CONSORTIUM MEETINGS AND PROJECT
EVENTS
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FrontSeat Consortium Meeting at
RUB
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On October 24-25, the FrontSeat project
Consortium Meeting took place at the Ruhr
University Bochum (RUB) located in Bochum,
North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The
Consortium Meeting offered a comprehensive
program that greatly enriched the experience
for all members. The agenda featured a
diverse array of presentations, interactive
discussions, scientific session, and a
guided tour of an inspiring area, offering
participants valuable insights and
strengthening the cooperative efforts across
the project.
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FrontSeat General Assembly
Meeting
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The regular meeting of the General Assembly
for Project FrontSeat took place as part of
a FrontSeat Consortium Meeting, held in a
hybrid format. The General Assembly serves
as a platform for in-depth discussions,
strategic alignment, issue resolution, and
the approval of key project matters. Members
actively participated in shaping the
project's direction, ensuring that
decisions remained closely aligned with its
core objectives and upcoming milestones.
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FrontSeat at WORLDFACTORY Start-up
Center
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As part of the technical program of the
FrontSeat Consortium Meeting, the members of
the consortium of the project FrontSeat
enjoyed the guided visit to the former
automotive factory in Bochum, which has been
transformed into a state-of-the-art
WORLDFACTORY Start-up Center. This
innovative space not only provides
cutting-edge technologies but also serves as
a unique environment where the tradition of
automotive manufacturing meets contemporary
creative design.
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FrontSeat Consortium Meeting
02/2025
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We successfully organized another Consortium
Meeting of the Project FrontSeat on February
21, 2025. The plenary meeting was organized
in a virtual format by STUBA.
The morning sessions of the meeting were
packed with insightful discussions, key
updates, and forward-thinking strategies
aimed at enhancing our research
capabilities.
The technical program began with a welcome
and a brief approval of the Minutes of the
Meeting, followed by an overview of recent
developments presented by Prof. Miroslav
Fikar. This session set the stage for deeper
discussions on our ongoing initiatives and
future directions.
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Continuous Collaboration Between STU
Centre of European Projects and UNIPI
Research Services Office
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In the autumn of 2024, the STU Centre of
European Projects and the UNIPI Research
Services Office strengthened their
partnership through two significant staff
exchanges aimed at enhancing cooperation,
sharing expertise, and advancing joint
research and innovation efforts. In October,
STU project managers Andrea Biskupičová and
Viltaré Platzner visited UNIPI for a
week-long job shadowing experience, working
closely with their counterparts to develop a
proposal for the MSCA Doctoral Network while
exchanging best practices in project
management.
The collaboration continued in November when
Marco Bargagna from UNIPI traveled to
Bratislava to work with colleagues from the
STU Rector’s Office and researcher
Assoc. Prof. Radoslav Paulen. Their
discussions and brainstorming sessions
focused on refining a new project proposal,
underscoring a commitment to teamwork and a
shared vision for future initiatives.
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Invited Session: Open Science Tools
Across the Research Lifecycle
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On February 21, as a part of the online
FrontSeat Consortium Meeting, we organized
the invited session on “Open Science tools
across the research lifecycle” led by
Francesca Ceron, University of Pisa, Italy
(UNIPI). This session explored innovative
tools that support transparent, accessible,
and reproducible research, reinforcing our
collective move toward more open and
collaborative scientific practices.
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FrontSeat Project Among the Top 3
Twinning Projects in Slovakia
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We are pleased to announce that our project
has been distinguished as one of the Top 3
Twinning projects in Slovakia (2014–2027)
based on the financial contribution
received. This remarkable achievement
highlights the impact of our work within the
FrontSeat project, reinforcing our
commitment to research excellence,
international cooperation, and innovation
under the Horizon Europe framework.
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FrontSeat Has a Sister Project
TwinVECTOR
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We are excited to introduce TwinVECTOR, the
sister project of our Horizon Europe project
FrontSeat.
TwinVECTOR, an EU-funded project at Tomas
Bata University (TBU) in Zlín, Czech
Republic, aims to establish a centre of
excellence for next-generation battery
sustainability, energy business models, and
sustainability assessments, supported by an
upgraded research and administration unit.
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New PhD study programme: Smart
Process Control
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One of the specific objectives of the
project FrontSeat is to boost STUBA
reputation in the international arena and
its attractiveness for talented scientists.
To reach this objective the project
consortia developed a new PhD programme in
automatic control for smart industries in
STUBA. The goal was to address the specific
needs of todays and future society and smart
industries.
Preparation of the new study program was
based on the best practices of League of
European Research Universities (LERU), the
best practices found from consultations
among project partners RUB and UNIPI and
based on the input from seminars with
industry (series Academia Meets Industry).
The new study programme Smart
Process Control starts in September 2025
and students can apply until
30.5.2025.
List of topics:
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Data Based Process Control (supervised
by Prof. Miroslav Fikar)
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Development of Advanced Methods for
Embedded MPC (supervised by Assoc. Prof.
