INDUSTRY – UNIVERSITY COOPERATION – A PREREQUISITE FOR DEVELOPING COMPETENCIES 4.0

The term Industry 4.0 represents the radical transformation that has resulted from the integration of emerging technologies and the industry. The proximity of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is observable and brings challenges arising from the ongoing automation and digitization. All companies, willing to remain competitive on the market need to go through this transformation overcoming such barriers, as the lack of qualified, skilled and talented employees to develop and manage various high-tech systems. This deficiency means that Industry 4.0 demands a change in the labour market, explicitly requiring trained professionals who have the needed competencies and skills. In this new environment, driven by new technologies and innovations the cooperation between academia and business is a prerequisite to sustainable economic growth, readiness for employment and preparedness for satisfying the new demands of the industries. The authors are university teachers, working in Mechanical engineering department and Design department. The purpose of the presented paper is to observe the competencies and skills of mechanical engineers demanded by Industry 4.0 and to systemize the links between the industry in the region and the University aiming developing the needed competencies. Example with a project “Smart Industries”, running at the Mechanical Engineering department and Department for Computer sciences, focuses on development of expert competence within research and education areas related to the digitalization of the industry will be presented.