Can you explain your role at HaDEA, with particular focus on your work with research projects working on transforming industry.
HaDEA was established on 1 April 2021 to manage on behalf of the European Commission the European Framework programmes and initiatives in the industry, digital, health, food safety and space sectors.
My role as project advisor at HaDEA , is to manage R&I projects funded under Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry and Space) of the Horizon Europe framework programme as well as follow-up project implementation of the Horizon 2020 (H2020 legacy) projects. In particular, I am dealing with research projects contributing to the digital transformation of the European manufacturing industry (SPIRE projects).
The SPIRE projects (for example COGNIPLANT, CAPRI, COGNITWIN, INEVITABLE, HYPERCOG, FACTLOG) funded under the topic DT-SPIRE-06-2019 – Digital technologies for improved performance in cognitive production plants aim at improving the European process industry performance and flexibility by exploring opportunities for digitising a large range of enterprises of very different sizes in the process industry and developing new technologies to realise cognitive production plants, with improved efficiency and sustainability.
What are the main aims and objectives of this work and why is this work so important, now in particular?
HaDEA addresses the Commission’s ambition to help rebuild a post-COVID-19 Europe at its heart, and make it greener, digital, more resilient and better fit for the current and forthcoming challenges. Our role is to ensure that the funded projects deliver concrete results that benefit the lives of all EU citizens, based on our vision to boost Europe by building, from earth to space, a healthy society, a digital economy and competitive industries, and provide the European Commission with valuable input for its policies.
Projects funded under Cluster 4 of the Horizon Europe programme focus on breakthrough technologies and innovations in digital and industrial technologies, advanced manufacturing and the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries. These are deemed essential in supporting the twin green and digital transitions of industries and societies, as well as their resilience, together with the key enabling technologies that are strategically important for Europe’s industrial future.
Can you briefly explain some of the key technologies on which the EU and industry need to focus on and the benefits they offer?
The digital transformation of the European manufacturing industry depends on the availability and uptake of high-quality, efficient, affordable and optimised systems, such as those offered by simulation-based twin technologies, data-driven approaches, cloud infrastructures, artificial intelligence and robotics. Areas with a high impact on growth are the industrial Internet of things (IoT) and data sharing, artificial intelligence/machine learning and digital infrastructure.
However, there is a low uptake in Europe for such technologies. With the new Horizon Europe programme, the European Commission wants to support the transition towards industrial digitalisation and increase the speed of innovation. We believe this can be achieved by optimising the use of existing research results and facilitating the uptake of new project results, design digital tools for industry (e.g. cloud systems, simulation-based twin technologies, data driven approaches, AI-based and reinforcement learning solutions) to enhance efficiency and product quality. This in turn is expected to increase the capability for better and faster reaction to market changes.
European industry (and manufacturing enterprises in particular) are facing a number of challenges in a turbulent globalised market. There are unprecedented changes in market demands, an ever-increasing number of product variants and increasing worldwide competition, all of which cause continuous pressure on production costs, product quality and production efficiency. There is now a need to implement inline feedforward control strategies that enhance the efficiency of our industrial systems.
The combination of digital technologies such as high-performance computing, big data management, knowledge engineering based on ontologies and artificial intelligence can revolutionise research and development methodologies, and this will enable digital transformation by merging computational (modelling, simulation) and experimental materials data (high-throughput characterisation).
How is the Commission engaging with industry to ensure effective uptake of this new technology?
The Commission is in contact and regularly engages with the various technology platforms (MANUFUTURE and EURMAT for example) which also have a role to play in the uptake of developed technologies by their members.
Moreover, with the new Horizon Europe programme, the European Commission has allocated more than €53 billion to Pillar II Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness. This pillar will support the creation and better diffusion of high-quality new knowledge, technologies and sustainable solutions, with the aim of reinforcing European industrial competitiveness, strengthening the impact of R&I by developing, supporting and implementing EU policies, and supporting the uptake of innovative solutions in industry, in particular in SMEs and start-ups, and society to address global challenges.
This will contribute to turning the results of our excellent research into innovative solutions that will improve the daily lives of citizens by tackling global challenges. This pillar will be key to the acceleration of the twin green and digital transitions.
Can you identify some notable successes to have emerged from EU-funded research and what has been achieved?
