2C FIMH

Twin City Future Innovation Manufacturing Hub 

The Twin City Future Innovation Manufacturing Hub is a cross-border initiative that strengthens innovation, collaboration and sustainable growth in the manufacturing sector between Austria and Slovakia. By bringing together key stakeholders—industry leaders, academia, government institutions, and civil society—the project aims to shape a resilient and competitive manufacturing ecosystem in the Twin City region of Vienna and Bratislava. 

Over the course of two years, project partners will implement a series of pilot activities in incubation, education, and cross-border cooperation, fostering synergies between universities, companies, and startups. Through exploratory missions, pilot programs, and strategic recommendations, the project sets the stage for a future-oriented transnational innovation strategy.  

KEY OBJECTIVES 

To drive impact, the project focuses on: 

  • Providing strategic direction through a jointly developed handbook that outlines actionable recommendations for a cross-border innovation strategy in the manufacturing sector. 

  • Securing long-term political commitment by facilitating the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding among key stakeholders. 

  • Creating a sustainable innovation infrastructure by establishing and operating the Twin City Hub in Vienna and Bratislava as a central platform for ongoing collaboration. 

  • Fostering continuous knowledge exchange across borders through expert groups, thematic workshops, and exploratory visits to strengthen networks and share best practices. 

FUTURE INCUBATION: PILOTING NEW SUPPORT MODELS 

As lead partner of the Future Incubation work package, accent — in collaboration with EIT Manufacturing, Slovak Alliance for Innovation Economy (SAPIE), and Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (STU)— designs and pilots several new support models to accelerate cross-border innovation: 

  • Sprint formats to help startups prototype and scale their solutions across borders. 

  • Roadshow formats to better connect startups and businesses at the regional level. 

  • A call system to help identify and support high-potential initiatives. 

  • A cooperation model to lay the groundwork for a future cross-border incubator. 

The accent Makerspace serves as a central location for interregional collaboration, where start-ups can jointly develop prototypes and drive innovation. 

Project website: https://www.twincityhub.eu/  

Follow the project on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/twin-city-future-innovation-manufacturing-hub/posts/?feedView=all  

The 2C FIMH project is implemented in the framework of Interreg VI-A Slovakia-Austria, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).  

PROJECT PARTNERS: 

Project partners: EIT Manufacturing East (EITM), Lead, Technical University Bratislava (STU), accent Inkubator , Industry meets Makers , The association Industry 4.0 Austria – The Platform for Intelligent Production, City of Vienna municipal department (MA23) Slovak Alliance for Innovative Economy (SAPIE) 

Strategic partners: Capital of the Slovak Republic Bratislava (BA), Trnava self-governing region (TSK), Bratislava self-governing region (BSK), Vienna Museum of Science and Technology (TMW), Junior Achievement Austria (JA AT), Junior Achievement Slovakia (JA SK), Wirtschaftsagentur Burgenland (WAB), Impacthub Vienna (IHV), Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical Information (CVTI SR), Vienna Business Agency (WAW) 

TECHNICAL INFORMATION 

Duration: 07/2024 – 06/2027´ 

Project budget: € 2,666,647.84 

ERDF funding: € 2,133,318.27 

Project acronym: 2C FIMH  

Project Lead: EIT Manufacturing Austria 

Click here to view the project catalogue. 

For more information, please contact: Reka Dancsecs at reka.dancsecs@accent.at