Smart Industry Centre (SmartIC)

The vision of the SmartIC hub is to ensure that Estonian manufacturing SMEs, big or small, can fully benefit in innovations in the field of ICT and robotics and thus improve its business and production processes and adapt its business models to the digital change to be globally competitive. Smartic is establishing a new digital research infrastructure. Smart industry (Industry 4.0) is a field that includes R&D activities related to distributed infrastructure at Tallinn University of Technology and Estonian University of Life Sciences in mechanical and industrial engineering, automation, mechatronics, materials science and engineering, and ICT. A new R&D virtual unit Smart Industry Centre (SmartIC) was established to enhance significantly the field of smart industry research, cross-usage of research infrastructures in Estonia (universities and partners), as well as internationally (R&D cooperation projects, applied research with international companies, e.g. in sectors such as aerospace, automotive industry, ship-building, and other industries) through co-operation, marketing and jointly defined services. Composing of the Centre was motivated from the current state of Estonian economy and industry – in addition to extensive low-priced and low-skilled outsourcing is more and more needed to develop value adding high-tech production. Estonia has not any longer advantage of a low-cost industrial country. To cope with this, also universities should show a clear direction and become more capable partner in R&D to the industry in modernizing of technology and in preparing industry's top professionals.