Europe is already developing AI solutions to allow European industry to adapt to these new technologies and opportunities. The European Commission has funded innovative Horizon 2020 projects that are shaping the future with AI technologies designed to support and boost industry and manufacturing across a range of objectives, by offering AI platforms and architectures to address particular tasks. Examples of these include:
- The PENELOPE project is aiming to develop a novel closed-loop digital pipeline, FBD_BModel, creating a digital technology platform for delivering small series innovative functional garment products
- IMAGINE, CoLLaboratE and ResiBots focus on waste recycling, human-robot interaction and resilience respectively
- INNPAPER is aiming to reduce the environmental impact of electronics, designing a new electronic technology based on paper
- PROGRAMS and SERENA explore the potential of using AI-based tools for optimising the production process through predictive maintenance
- EU-JAPAN AI brings together researchers from opposite sides of the world to share AI knowledge.
What impact will these achievements have on industry and wider society (consumers, citizens, environment etc)?
All these successful projects demonstrate how digital tools can enable industry to control manufacturing processes and address issues more efficiently and effectively as they run and update the production plant, while improving key product and production performance indicators such as yield and throughput.
Furthermore, the infusion of AI processes into manufacturing offers many benefits. It will fuel the development of novel industrial processes for both existing and emerging industries, enhance production efficiencies with less downtime, and help to redefine the role of industry workers as they supervise AI-powered machines. Digitally empowered citizens, with adequate skills, can be well placed to create the innovative solutions of the future – new jobs are being created, and new competencies are needed.
The use of AI and augmented reality in factories promises to make human roles less hazardous, less monotonous and less physically exhausting, as well as improve product quality, productivity and reduce costs and environmental impact. Research and innovation in industrial key technologies are essential if we are to create wellbeing, prosperity and jobs across Europe within the means of our planet. That requires new policy action for value creation from research and innovation and the acceleration of the green and digital transformation of industry, strengthening its resilience and its base in Europe.
We want a Europe where digital technologies, innovation, and artificial intelligence can provide Europe’s people with competitive jobs, better health, and better public services.
What more needs to be done to ensure the EU meets all its objectives in this sector?
The green transition and digital transformation are just at their beginning. Major opportunities lie ahead to position Europe as a technology and industrial leader of this transition. The proposed investments in Cluster 4 are aiming at realising the overarching vision of a Europe that shapes competitive and trusted technologies, for European industry to provide global leadership in key sectors, by enabling production and consumption that respects the boundaries of our planet and maximising the benefits for all parts of society.
The challenge is to ensure that all industrial sectors make the best use of new technologies and manage their transition towards higher value, digitised products and processes; to empower any business, wherever it is located in Europe, and especially SMEs, to master its digital transition (digital innovation hubs); to ensure the availability of state-of-the-art open and interoperable platforms that any business can use to make its products, processes or services ready for the digital age (leadership in platforms for digital industry); to promote digital skills at all levels, for re-skilling, and for lifelong learning across Europe (digital skills gap); to ensure that regulation is fit for purpose in the digital world (smart regulation for smart industry).
Are you optimistic for a greener, more sustainable industrial future?
The European Commission has set out a great vision of a green Europe fit for the digital age. The launch of the Green Deal and the Digital Strategy will in turn lead to significant changes due to combination of the rapidly developing digitalisation and the increasing need for sustainable solutions of many aspects in society.
Scientific evidence demonstrates that action on climate change must take an interconnected and systemic approach that involves as many people in a network as possible and integrates components such as technology, society, and institutions. More than 30 per cent of our energy consumption comes from manufacturing industries. On a positive note though, many large enterprises within all kinds of industries, and in particular within the industrial manufacturing sector, are changing the way they operate by creating more sustainable processes e.g. developing and/or investing in more energy-efficient machinery; reducing waste disposal by applying lean manufacturing; focusing on resource efficiency when building new facilities and increasing energy efficiency in already existing facilities.
Most people are aware of the environmental problems that lie ahead of us and see it as an opportunity and a necessary development. For many start-ups, to include sustainability as part of their strategy from the beginning is a given and many large industries have completely changed their strategy in becoming more sustainable. Industry needs to harness the knowledge contained in its data streams to become more energy and resource efficient, improving security and reducing environmental impact. Green manufacturing development should meet the need for different production systems, a regenerative use of resources, supporting carbon neutrality objectives.