The initiative for Fostering DIHs for Embedding Interoperability in Cyber-Physical Systems of European SMEs (DIH4CPS) will help European enterprises overcome these innovation hurdles and establish Europe as a world leading innovator of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. DIH4CPS will create an embracing, interdisciplinary network of DIHs and solution providers, focussed on cyber-physical and embedded systems, interweaving knowledge and technologies from different domains, and connecting regional clusters with the pan-European expert pool of DIHs. Backed by the IVLab, an experienced and well-established network organisation focussed on Interoperability, DIH4CPS can innately build on an extensive existing network, add value to its existing knowledge transfer capabilities and guarantee the sustainability of the growing DIH network. DIH4CPS expands the already existing network and aims for creating an integrated platform for DIHs from different, especially digitally underdeveloped sectors and regions. A selection of eleven initially starting application experiments guarantees an outstanding funding for European SMEs and Mid-Caps right from the start and demonstrates the high dedication of the consortium to reduce the digital divide. At least ten additional experiments will take up that torch during the project and allow external companies from sectors in need to further exploit the DIH4CPS network and uplift their portfolio, especially by including (semi)-autonomy into their products and systems. DIH4CPS will not only benefit the application experiments but also the individual DIHs by significantly complementing the regional investments made. Implemented in the IVLab structure, the DIH4CPS Network will leverage and sustain its impact far beyond the project duration, creating a vibrant, overarching and cross sector one-stop-shop for collaboration between SMEs, DIHs and Tech providers.

It becomes apparent particularly in process industries that cognition can improve the behaviour of a complex process system. One of the main expectations of the use of digital twins is to give us the capability to observe and monitor the behaviour of their respective physical twins. In order to make it happen, we need to combine digital twins, which are driven by domain models (i.e. knowledge), with the models derived from data (i.e. experience). In order to realize it, we need a real-time processing layer where observations (i.e. events), knowledge and experience interoperate to understand and control the behaviour of a complex system (i.e. cognition). FACTLOG offers such a layer and aims at deploying and adjusting it to several process industries. By incorporating different pipelines of machine learning and analytical tools at different levels (from machines to process steps and from processes to the whole production plant), FACTLOG enables the realization of the Cognitive Factory as an ensemble of independent but intertwined ECTs, that are (i) able to self-learn, and thus to effectively detect and react to anomalies and disruptions but also to opportunities that may arise, (ii) enjoy a local or global view of operations and (iii) are capable for short-, mid- and long-term reasoning and optimization. FACTLOG is driven by several specific, yet indicative, business cases in the process industry and focuses its innovation regarding analytics, AI and optimization on the deployment and assessment of coherent Enhanced Cognitive Twins for the specific sectors represented in FACTLOG and even for the plants in which it will be pilot tested and evaluated. It will be implemented by a just right consortium of twenty partners, five of which are manufacturers and a further three represent manufacturing clusters. Technology and scientific contributors from leading academic institute and focused ICT vendors (mostly SMEs) bring in all necessary knowledge and innovation.