FabLab.hr is a partner in two European projects, one of them being InterReg CE FabLabNet, which aims at encouraging innovation and creativity through the networking of FabLabs, capacity building and providing solutions to some of the immediate societal challenges the region is facing.

Partners from nine Central European countries joined forces to bring digital fabrication to the larger public and boost regional innovation. FabLabNet’s main outcomes include several new format activities developed at transnational level to help community building, business development and advanced training. The overall desired long lasting effect of the project is to increase competitiveness across Central Europe. The FabLabNet project connects FabLabs around Central Europe for best practice exchanges, as well as sharing of resources in order to support the project’s long term goals.

The above topics were also discussed during the thematic meeting that took place in Budapest, March 28-30, 2017. The first day of the meeting was conference-style and it attracted wider audiences. FabLab roles in societal changes were discussed by a number of key-note speakers as well as through panel discussions, and so were the roles of FabLabs as business accelerators. We would like to single out the insights provided by Joe Cross from the eNabling the Future initiative and by Jari Ognibeni, CEO of Industrio, a hardware start-up accelerator. The first day of the thematic meeting was also the exhibition day, and the partners presented some of their innovative solutions.

The thematic meeting was hosted at Loffice Budapest and organized by FabLab Budapest. Roberto Vdović of FabLab.hr took part in the panel discussion on the social impact of FabLabs.

During the next two days, the project partners discussed the project status, next steps and the upcoming activities, on which we will keep you posted.