Co-creating for the Community: UPT Students Driving Digital Innovation
he Politehnica University of Timișoara, Romania (UPT)is dedicated to advancing innovation and entrepreneurship as a partner in Accelerate Future HEI - a Horizon Europe initiative that strengthens the capacity of Higher Education Institutions across Europe, where several departments of UPT are involved (Digital Transformation Institute, Digital and Distance Education Department and the Multimedia Center). Through its active participation, UPT is not only accelerating its institutional transformation but also reinforcing its commitment to technological advancement and regional development with a strong focus on community-driven innovation.
The participation within the project is part of the UPT’s Strategic Vision for a digital and entrepreneurial transformation, as the university is committed to harnessing the full potential of digital technologies to empower individuals, advance knowledge, and drive positive change in the West region of Romania.
At the core of UPT’s mission is a commitment to shaping positive change by embracing diversity as a core value. The university promotes a culture of creativity, responsibility, and action, empowering students, researchers, and partners to develop solutions to pressing societal, environmental, and economic challenges, driving positive and lasting impact on the region.
In the Accelerate Future HEIs projectour vision of co-creation is part of all major goals. Almost all of our actions respond to several of our goals. Like the co-creation activities with our students, respond to both our "'Goal 1 – Digital education valorization through microcredentials programmes and challenge-based learning using digital (AI, VR) technologies’, "'Goal 2 – Fostering openness and creativity in a digital world via research valorization, with direct local and regional impact’, as well as "'Goal 3 – Increase community impact by implementing SDGs and social innovation projects’.
Co-Creation with Students: A Model for Community Impact
The university's approach to innovation is rooted in co-creation, involving students as active partners in developing solutions for the community. This vision is put into practice through theMultimedia Technologies Master's Program delivered by UPT’s Multimedia Centre,where students are not just learners, as they become digital creators working on real-world projects that directly benefit the local community.
From developing websites for numerous local NGOs to creating advanced web and mobile applications for the "Spotlight Heritage Timisoara"initiative, students are key players in shaping the city's digital landscape. They have provided digital expertise to organizations such as the the Princess Margaret of Romania Foundation, the Timișoara Community Foundation and Triade Foundation, helping these non-profits expand their reach and impact. These co-creation efforts have also addressed long-term community needs. Students developed the website for UPT’s Faculty of Architecture and created digital initiatives for the future Timișoara Botanical Garden and the Jecza Triade Garden. They also provide ongoing creation and maintenance of online platforms for entities like the Timișoara Regional Blood Transfusion Center and FyouPentru Voi Foundation, as well as a website created for the 50th anniversary of the Regional Hospital, ensuring these crucial services have a reliable digital presence. UPT’s master's students have contributed to the digital presence of the Politehnica 2020 Innovation and Technology Transfer Center, of the DeL UPT Newsletters, of UPT's Multimedia Center, of UPT Technical Museum and InoHub UPT.
The students' participation in "Spotlight Heritage Timisoara” project, an initiative connected to the Timișoara European Capital of Culture 2023, stands out as a remarkable achievement on the engagement with the community and university-community partnerships. As digital creators, students designed mobile apps for Android and iOS, have developed an interactive website, as well as Augmented Reality apps and Virtual Reality experiences, which was the Digital Award at the European Cultural Tourism Network Awards in Dublin, October 2024. This work transformed the public's interaction with Timișoara's cultural heritage, demonstrating how technology co-created by students can have a lasting, positive impact on the community.
Students also extended their technical expertise to the wider community through projects like the "Bell Labs VR Expo"application, created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Nokia Bell Labs. Developed by Multimedia Technologies Master students, the project meticulously integrated the Nokia building and its Museum of Telephones into a detailed digital reproduction in virtual reality that showcases the evolution of communication technology, preserving a piece of local industrial heritage and making it accessible to a broader audience. The application was a great success at the European Night of Museums 2025, where hundreds of locals, young and old, explored the application and praised its engaging and educational design.
Why Politehnica University of Timisoara?
Since its founding in 1920, UPT has been a cornerstone for technical education, offering interdisciplinary, practice-based programs in engineering and technology, providing a learning environment where entrepreneurial thinking and social responsibility are mutually reinforcing.
Through Accelerate Future HEI, UPT is working closely with its E³UDRES² partners to co-develop new strategies and structures within a collaborative programme, aiming to accelerate UPT's transformation into a more digitized, innovative, and entrepreneurial institution by identifying its current strengths, developing new services, building staff capacity, and sharing key insights with the European Commission and other universities.
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