📋 Tender Overview
From March 22 to 25 2023 an open source mechanical engineering workshop for the joint development of open source hardware took place in Tunis. Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research the Tunisian partners led by the Helmut Schmidt University have successfully built open-source machines for local use in the textile industry.The workshop was carried out as part of the German-Tunisian research project Places of Incubovation PISWI which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF. This project aims to fill technological learning production and innovation gaps by implementing OpenLabs to test feasibility and derive policy recommendations for the Tunisian textile sector. From March 22nd to 25th 50 participants built an open source laser cutter an open source CNC milling machine and three open source 3D printers at the National Engineering School of Tunis ENIT - Tunis el Manar.By promoting bottom-up technological and socio-economic development the project combines two key concepts Open Fabrication Laboratories and Open Source Hardware . Thus the concepts of digital production technologies sharing and building knowledge in open source networks can contribute to technological empowerment and socio-economic development. To achieve this the research partners use a participatory research approach that involves users and potential target groups in the development implementation and evaluation phases.The project is carried out and implemented in cooperation with local actors from research and industry in the Tunisian textile sector. The research network is coordinated by the Laboratory Manufacturing Technology New Production Institute of the Helmut Schmidt University while the local project management is carried out by ENIT.