Juraj Oravec)
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Design of Numerically Efficient
Near-Optimal Control Methods (supervised
by Assoc. Prof. Juraj Oravec)
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Set-based control of nonlinear systems
(supervised by Assoc. Prof. Radoslav
Paulen)
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Development of reliable and explainable
models for industrial monitoring,
optimization, and control (supervised by
Assoc. Prof. Radoslav Paulen)
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Modelling, Optimal Design and Optimal
Operation of Membrane Processes
(supervised by Assoc. Prof. Radoslav
Paulen)
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Academia
Meets
Industry
#4
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On November 14,
the FrontSeat
Industry Council
for Cybernetics
met at the
fourth “Academia
Meets Industry”
seminar at
STUBA’s Faculty
of Chemical and
Food Technology
in Bratislava.
Prof. František
Duchoň and Prof.
Miroslav Fikar
kicked off the
seminar, warmly
welcoming
participants and
emphasizing the
objectives and
importance of
fostering
synergy between
academia and
industry.
Setting the tone
for the
discussions,
laying out the
objectives and
importance of
industry-academia
synergy. The
seminar
continued with
an overview,
setting the
stage for
discussions on
the council’s
direction and
future
objectives.
The companies
(associated with
the Academia
Meets Industry)
proposed more
than 40
assignments for
the students
final works
(master theses),
which could be
offered to the
students
supervised by
the university
partners of the
industrial
council.
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Industrial
Council
of
Cybernetics
at
STU
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We
are
pleased
to
announce
that
the
Industrial
Council,
initiated
through
the
FrontSeat
project,
will
be
transformed
into
the
Industrial
Council
of
Cybernetics
at
STU,
continuing
its
impactful
work
beyond
the
project’s
conclusion.
Members
from
both
academic
partners
and
industry
representatives
have
recognized
the
value
of
this
initiative.
As a
result,
the
Industrial
Council
of
Cybernetics
at
STU
has
been
officially
established.
We
are
proud
that
the
FrontSeat
project
has
played
a
pivotal
role
in
fostering
this
collaboration,
and
we
deeply
appreciate
the
commitment
of
all
our
partners
to
sustaining
this
important
activity.
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MPT+
in
Focus:
Advancing
MPC
Research
and
International
Cooperation
at
RUB
Bochum
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From
October
21
to
25,
Juraj
Oravec
and
Juraj
Holaza
from
STUBA
visited
Ruhr
University
Bochum
(RUB)
to
strengthen
research
cooperation
with
Professor
Martin
Mönnigmann’s
research
group.
The
main
research
focus
was
on
advancing
model
predictive
control
(MPC)
design
and
integrating
the
developed
methods
into
open-source
software
tools.
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FrontSeat
at
the
Conference
on
Decision
and
Control
2024
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The
63rd
IEEE
Conference
on
Decision
and
Control
took
place
in
Milan,
Italy
from
December
16–19,
2024.
FrontSeat
was
represented
by
Ing.
Diana
Dzurková,
who
presented
the
paper
Approximated
Explicit
NMPC
Via
Reinforcement
Learning
for
Homomorphically
Encrypted
Process
Control,
authors:
Diana
Dzurková
-
Patrik
Valábek
-
Olivér
Mészáros
-
Martin
Kalúz
-
Martin
Klaučo.
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VISITS
AND
RESEARCH
COOPERATION
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RESEARCH
SEMINAR
ON
SMART
CYBERNETICS
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The
Research
Seminar
on
Smart
Cybernetics
is
held
as a
discussion
seminar
among
the
students
and
researchers
from
the
research
groups
of
the
FrontSeat
project
partners,
their
networks,
and
the
general
public.
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The
following
are
some
of
the
presenters
and
the
seminars
they
held
since
October
2024:
-
Riccardo
Bacci
di
Capaci
(University
of
Pisa,
Italy):
Thermal
Stress
Control
of
Steam
Turbines
via
Efficient
NMPC
Strategies
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Marco
Vaccari
(University
of
Pisa,
Italy):
Modeling,
Simulation
and
Environmental
Analysis
of
Plastic
Waste
Pyrolysis
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Juraj
Oravec,
Juraj
Holaza
(Slovak
University
of
Technology
in
Bratislava,
Slovakia):
From
MPC
Design
to
Code
Prototype:
MPT+
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Prof.
Rolf
Findeisen
(Technical
University
Darmstadt,
Germany):
Learning
and
Model
Predictive
Control
Ensuring
Safety
and
Optimality
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Prof.
Moritz
Schulze
Darup
(Technical
University
Dortmund,
Germany):
Towards
Explainable
Data-Driven
Predictive
Control
with
Regularizations
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Lionel
Sergent
(University
of
Lorraine,
France):
Modeling
and
Simulation
of
Waste
Incineration
Grate
Kilns
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Marek
Wadinger
(Slovak
University
of
Technology
in
Bratislava):
How
Much
Energy
Is
Too
Much?
On
Challenges
and
Promises
of
Subspace
Identification
for
Safety
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Prof.
