Driving Innovation Through EU-Funded projects

Advances in digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) have transformed numerous sectors and industries. The upside is an abundance of benefits such as improved efficiency, speed and safety. The downside is that successful AI-powered workplaces require experience and knowledge of robotic programming. Moreover, there are parts of the production process that require the input of human workers. In this context, the EU-funded AI-PRISM project will develop a human-centred AI-based solutions ecosystem for manufacturing scenarios. This ecosystem will improve human–robot cooperation, efficiency and working conditions. What’s more, it will require much less expertise. Lastly, the project will enhance workplace efficiency through flexible production processes incorporating robotics, AI, and social sciences and humanities.

Futures of Innovation Technologies European Digital Innovation Hub (FIT EDIH) in the Center Region, in Romania (NUTS2-RO12) is a coordinated group of 12 organizations, with complementary expertise, resulting from the merger of two EDIH consortia based in the region, that have successfully passed the national selection stage, namely FIT EDIH (ICE, UMFST, ASIMCOV, AICAR, BMA, CNIPMMR, ALT BV) and Leveraging Administration and Business for a Smart Community - DIH-LAB4COM (ULBS, ROPARDO, AIDA, SFR and NTT (AE)).

FIT EDIH's primary specializations are:

(1) Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big-Data based systems and (2) Key Enabling Technologies (KET), aiming to increase the digital maturity level of 150 SMEs and Public Service Organizations (PSOs) in 3 main application domains, correlated with the Center Region’s 2021-2027 RIS3 Smart Specialization Strategy: (1) Smart City, (2) Manufacturing, (3) eHealth. In order to address the needs of Center Region’s SMEs and Public Service Organizations (PSOs), who currently have a basic level of digitalization at best, while also setting up the premises for advanced digital transformation of their organization, FIT EDIH has created 3 Curriculum Tracks for each of the 3 Application Domains it targets, focusing on promoting both basic and advanced technologies and curating the themes and activities of its 4 core services (WP1 Innovation Ecosystem, WP2 Test Before Invest, WP3 Skills and WP4 Access to Finance, see Section 4). FIT EDIH's flexible yet ambitious approach goes further - to offering SMEs and PSOs 3 different client journeys, FIT EDIH Awareness Level, Basic Level and Advanced Digital Transformation. Through these, FIT EDIH aims to achieve ambitious results, successfully triggering more than 4mil euro in finance, contributing to 20 service exchanged in the EDIH network and thus contributing to raising the digital maturity level of SMEs and PSOs in the Center Region, contributing to the objectives of the EDIH call and the DEP.

In a world faced with increasing urbanisation, the ever-evolving landscape of e-commerce, and the intricate web of transportation stakeholders, the challenges in passenger and freight mobility have reached critical proportions. For years, we have grappled with a fragmented transport system that treats passengers and freight as separate entities, leading to a lack of coordination and efficiency. With this in mind, the EU-funded DELPHI project will apply cutting-edge technologies such as UAS-powered monitoring and AI/ML-powered algorithms to streamline traffic management and enable seamless data sharing across sectors. The project is conducting four pilot programmes, each tailored to specific requirements and ecosystems. DELPHI is poised to reshape the future of transportation, making it smarter, more efficient, and interconnected.

In the dynamic realm of industry, procedural knowledge is the linchpin. It determines the success of tasks from safety protocols to system configurations. However, industry workers grapple with the complexity of accessing and documenting this vital know-how, hindering efficiency. With this in mind, the EU-funded PERKS project employs AI and data technologies to enhance existing methodologies and ensure readiness, flexibility and user acceptance. Tested across diverse industrial scenarios (white goods production, CNC systems, microgrid testbeds), the project prioritises industry workers. Embracing a human-in-the-loop paradigm and Industry 5.0 approaches, PERKS delivers a reference architecture for procedural knowledge management in the form of modular digital tools tailored to industrial needs. The project’s methodologies and best practices promise broader applications.

In an era dominated by rapid technological advancements, the pursuit of innovation often overlooks the human element. Traditional approaches to industrial development prioritise efficiency and automation, side-lining worker well-being and societal values. This results in disempowered workers, eroding job satisfaction and hindering inclusivity. In this context, the EU-funded SEISMEC project will revolutionise industrial practices by placing humans at the forefront of workplace technological developments. Across 17 pilots spanning 14 countries and 14 industrial ecosystems including platform labour, SEISMEC engages end users and workers in a collaborative process. This ensures increasing alignment with European social and ethical values. Co-development and inclusive practices allow SEISMEC to chart a course towards Industry 5.0 prioritising empowerment factors such as creativity, collaboration, autonomy and safety.

DATA4CIRC

The DATA4CIRC project aims to enhance circularity within the manufacturing sector to facilitate decarbonisation whilst improving competitiveness and boosting the adoption of R-strategies. These objectives will be achieved by providing the sector with the proposed DATA4CIRC solution, a human-centred collaborative digital framework that leverages the power of data and cutting-edge digital technologies for assets digitalisation. This framework will comprise (A) Federated Data Spaces, (B) Digital Models of the circular value chains and products; (C) Digital Product Passport (DPP); and (D) an AI-assisted end-to-end LCA tool. The integration of these tools into a single framework will improve data interoperability and accessibility, therefore boosting the collaboration and the establishment of circular value chains. To do so, ontologies and semantic models will be leveraged and proper user-friendly interfaces will be developed. Furthermore, the DATA4CIRC solutions will be based on existing standards and architectures to maximise their adoption and impact. Special focus will be placed on social aspects for the transition to circular business models which prioritise the needs, expectations and experiences of end-users. By embracing the social innovation paradigm, human involvement throughout the project is boosted through co-creation and co-validation activities. Moreover, an upskilling and reskilling training programme will be designed and conducted to facilitate the uptake of digital tools in the manufacturing workforce during the project and beyond its completion. Validation and demonstration of the DATA4CIRC solution will be achieved via three use cases, thereby consolidating successful progress from TRL4 to TRL6. The selected use cases are circular value chains in manufacturing sectors with high impact potential and significant room for improvement regarding the field of circular economy: the electronics, plastics, and automotive sectors.