METALAB is one of the executive partners of the New Economy of Ivano-Frankivsk project. The project aims to transform the city into a competitive, innovative economic center. The team at METALAB is responsible for leading the capacity building in sustainable construction and product design, as well as the development of a makerspace. After the full-scale invasion of Russia, the NEF project supported Save Business Now as a response to the challenges of the war.
TOPIC: URBAN ECONOMY, SUSTAINABILITY
FORMAT: research, business support, event, product design
TIME: 2022–2025
RELATED PROJECTS: POLE, CO-HATY bed, Bomb shelter research, BLACKOUT lamp
PARTNERS: Teple Misto, Executive Committee of Ivano-Frankivsk City Council, Promprylad.Renovation, PPV Knowledge Networks
METALAB is one of the implementing partners of the project New Economy of Ivano-Frankivsk (NEF) — Support to New Innovative Economic Clusters in Ivano-Frankivsk, funded by the EU under the Mayors for Economic Growth program.
The New Economy of Ivano-Frankivsk is a project aimed at developing the city into a competitive and innovative economic center. The main objective of this project is to strengthen the local economic processes to promote innovation and encourage the creation of high-value products in Ivano-Frankivsk. As a result, the focus is on supporting local businesses, innovators, researchers, and scientific institutions. The NEF will last three years, from April 2022 to March 2025.
The project has three main areas of focus: product design, applied science, and sustainable construction practices. METALAB is leading the effort to build capacity in sustainable construction and product design, as well as developing the project’s largest infrastructure component — a makerspace located within the Promprylad.Renovation innovation center based on a former plant. As part of the NEF, the team collaborates with other partners, public institutions, local governments, businesses, and communities of inventors and scientists.
As a project partner, METALAB is responsible for:
development of a 1200-square-meter makerspace, enhancing its capacity and potential;
participation and organization of educational programs, networking with local scientific, design, and business communities;
creation of new products for businesses through workshops (a lamp based on an open source model, acoustic panels made of recycled textiles, a CO-HATY bed, a product for mass production based on one of the local enterprises, etc);
exploration of the potential of sustainable construction and design practices, using the example of the buildings of the former Promprylad plant.
METALAB is collaborating with project partners to foster partnerships with scientists, local businesses, and experts who share the principles of the circular economy. They promote sustainable materials production practices and work towards finding innovative solutions to the challenges faced by society.
After the full-scale invasion of Russia, the NEF project supported the activities of the Save Business Now crisis coordination center as a response to the challenges of the war. This coordination center operated to strengthen economic processes in the non-combatant areas of Ivano-Frankivsk, providing assistance to relocated businesses and communities. They offered access to expert advice, training, assistance in finding financing, and integration into the local ecosystem.
