On August 4 2021, the founding agreements of the Innovation Center of the Košice Region (ICKK) and the Cassovia New Industry Cluster (CNIC) were signed in the mirror hall of the Košice self-governing region, the founders of which are three Košice universities – Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Technical University in Košice and University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, the City of Košice and the Košice Self-governing region. Besides the academic sector and local government, Cassovia Discovery Park, the Slovak Academy of Sciences, and the L. Pasteur University Hospital also participate in it.
Mutual cooperation of UPJŠ, TUKE and UVLF universities will further advance their qualitative quality not only at the Slovak level but also at the international level. In cooperation with the city and the region, it will be possible to create a modern university environment that attracts not only students but also new talents and companies interested in innovations in science and research.
“The planned construction investments are aimed at making the environment of our universities more attractive, as we see in the developed world. We believe that we will not only experience the stabilization of students and graduates of our schools but that we will be an attraction for the arrival of young people from Slovakia and Europe, “said UPJŠ Rector Pavol Sovák.
The goal of the Innovation Center of the Košice Region (ICKK) and the Košice Cluster of New Industry (CNIC), which is its pilot project, is to create new jobs, support innovation, increase living standards, and thus the overall growth of the economy in the region.
By signing the founding agreements, the members undertake to create a new industry in the region of eastern Slovakia and cooperate in the field of science and new technologies to create a modern and quality environment for innovative high-tech companies expanding abroad with the development of social areas about an aging population.
The connection between academic and business environments will play a key role in the creation of optimal conditions for the start-up establishment focused on innovations, new technologies, products, and services. The project includes investments in scientific infrastructure and university campuses.
