The 4th Industrial Revolution/Industry 4.0 has enabled reduction of production costs, improved consistency of product quality and enabled mass customisation by merging the physical and digital worlds. The transition is still ongoing - Industry 4.0 is a general-purpose technology, adding value across all industrial sectors. However, the perception of Industry 4.0 at a human level has not all been positive. It has been plagued by fear of job cuts and in some sectors completely replacing the human workforce. Automation projects have often failed due to omitting the critical skilled human elements in business success with unintended consequences including reduced customer satisfaction, poorer product quality and lower process efficiency. Automation alone clearly cannot be a source of sustained competitive advantage. I5.0 will address the balance between humans and technology, focussing on the collaborative relationship between skilled workers and automation. The intent is reinstate skilled craftsmanship at the centre of production processes where people add unique value and competitive advantage, augmented by intelligent, data-driven technology emerging from Industry 4.0. In the Up-Skill project, we will address the implications of Industry 5.0, in particular the relationship between automation, skilled work and organisational systems. Our research will establish how the relationship between automation and human input plays out in a range of industrial settings, creating comparative case studies to capture effective implementation strategies. We will address under-explored strategic spaces in production - where automation adds value to skilled and artisanal work, and where further automation risks undermining product value. This research will identify the shifting organisational characteristics that are needed to ensure technology advancements are implemented within companies while ensuring sustainable, added value for man, machine, and organisation.

The main goal of the LASER4SURF project is to develop a laser based solution for the functionalization of metallic surfaces with textures ~1µm or less on mass production. This solution will be based on surface functionalization with ultrashort pulses via Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS). The LASER4SURF project will develop a Laser Texturing Prototype to overcome the current barriers for the LIPSS technique to reach mass production, achieving a production rate of 0.1 min/cm2: • High process time for large 3D pieces. • Need of inline inspection methods. • Need of modelling tools for parameter selection. The development will be focused on the three main steps of the Laser texturing value chain: • Laser technology/equipment. To generate LIPSS of different pattern sizes with multiple orientations, LASER4SURF will develop an easy to integrate and control, compact and low cost optical module. • In-line inspection tool. A whole optical measurement system based on diffractometry technology will be integrate with the laser equipment including hardware and software in order to be able to monitor all different nano properties from the functionalised surfaces. • Simulation tool that will show automatically the process parameters required to obtain the desired functionality for a specific material. The simulation tool will automatically transfer the optimum laser parameters to the LIPSS equipment in order to configure it for the desired pattern. The project will combine the developments in an all in one solution, that will be validated by three different use case products that represent a broad range of the main industries, metal alloys used and required functionalities. The LASER4SURF project will be developed by a well-balanced consortium that brings together 8 partners: 3 technology developers (CEIT, MULTITELL and VISUM), an integrator of the solutions (LASEA), three industrial partners (FAGOR, RESCOLL and CIC) and a dissemination partner (ESCI)

PRIM-ROCK addresses process efficiency through a multifaceted strategy addressing industrial processes from input to output, supported by an ambitious digital framework and transversal supporting activities. In particular, advanced techniques for the pre-processing of the raw material will be deployed to enhance its efficiency according to the requirements of the process, supplemented by simulations and decision support systems to increase the operational limits of flexibility in the feedstock domain. Additionally, the process intensification component of the project will design, develop, and validate innovative and efficient processes, as well as optimizing the existing ones. The aim is to develop a portfolio of technologies to a higher resource efficiency and lower level of GHG emissions of extractive industries. The project will focus on improving the resource efficiency of the calcination and roasting processes, that are commonly used in the mineral and cement industries. To this end, process simulations in collaboration with AI data-driven models will be utilized and a digital twin for each process will be developed. Finally, waste reduction and re-utilization strategies will be investigated targeting to the real-time processes’ adjustment capabilities to feedstock changes and tighter processing control solutions. All these components will be supplemented by transversal supporting activities, such as technoeconomic assessment, LCA, standardization etc. The PRIM-ROCK solutions will be demonstrated in 3 different ASPIRE sectors, namely Minerals (magnesite, laterite), Cement (limestone) and Non-ferrous metals (sphalerite, chalcopyrite). The consortium is composed of 7 SMEs along with 6 RTDs, 3 universities and 5 large enterprises, working together to achieve over 30% resource efficiency enhancement in each use-case, 770ktCO2 averted, productivity increase in the range 9-16% and more that 1,360 new jobs by 2033.

The general objective of Bio-Uptake project is to ensure a sustainable uptake (increase the use in a 39%) of bioplastic composites through boosting a twin green and digital transformation in the European manufacturing industry. In particular, Bio-Uptake solution will focus scientific and technology efforts on developing flexible manufacturing processes to produce biobased end-products for the construction, medical and packaging sectors based on the combination of intermediate formats made of natural and/or biobased synthetic fibres reinforced with biopolymers, which are easily adaptable to new market demands. The novel approach on which Bio-Uptake project relies is based on modularity or pre-fabrication: a smart combination of intermediate formats (organosheets, tapes and pellets) into a final end-product which allows to overcome the current technical and environmental limitations to meet the demanding requirements of a specific sector/application where a single biobased material doesn?t. Thus, the synergistic potential of composite materials will pave the way for the integration and uptake of bio-based materials in mass customised manufacturing (manufacturing as a service). Three disruptive manufacturing processes (based on conformal technologies) will be developed within Bio-Uptake focused on the plastics manufacturing sector, which is on the centrality of a variety of value chains, and being demonstrated in 3 demo cases (bathroom ceiling cabinet, feet orthosis and garbage container lid). Sustainability criteria will be applied since the design phase to reach circularity by design, obtaining products with more than 75% biobased content and decreasing GHG up to 33%. Bio-Uptake solution does not request large investment in complex equipment too. Bio-Uptake consortium is formed by 13 interdisciplinar and complementary partners (6 industries, 4 RTOs, 1 academia and 2 Other organizations). The overall budget is 5,994,886 Euros.

5G-SOLUTIONS is a 5G-PPP project supporting the EC’s 5G policy by implementing the last phase of the 5G cPPP roadmap. It aims to prove and validate that 5G provides prominent industry verticals with ubiquitous access to a wide range of forward-looking services with orders of magnitude of improvement over 4G, thus bringing the 5G vision closer to realisation. This will be achieved through conducting advanced field-trials of innovative use cases, directly involving end-users across five significant industry vertical domains: Factories of the Future, Smart Energy, Smart Cities, Smart Ports, Media & Entertainment. In particular, 5G-SOLUTIONS will provide: (a) validation of more than 140 KPIs for 20 innovative and heterogeneous use cases that require 5G performance capabilities and that are expected to have a high future commercialisation potential. These use cases will be field trialled separately as well as concurrently with real end-user actors through ICT-17’s 5G-EVE and 5G-VINNI facilities, thus validatin