#IMM2025/26
Our 10th anniversary round took place
from December 4, 2025 till May 7, 2026.
#IMM2025/26
Our 10th anniversary round took place
from December 4, 2025 till May 7, 2026.
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Industry meets Makers (IMM) is an open innovation initiative that connects leading industrial companies with creative minds from the maker scene – start-ups, SMEs, freelance developers, designers, students, researchers, hobbyists and more. Through real-world tech challenges (so-called “briefings”) in fields like AI, robotics, IoT and Industry 4.0, both sides co-create innovative solutions over a five-month collaboration phase, with the goal of launching lasting partnerships.
Learn more about how IMM bridges industry and innovation!
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On May 7, 2026, the 10th anniversary of our “Best of Industry meets Makers” event took place at Vienna City Hall. The event showcased both the results generated during the past five-month co-creation process and those developed during our four-day Future Tech Bootcamp in Hainburg. Click here for the event recap.
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We celebrated the 10th anniversary of Industry meets Makers as part of our new Twin City Hub initiative. The anniversary program launched with an opening event in Bratislava on December 4, 2025, and culminated in a Best of IMM showcase in Vienna on May 7, 2026. If you'd like to stay informed about our upcoming activities or have questions, please sign up for updates or get in touch with us!
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As part of our anniversary edition from December 4, 2025 till May 7,2026, we launched 12 challenges (so called “briefings”) for innovative creators to tackle over the past five months. Here’s an overview of the topics.
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Contribute a challenge brief (problem statement + rewards) for teams to tackle together, and/or provide enabling technologies and expert know-how needed to solve it.
Join as a maker to co-create solutions with experts and challenge partners. Time commitment is flexible thanks to our hop-on, hop-off program design. Vision: opportunities beyond the project.
Participate with student groups during the semester or via focused formats – bootcamps, beach camps, hackathons, etc. Activities can be integrated into the official curriculum where appropriate.
Support teams with your domain expertise and help them shape projects for real-world implementation – e.g., financing and funding, startup formation, business modeling, industrialization, etc.
Host IMM activities in your region: promote topics, members, services, and dates through your network, and provide nearby workspace and equipment to participants.
Back IMM through sponsorship – financial contributions, prizes (jobs, products, tools, infrastructure, vouchers), media reach, refreshments or creative additions to maker incentive packages.
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As of July 1, 2024, Industry meets Makers has become part of the Twin City Future Innovation Manufacturing Hub (2C FIMH) – a cross-border initiative aimed at driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and promoting sustainable growth in the manufacturing sector across Austria and Slovakia. The project is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) within the Interreg Slovakia-Austria program Learn more