From May 26 to 27, 2025, Prof. Gabriele Pannocchia (University of Pisa, UNIPI) visited the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (STUBA) as part of the Horizon Europe FrontSeat project. Hosted by project coordinator Prof. Miroslav Fikar, the visit focused on strengthening research cooperation, aligning future project goals, and emphasizing academic exchange. Key activities included participation in a workshop on educational innovation, strategic project planning, in-depth technical discussions on advanced process control approaches, and engagement with the broader academic community through the Scientific Council of FCHPT STU. The visit significantly contributed to the advancement of cooperation efforts within the FrontSeat consortium.
Exploring Pedagogical Innovation: Flipped Learning and Cross-Institutional Dialogue
Prof. Pannocchia’s visit began with his participation in the “Workshop on Advanced Technologies in Education” organized at STUBA (read more about this event here), where he attended a lecture by Prof. Daniel R. Lewin on “Flipped Learning in Engineering Education”. The session offered valuable insights into innovative pedagogical methods relevant to higher education and research training within the FrontSeat framework. Prof. Pannocchia actively joined the discussion, sharing his teaching experience from the University of Pisa. His contributions enriched the dialogue and highlighted the value of cross-institutional exchange in educational innovation.
Strategic Alignment: Reviewing Milestones and Shaping Future Directions of the project FrontSeat
In the afternoon, a focused project meeting with the principal coordinator of the project FrontSeat, Prof. Miroslav Fikar, allowed for a comprehensive review of recent project milestones. The discussion resulted in a structured plan for the next phases of the project, reinforcing effective collaboration and driving scientific progress.
Advancing Scientific Synergy: Tackling Technical Challenges and Exploring New Directions
Later that day, Prof. Gabriele Pannocchia met with Assoc. Prof. Juraj Oravec and PhD student Erika Pavlovicova (STUBA) to discuss the recent progress of the ongoing joint research topic on approximated control laws for embedded implementation. The dialogue centered around key technical challenges and future opportunities for scientific synergy.
Deepening Scientific Cooperation: Advancing Observer Design in Process Control
The second day continued the momentum of scientific cooperation, beginning with a research discussion between Prof. Gabriele Pannocchia and Prof. Miroslav Fikar on the advanced system-state observer design for process control. Their conversation specifically addressed how such implementations inherently avoid unexpected side effects, a critical aspect in process control theory.
Strengthening Academic Ties: Participation in the Scientific Council and Inaugural Lecture
After a working lunch with Prof. Miroslav Fikar, Prof. Gabriele Pannocchia joined the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology (STUBA) to attend the inaugural lecture of Assoc. Prof. Juraj Oravec. His presence underscored the cooperative spirit of the FrontSeat project and its integration into the broader academic community at STUBA.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon under grant no. 101079342 (Fostering Opportunities Towards Slovak Excellence in Advanced Control for Smart Industries).
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