing East

After the challenge pitches, the floor belonged to the participants: in open discussion rounds and spontaneous small groups, ideas were sharpened, perspectives aligned, and potential collaborations explored.

Thank you to EIT Manufacturing East, SAPIE and our new and long-standing partners

An evening like this is only possible thanks to strong partnerships and highly professional organisation behind the scenes.

Our particularly warm thanks go to:

The team of EIT Manufacturing East, which played a key role in organizing the event as the Twin City Hub lead-partner and, through its network, builds bridges between industry, research, and innovators across the region.
SAPIE as the hosting organization in Bratislava – for the highly professional preparation, excellent on-site support, and a deeply felt passion for innovation in the region.
Our new Slovak project partner, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, who help shape and support the Twin City Future Innovation Hub project on the local side.
Our particularly strong partners from Austria, the Vienna Business Agency, who have supported Industry meets Makers from the very beginning and whose continuous trust and commitment significantly contribute to IMM’s growth and ongoing development.
The University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten, GEMINI Startup Base and UAS Salzburg with whom we will repeat our long-standing Future Tech Bootcamp format again in 2026.
And, of course, to all our project and network partners who continue to support us in this project – accent incubator, Platform Industry 4.0 and many more … :)

Without this joint effort, it would not be possible to bring a format like IMM to a new city and ecosystem – and at the same time preserve its distinctive character.

What comes next

With this kick-off, the anniversary year of Industry meets Makers has officially begun – and the coming months will show which ideas, prototypes and collaborations will emerge from the presented challenges.

Those who could not attend the kick-off can still get a very good impression through the videos and photos in the blog – and are warmly invited to join the ongoing activities nonetheless, whether as makers, challenge partners, or supporters.

In the end, one thing stands out above all: Thank you to everyone who made this 10th IMM kick-off in Bratislava possible – and to all who contribute their ideas, expertise and energy. We’re excited about the five months of co-creation ahead and can’t wait to see which future solutions will emerge from this first twin-city edition at the grand finale.