For the first time in Novi Sad, on November 29, 2022, Industry-Academy Forum named Upskilling for Industry 5.0 was held, which brought together leaders from the field of smart production, representatives of state, local and regional institutions, the academic community, and future engineers in the building of the Science and Technology Park.
The event was organized in two panels where the visitors had the opportunity to learn about the topic, to hear experiences and knowledge regarding the latest technologies related to smart production, and to discuss with experts from successful global, foreign and domestic organizations and companies. The panel “Upskilling for Industry 5.0”, where visitors could hear more about the new strategy of Industry 5.0, which shifts the focus from technology and directs attention to people, was moderated by prof. Dr. Aleksandar Rikalović, head of the BSC and MSC study programs of Engineering Management at the Faculty of Technical Sciences. Representatives of NIDEC Elesys Europe, Japanese Business Alliance, NALED, as well as Assoc. Dr. Jelena Ćulibrk from the Faculty of Technical Sciences presented their views on this topic. On the panel “Smart production – solutions for Industry 5.0” about the application of various combinations of Industry 5.0 technologies powered by AI, representatives of the prominent company Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V., Tarkett, prof. Dr. Mirko Raković, associate professor of robotics and mechatronics at the Faculty of Technical Sciences, and prof. Dr. Aleksandar Rikalović as a representative of the Institute for AI R&D of Serbia. The moderator of this panel was prof. Dr. Uglješa Marjanović, associate professor of engineering management at the Faculty of Technical Sciences.
After the successful implementation of the event, which goes beyond the scope of previous, similar events and focuses on strengthening cooperation between industry and academia, it is expected that the FTN Forum will grow into a tradition. The initiative to start a dialogue between representatives of eminent companies and faculties, with the aim of educating engineers of the future, with an emphasis on modern approaches imposed by Industry 5.0, was launched by the Chairs for Production Systems, Organization, and Management.
“We recognized the needs of the market for the knowledge and skills that are developed in the Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management study programs, we realized that we all have to adapt to changes and develop solutions that will be of importance to both the industry and the wider community. As with any good initiative, our Faculty recognized this and, in cooperation with the Science and Technology Park, organized this Forum as we have accustomed our guests. We are really pleased with the words of praise from the participants, among which we are especially fond of those coming from the Japanese embassy, companies and the cabinet of representatives of all levels of our institutions, who offer wholehearted support for the continuation of such initiatives, which give us hope that the impossible is just a word,” said Prof. Dr. Nenad Simeunović, head of the aforementioned Chair.