How good is the weld or surface finish on my product or a product I received? Was the defect caused by improper handling, or did the product have a hidden material defect? These are examples of questions that the team at the TUL CXI University Research Institute can resolve very quickly. Thanks to the SUPPORT4SME project, companies can now access assistance with specific production issues, consultations, analyses, and other services from a top-tier scientific facility at minimal cost. This offer is available to small and medium-sized enterprises with up to 250 employees in the Liberec, Ústí, and Karlovy Vary regions, as well as in Saxony.
The company pays only VAT
“Many smaller companies have a good idea or a specific technical problem, but they lack access to the necessary equipment, experts, or laboratory analyses. This is precisely where the SUPPORT4SME project can significantly help them. We want companies to know that they can turn to us even with very practical problems from everyday production or development,” says project lead Adam Blažek from the Institute of Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies, and Innovation at the Technical University of Liberec.
Companies can request a customized service on the project’s online platform. If they meet the program’s conditions, they pay only the VAT on the actual price of the service. Thus, investment in research ceases to be a significant financial barrier for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Analysis as Evidence in a Lawsuit
For example, the construction company Tembo brand utilized the project’s support to address a cracked shaft in a front-end articulated loader. It needed to determine whether the cause was operator error or a defect in the product itself. It therefore turned to CXI.
Detailed analyses confirmed a manufacturing defect in the material and became part of the official expert report for the court proceedings. For similar cases, the university has a Helios 5 PFIB CXe electron microscope at its disposal, which allows for very detailed examination of material quality, surface treatments, alloys, welds, and other defects. The microscope, costing over 45 million crowns, is unique in that scientists can use it to make microscopic “slices” into the material being examined and, thanks to a full range of detectors, perform comprehensive physical and chemical analysis of the sample’s composition.
The expert analysis provided the company not only with an explanation of the cause of the problem but also a strong basis for a warranty claim and further legal action. “I would either have to pay for a costly repair of this machine or continue using it, which would obviously pose a safety risk not only to me. We now have a substantiated claim; the supplier delivered a defective product, and we will likely go to court,” explains Jakub Ševčík of Tembo brand.
Assistance in the development of cross-country ski waxes
The SUPPORT4SME project also helped Titan Gliders, which found expert support at TUL for the development of cross-country ski waxes. Using modern analytical methods, scientists examine both the company’s own synthesized ingredients and competing commercial waxes, providing the company with important data for further development.
“Our collaboration with CXI TUL has clearly paid off. We know exactly where to focus our efforts; we would have a hard time doing without such support. Moreover, thanks to this, we have gained the support of Czech biathlon, the Czech Olympic Committee, and the Liberec Region. For a company that started from scratch and was self-funded, this is of fundamental importance,” says Petr Tischer of Titan Gliders.
Help That Saves Companies Money
The SUPPORT4SME project offers these services and many others, including consultations with experts who have access to state-of-the-art laboratory equipment, and assistance in solving specific technological and material problems. Its goal is to support more than 130 companies in the Czech-Saxon region; so far, just under thirty companies have utilized these services.
“It’s not just about supporting large innovation projects. Often, it’s enough to solve a single specific problem, verify material properties, or get an expert opinion on a technological process. Even this kind of assistance can save a company time and money and pave the way for further development. Company representatives often have no idea that we’re here or what we can help them with. Yet we offer them access to the latest equipment at absolutely negligible prices. Companies shouldn’t hesitate to reach out to us with specific questions that are troubling or interesting to them,” concludes Adam Blažek.
Radek Pirkl
Eva Doležalová
SUPPORT4SME
The project connects small and medium-sized enterprises from the Liberec, Ústí, and Karlovy Vary regions and from Saxony with applied research. The Technical University of Liberec is implementing it in cooperation with the Technical University of Chemnitz as part of the Interreg Czech Republic–Saxony 2021–2027 program. Thanks to the project, companies can take advantage of professional applied research services, individual consultations and analyses, as well as workshops and training sessions. The project gives them access to an interdisciplinary network of experts and state-of-the-art research facilities, which they can utilize when putting innovations into practice.
Support4sme: Cross-border support for the involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises in materials research for the future.
Objective:
The Joint Center for Cross-Border Cooperation between TU Liberec and TU Chemnitz supports and implements innovations in small and medium-sized enterprises in the Czech-Saxony region.
SUPPORT4SME offers an interdisciplinary network of experts who will help you grow your business.
EU funding (ERDF):
€2,442,017.81
Lead Partner:
CXI TUL
Partner:
Chemnitz University of Technology
Adam Blažek, M.A., MBA – Principal Investigator
adam.blazek@tul.cz
+420 730 595 011
