Linz, June 2026. On June 17, 2026, the voestalpine Stahlwelt in Linz hosted a new kind of event in the Upper Austrian research landscape: the UAR Innovation Network brought together researchers from across its member centers for the very first time at the UAR IN:VENT. Pro²Future was part of it.
Around 180 people from 16 research centers spent the day doing something that sounds simple but rarely happens in practice: getting to know each other. Understanding what the person from the other institution actually works on, where the overlaps are, and where a conversation could become a collaboration.
Our contribution to that came in the form of a pitch. Michael Siegl and Chiara Zwickl introduced Pro²Future as a COMET K1 competence center working at the intersection of cognition, sustainability, and industrial production – developing products and production systems that are smarter, safer, and more resource-efficient. The conversations that followed made clear that the connections to other centers in the network run deeper than expected.
The day’s working sessions covered a broad range of topics, from AI in industrial applications and advanced materials to European research funding strategies. What mattered as much as the content was the format: hands-on, open, and oriented toward action rather than presentation.
Two keynote speakers brought a different perspective to the day. Ali Mahlodji and Dejan Stojanovic spoke about what makes – and sometimes breaks – a culture of innovation. A timely reminder for a network that is in the process of growing closer together.
Pro²Future leaves the UAR IN:VENT with concrete starting points for new collaborations, and with the conviction that connection is not a side effect of good research. It is part of it.
Find the full gallery here: https://www.cityfoto.at/content/de/fotogalerie/18183