Teaching Factories Competition: Enhancing collaboration between industry and academia to shape the future of manufacturing

The Teaching Factories Competition 2024 on Deep Tech was a major success. Companies like Consorzio Intellimech and Katty Fashion worked closely with the so-called Solver Teams of students, ensuring that students gain practical experience while tackling complex challenges faced by the manufacturing sector.

By engaging in this competition, industry, startups and SMEs can establish lasting relationships with academic institutions, gain fresh perspectives and potentially continue working with Solver Teams to scale up their ideas.

A showcase of success: Insights from the mentor

One of the leading academic mentors involved in the Teaching Factories Competition 2024 was Professor Panagiotis Stavropoulos, from the Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation (LMS) at the University of Patras. Reflecting on his mentorship experience, Professor Stavropoulos expressed his enthusiasm for students’ progress and the collaboration with participating companies.

Professor Stavropoulos highlighted the crucial role of Consorzio Intellimech, in collaboration with their industrial partner, Vinservice Micro Matic S.r.l., and Katty Fashion as the companies involved. These organisations provided expert guidance and contributed essential resources such as blueprints, technical drawings and physical sample parts. This collaborative effort between industry and academia allowed students to develop practical solutions, including prototypes and test benches, that addressed the specific challenges posed by the companies.

Turning theory into practice: Students solving industry challenges in Deep Tech

The Teaching Factories Competition bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. In the Deep Tech edition, students were exposed to complex, multidisciplinary challenges that required them to work across fields such as mechanical, electrical and computer engineering. The competition also emphasised the role of soft skills development for students to seamlessly manage teamwork, communication and problem-solving—all within a real-world industrial context.

“The competition was structured around collaborative, problem-based learning, with challenges stemming directly from industry,” said Panagiotis. “Students were required to apply innovative thinking, balance complex requirements and finally adapt their solutions to meet both performance standards and economic constraints.”

This hands-on experience allowed students to create proof-of-concept prototypes, test their solutions in real-world conditions and receive feedback from industry professionals. One of the Solver Teams continues to collaborate with Intellimech/Vinservice beyond the competition, working on a proposed semi-automated solution for the coil assembly process. The new solution reduces the cycle time by 70% and relieves operators from manually inserting spacers.

“We are extremely pleased with our participation, both regarding the experience with the EIT Manufacturing team and the external companies,” said Panagiotis. “It was a privilege to watch our teams overcome complex challenges and grow throughout the process. We are looking forward to participating in future Teaching Factories Competitions.”

Inspire future innovators: Opportunities ahead

The Teaching Factories Competition 2025 has launched a new call for companies to submit the most pressing industry challenges for students to tackle in the fields of advanced, green and sustainable manufacturing, as well as digital transformation.

The competition is open for applications from the industry, including startups and SMEs. EIT Manufacturing encourages submissions of real pressing industry challenges to provide a unique opportunity to engage with talented students shaping the future of the manufacturing industry. The call is open until 26 February 2025, 17:00 CET.