COGSTEPS - Crossing the Gap: Startup Education and Support for Researchers

Project Overview (September 2020 – August 2023)

The COGSTEPS project, funded under the ERASMUS+ Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education, aimed to bridge the gap between academia and the startup ecosystem. Coordinated by the University of Zagreb, it involved partners from Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia. The project’s key goals included fostering entrepreneurial mindsets among researchers, launching more university spin-offs, and creating a regional hub for innovation.

This project marked the first successful ERASMUS+ proposal from Know Center Research, securing approximately €350,000 funding for six partners over three years.

Main Objectives

• Change perceptions about startups within academic and scientific communities.
• Increase the number of startups and spin-offs emerging from universities.
• Develop entrepreneurial, transferable, and transversal skills among students, researchers, and academics.
• Create an innovative digital platform for matchmaking and startup education.

Implementation and Activities

• Development and integration of the ScaR recommender system into the COGSTEPS platform for personalized content and matchmaking recommendations.
• Organized educational bootcamps and workshops across Graz, Zagreb, and Ljubljana.
• Conducted dissemination events including a major event at PODIM Conference in Maribor and a final demonstration day in Graz.

Results & Impact

• Developed the COGSTEPS platform for networking, education, and matchmaking between researchers, startup founders, mentors, incubators, and investors.
• Successfully implemented multiple educational programs tailored to different stages of startup development (from idea validation to growth).
• Enhanced regional collaboration, significantly contributing to the development of the startup ecosystem within academic institutions.

Personal Contribution

• Acted as software and ML engineer at Know Center Research, integrating the ScaR recommender system into the web platform.
• Led project management and startup mentoring efforts at Graz University of Technology, managing a small internal team.
• Coordinated international collaboration, event planning, and participant engagement, directly contributing to the project’s successful delivery.