Miroslav
Fikar
(Slovak
University
of
Technology
in
Bratislava,
Slovakia):
Multi-Model
Predictive
Control
of
a
Chemical
Reactor
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Mario
Eduardo
Villanueva
(Scuola
IMT
Alti
Studi
Lucca,
Italy):
Configuration-Constrained
Polytopes
in
Control
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Yuning
Jiang
(École
Polytechnique
Fédérale
de
Lausanne,
Switzerland):
Data-driven
Control
and
Optimization
with
Kernel-based
Learning
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Nora
Lindner
(Ruhr
University
Bochum,
Germany):
Constraint
Removal
in
Model
Predictive
Control
for
Quadcopters
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Our
Open
Doors
events
give
visitors
the
chance
to
connect
with
our
faculty,
researchers,
and
students,
offering
insight
into
STUBA's
commitment
to
excellence
and
inspiring
future
scientists
and
engineers.
From
January
30
to
February
3,
2025,
the
Faculty
of
Chemical
and
Food
Technology
(FCHPT)
once
again
opened
its
doors
to
curious
minds.
CHEMWEEK
2025
offered
high
school
students
a
unique
opportunity
to
step
into
the
world
of
chemistry
and
modern
technologies,
experiencing
science
firsthand
in
STUBA's
laboratories.
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FrontSeat,
along
with
our
project
colleagues,
has
been
featured
in
various
Slovak
media
articles
and
podcasts.
Here
are
some
recent
features
with
accompanying
links:
-
Prof.
Miroslav
Fikar,
coordinator
of
the
FrontSeat
project,
shared
key
insights
on
the
research
developments
and
scientific
advancements
the
project
has
achieved
throughout
2024
in
this
video.
-
A
Slovak
science-focused
podcast
called
"Veda
na
Dosah"
featured
Radoslav
Paulen,
Associate
Professor
at
the
Institute
of
Information
Engineering,
Automation,
and
Mathematics,
Faculty
of
Chemical
and
Food
Technology,
STUBA.
In
the
episode
called
Efficient
Energy
Consumption
Through
Big
Data
(in
Slovak:
Veľkými
dátami
k
úspornej
spotrebe
energie)
he
discussed
how
big
data
can
transform
energy
consumption,
helping
both
industries
and
households
reduce
their
environmental
footprint.
-
The
Slovak
journal
SPEKTRUM
STU
published
an
article
announcing
the
establishment
of
Industrial
Council
of
Cybernetics
at
STU.
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14th
IFAC
Symposium
on
Dynamics
and
Control
of
Process
Systems,
including
Biosystems
(DYCOPS)
2025
Plenary
Speakers:
Cleo
Kontoravdi (Imperial
College
London)
Jay
H.
Lee (University
of
Southern
California)
Daniel
Abramovitch (Agilent
Technologies)
Date: June
16-19,
2025
Location: Bratislava,
Slovakia
Organized
by:
Institute
of
Information
Engineering,
Automation,
and
Mathematics;
Faculty
of
Chemical
and
Food
Technology;
STUBA
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25th
International
Conference
on
Process
Control
Plenary
Speakers:
Morten
Hovd (Norwegian
University
of
Science
and
Technology,
Norway)
Petr
Havel
(Optimwise,
s.r.o.,
Czech
Republic)
Invited
session:
FrontSeat
is
organizing
an
invited
session
on
"Recent
Advances
in
Model
Predictive
Control".
This
session
will
feature
cutting-edge
developments
in
MPC,
bringing
together
experts
to
discuss
innovations
and
future
directions.
Date: June
3-6,
2025
Location: Štrbské
Pleso,
Slovakia
Organized
by:
Institute
of
Information
Engineering,
Automation,
and
Mathematics;
Faculty
of
Chemical
and
Food
Technology;
STUBA
and
Department
of
Control
Engineering;
Faculty
of
Electrical
Engineering;
CTU
in
Prague
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Find
out more |
FrontSeat Summer
School 2025 on
Optimization-Based
Embedded Control
Systems
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Date:
September 1-5,
2025
Location:
Ruhr University
Bochum (RUB),
Germany
Contact:
martin.moennigmann@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Acceptance
decision:
An email will be
sent to all
applicants by
the 21st of
July, 2025.
Registration
deadline:
14th of July,
2025 (no
registration
fee, limited
seats).
Key
Speakers:
Scope:
This
summer school
provides an
introduction to
optimal and
model predictive
control (MPC)
methods, with a
focus on their
application in
embedded systems
such as
micro-controllers,
embedded
computing
devices, and
industrial PCs.
Lectures will
cover essential
background in
numerical
optimization,
introduce
optimal and
model predictive
control, and
explore
state-of-the-art
techniques for
implementing
these methods on
embedded devices
for real-time
use.
Participants
should have a
solid
understanding of
fundamental
control concepts
(e.g.,
state-space
modeling,
controllability,
observability,
and stability).
Prior knowledge
of optimal and
predictive
control or
embedded
programming is
not required but
welcome.
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FrontSeat
on
LinkedIn
for
regular
updates
on
our
progress,
publications,
and
discussions.
We
appreciate
your
support
and
look
forward
to
connecting
with
you.
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FrontSeat
on
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FrontSeat
publications
are
accessible
to
everyone.
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You
can
access
all
of
our
research
resources
and
scientific
publications
on
Zenodo.
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