New €3m EU project to transform human-tech collaboration

The TechConnect project will bring together nine partners from Ireland, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands.

A new EU-funded project will bring together universities, SMEs and hospitals to transform and enhance human-tech collaboration.

The €3m project, called TechConnect, officially launched last month and aims to revisualise how human skills interact with digital technologies.

It is funded under the Horizon Europe framework and will be headed by Prof Na Fu at Trinity Business School (TBS).

The TechConnect project brings together expertise from nine organisations based in four countries: Trinity College Dublin (TCD); Mälardalen University, Sweden; Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain; Universiteit Utrecht, Netherlands; Spanish digital innovation consultancy BluSpecs; Tallaght University Hospital, Ireland; Västerås Hospital, Sweden; Hospital Ramon y Cajal, Spain; and the University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands.

During meetings in TBS and Tallaght University Hospital, the consortium established the project’s research agenda.

The consortium also defined the case studies that will inform the creation of a new Human-Tech Skill Complementarity (HTSC) Index, which will measure how human skills and digital tools interact within different industries.

Commenting on the driving force behind the TechConnect project, Fu said that as digital transformation accelerates, the question of whether technology will replace or empower human workers has become an “urgent” one to answer.

Fu elaborated: “Through TechConnect, we aim to discover how tools like artificial intelligence (AI) and automation can complement human skills, improving job quality and supporting inclusive growth.

“At its core, TechConnect explores HTSC – how humans and technology can work together to boost productivity, improve job quality and benefit society.

“This research will benefit tech adopters, developers, managers, educators and policymakers across Europe, creating a blueprint for a digital future that values human contribution.”

Back in September, it was announced that AI-driven ethics and compliance training platform IntegrityIQ was set to become the first company to spin out of TBS.

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