News

July 6, 2026

Newly awarded research and development programme SMARTFACT: emerging technologies for the factories of the future

The Jožef Stefan Institute, as the lead partner, has secured the SMARTFACT programme, bringing research organisations and industrial companies together to develop more efficient, flexible and sustainable manufacturing.

SMARTFACT integrates artificial intelligence, robotics, machine vision, and laser and plasma technologies.

• 17 partners from research and industry

• 4 interconnected thematic pillars

• Development and demonstration from TRL 3 to TRL 6

The consortium comprises 17 partners: the Jožef Stefan Institute, the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Computer and Information Science and Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, the University of Maribor Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Rudolfovo, TECOS, Yaskawa Slovenia, Metronik, Gorenje, SICK, INEA, Adria Mobil, RETTRO, Fotona, Elvez and Keko Equipment. Research teams, system integrators and end users will jointly develop and validate solutions in real industrial environments.

The programme is structured around four thematic pillars: AI-supported process control, robotics of the future, laser processing for electronics, and plasma technologies. Activities will progress from industrial research at TRL 3-4 to prototype development and demonstrations at TRL 5-6.

Expected results include self-learning systems for monitoring manufacturing processes, energy-efficient production scheduling, automated quality inspection using computer vision, adaptable robotic systems, laser micro- and nanoprocessing with automatic optimisation, and thermochromic sensors for recording the temperature history of food products. SMARTFACT will contribute to higher productivity, improved quality, greater energy efficiency and the international competitiveness of Slovenian industry.

The programme is co-funded under the public call JR RR PROGRAMI (TRL 3–6).