A training course was organised from 6 to 10 June 2022 at Vilnius University Kaunas Faculty. The training took place in order to achieve the intended objectives of the project „Transnational cooperation initiative fostering developing forward thinking skills of students, teachers and workforce in sustainability-relevant sectors posed by Business 4.0 trends through innovation in Business & 
Engineering education and training“. The project is coordinated by the Polytechnic University of Bucharest (Romania) and implemented with partners from Italy, Slovenia, Lithuania and Greece.
During the training, the role of marketing technologies in the context of Business 4.0 was discussed (presented by Dr Dovilė Balevičienė, VU KnF), and the answers were sought to today‘s topical questions, e.g. how to navigate the marketing technology landscape, why is it important to talk about the digital transformation of a business, etc. The challenges of sustainable development and the meaning of sustainable development for business were considered (VU KnF Prof. Dr Dalia Štreimikienė), emphasising that the sustainable development goals cover issues of importance to businesses (poverty, health, education, climate change and environmental degradation) and can help link business strategies to global priorities; the innovative FinTech sector and its opportunities were discussed (VU KnF Assoc. Prof. Dr Saulius Masteika). There were also talks (by Prof. Allesio Alonne and Prof. Emma Iturriaga Sauco from Infor Elea (Italy)) on virtual and augmented reality, the role of human resources and their relationship to Industry 4.0.
The participants of the training had the opportunity not only to listen to presentations or participate in inclusive discussions, but also to visit companies „Elinta“ and „Teltonika“. „Elinta“ companies group, located in Lithuania, is a place where electronics and intelligence come together. CEO Vytautas Jokužis gave an interesting overview about the most important achievements of the company and the most significant work done. „Elinta“ implements solutions in which innovation and reliability play an important role, creating unique products, and its areas of activity are very diverse: automation of production and technological processes, 3D vision systems, electric vehicle systems, automation and electronic components, measuring and testing devices, etc. A visit to „Teltonika“ was also memorable. Gytis Naruškevičius, Head of the B2B Academy of „Teltonika Networks“, introduced the company. „Teltonika“ brand companies operating in Lithuania design and manufacture exclusive, secure and reliable IoT products. These were thematic study visits to learn about the implementation of the latest technologies in business and to understand the importance of future thinking skills in the education and training process.
More about project SMART skills 4.0: https://www.smartskills4.com/
Grant Agreement: 2020-1-RO01-KA203-080019
Assoc. Prof. Dr Ilona Kiaušienė and Assoc. Prof. Dr Ingrida Šarkiūnaitė
Institute of Social Sciences and Applied Informatics
A moment of training at Kaunas faculty
A visit to company „Elinta“
Training participants at company „Teltonika“