ROBO-KNOT

ROBO-KNOT (ROBOtics KNOwledge Transfer Lab) is a cross-sectoral and cross-border mobility initiative that strengthens knowledge transfer between academia and industry in the robotics domain through targeted secondments and hands-on training. Across the 36‑month action, the project structures the mobility experience end‑to‑end (pre‑secondment preparation, the secondment itself, and post‑secondment follow‑up) so that participants can quickly integrate into a host organisation, work on concrete R&I challenges, and bring results back to their home institution or company.

Beyond mobility, ROBO-KNOT builds a shared capability framework for research commercialisation and innovation: mentoring, skills development, and practical guidance on valorisation, entrepreneurship and collaboration across borders and sectors. The expected outcome is a durable network and set of practices that improve R&I support capacity and help turn robotics research outputs into impact (transferable know‑how, prototypes, and pathways to uptake) while contributing to a more integrated European innovation ecosystem.

In ROBO-KNOT, Robotnik acts as a non-academic industrial partner and a key host organization for secondments of researchers from academic institutions in Widening countries. It offers 3 to 5-month placements (which can be split into shorter periods) in a structured business environment, where participants work on real R&I projects focused on industrial applications and learn how robotics research is adapted and commercialized.

As a company specializing in the engineering and development of mobile robots and manipulators, Robotnik provides the infrastructure, resources, and expertise to expose researchers to integration challenges across different sectors, as well as considerations of scalability and time-to-market.

Additionally, Robotnik supports matchmaking (candidate interviews), monitors progress during the placement, and validates results through post-secondment reports, strengthening the impact of knowledge transfer to the researchers’ home organizations.