Practical Cooperation Between Business and Education - The First International Dewesoft Summer Camp

Dewesoft is a multinational company that develops highly innovative measuring instruments. The headquarters of the company is in Trbovlje, and we have 17 subsidiary companies around the world.

Our measurement systems are used in a broad range of industries - NASA, SpaceX, Lufthansa, Pipistrel, Siemens Gamesa, Tesla, Volvo, Audi, Harley Davidson, Rimac Group, and Akrapovič, are just some of the names with which we have partnerships.

Connecting theory and practice

The Dewesoft Summer Camp aims to equip students with important knowledge from the world of measuring systems. Knowledge, they will be able to use in their studies and later also in business environments.

"The idea for the summer camp came from a conversation we had with Dewesoft Italia. Universities provide theoretical knowledge - but that is not enough!

Students need practice, they need an understanding of what is happening outside the lecture halls. Reality is not a simulation,

said Professor Luigi Bregant from the University of Trieste.

"If students want to pass the final exam in my course, they have to do a measurement or simulation, and they are helped by Dewesoft's measurement systems. The experience they are having now - seeing where and how these instruments are made, seeing the development up close, talking to your engineers, is priceless. The university, my research laboratory, cannot offer them this," Professor Bregant explains.

The world of measurement

On the first day of the summer camp, the students got to know the basics of Dewesoft's measuring systems. We presented the product groups of measuring instruments and the software we develop and produce in the company.

In the following days, Italian presenters and our engineers gave lectures. The students performed measurements on a model airplane and a helicopter rotor propeller. We also gave practical instructions on how Dewesoft's measuring equipment is used in the automotive industry.

Student Paolo Gnata from the University of Milan says: "By using Dewesoft's instruments, we gain important practical experience, which we will use in the coming academic period in new competitions and challenges." As part of a university competition project, Dewesoft helped Paolo and his classmates test a rocket.

Different ways

The University of Rome works with more companies, but Dewesoft sticks out. Student Daniele Radicioni says:

If we have problems, we call them and they always respond quickly. It doesn't matter whether we need technical help or just some advice - help is always available to us, without exception.

Above all, Giovanni Zannese, a student from Trieste is impressed by the commitment of Dewesoft employees and the atmosphere in the company. "You can feel the connection between people, you don't see colleagues going out for a drink together in the afternoon in Italy," says Zannese. "We saw that it is possible to operate large companies in different ways."

The program of the summer camp also included getting to know the business model of Dewesoft, its special employee co-ownership, and the Katapult business accelerator

Finally, we all took advantage of the summer atmosphere and the beautiful scenery of the Zasavje region to hang out in the afternoon and evening.

Mutual benefits

One question fueled many discussions among professors, students, and Dewesoft employees: "What are the benefits of cooperation between business and education?"

All agreed that cooperation is an opportunity for mutual understanding between the two spheres - what each needs and what they can offer each other. In the initial steps, both sides can collect the "low-hanging fruits" - things that produce competitive value in a short time.

The engineer Samuele Adrizio from Dewesoft Italia says:

To us, the key is to raise the company's visibility, present our offers to students and universities, and find common solutions. Such camps are an important piece of the mosaic to create good cooperation between universities and companies.

Professor Luigi Bregant concludes: "Looking through the keyhole into the room, unlocking the room door or entering the room - it’s three different ways of perceiving or experiencing. If we have broadened the students' horizons within the world of measurement technology, showed them what exists outside the theoretical framework, and if they might even see themselves in it - find their career path - they will be able to make wiser life decisions."

What’s next

In the future, Dewesoft aims to include other branches in the organization of summer camps and is also planning closer cooperation with Slovenian universities. The education of future generations who will create technological development that benefits humanity is at the heart of Dewesoft's operation and culture.