University of Maribor Drives Innovation from Lab to Market: The Story of WatchBuilt
Since its inception, the University of Maribor (UM) has aimed to contribute to societal development and economic progress both regionally and beyond. The Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office provides support in protecting and commercializing the expertise, technologies, and ideas of UM researchers and students within the framework of transferring knowledge and technologies into economic and social environments. To this end, we also collaborate with numerous international support networks, through which we offer researchers and companies advice and assistance in finding suitable research and business partners.
Our guiding principle is “from lab to market,” thus fulfilling the strategic goals of knowledge and technology transfer into the environment. This is best illustrated by the story of Associate Professor Dr. Zoran Pučko from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering, and Architecture at the University of Maribor, whom we helped establish and promote the spin-off company WatchBuilt, founded on his official invention.
The innovation is based on a wearable device mounted on a safety helmet. The device is equipped with 3D scanning technology and other components that capture 3D data in real time during construction. The system automatically identifies elements in the digital model of the building, allowing direct comparison between planned and actual construction processes and thus enabling proactive identification and resolution of potential issues.
Associate Professor Dr. Zoran Pučko, together with co-inventor Professor Emeritus Dr. Danijel Rebolj, filed the official invention and, with the help of UM’s Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office, submitted patent applications to the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office (URSIL) and the European Patent Office (EPO). From the start, the inventors wanted to capitalize on the economic potential of their invention. In 2022, Dr. Pučko participated in the Commercialization Reactor program, where he, alongside four entrepreneurs, founded WatchBuilt.
Since its inception, WatchBuilt has achieved several notable successes, including winning the innovation competition at the 16th International Conference on Technology Transfer organized by the Jožef Stefan Institute and the Infineon Technologies ToF Startup Challenge. WatchBuilt also successfully presented at the PODIM 2023 conference and the digitalBAU trade fair. Among other significant achievements are victories at the EIT Jumpstarter in the EIT Digital category and an award at the Deep Tech Atelier event.
The company, born out of the Commercialization Reactor program, has already recorded important successes and established international partnerships and collaborations crucial for its further development.
