The I4MS program in H2020 has been and is a great success for the Digital Transformation of European Manufacturing SMEs. Phase IV of the program was focussing on DIHs and on highly innovative technologies like Digital Twins and AI. In particular, the AI REGIO Innovation Action developed a virtuous alliance between Regions, DIHs, AI solution providers and Manufacturing SMEs, which is materialised by a new methodology for DIHs service portfolio and customer journey analysis, an AI4EU -oriented toolkit of Data and AI resources, a network of Didactic Factories and their TEchnology and REgulatory SAndboxes (TERESA) and an ecosystem of SME-driven experiments and their Digital Transformation pathways. It is time now to align such important outcomes to the evolution of Manufacturing towards Industry 5.0, the evolution of cloud AI Technologies to AI-at-the-Edge, the evolution of H2020 to Horizon and Digital Europe programmes e.g. to EDIH, Data Spaces and AI TEFs (Testing and Experimentation Facilities) for Manufacturing. Some of the AI REGIO I4MS Phase IV motivations are now evolved: it is time for AI REDGIO 5.0 for keeping momentum of AI technologies adoption in Manufacturing SMEs. AI REDGIO 5.0 aims at renovating and extending the H2020 I4MS AI REGIO alliance between Vanguard EU regions and DIHs for a competitive AI-at-the-Edge Digital Transformation of Industry 5.0 Manufacturing SMEs. AI REGIO outcomes (methods and tools for DIHs governance and cross-DIH collaboration; Data Space and AI for Manufacturing toolkit; Didactic Factories network and TERESA facilities; SME-driven experimentations in 14 Vanguard regions) will be i) extended to the I5.0 principles; ii) enabled by the newest trusted technologies along the edge-to-cloud continuum; iii) supported by European open source hw/sw reference implementations, preserving EU values and ethical principles; iv) interconnected with the EDIH network in DEP as well as with the AI TEF nodes and the Data Spaces deployment program.

The overall concept of the project consists of supporting innovation in SMEs and fostering the smart reindustrialization of Europe by enabling the emergence of new cross-border and cross-sectoral value chains resulting from the translation of advanced technologies among selected sectors with strong synergies. These new value chains will be created from the interaction of the following sectors: aerospace, agro-food sector, Health & medical devices and ICT. The project will take of 36Months. The development of the new value chains will be facilitated setting up geographical poles of activity in different regions across ES, PT, NL, IL and PL, comprising: Cluster/ SME intermediaries, which help create an appropriate innovation ecosystems; RTD centres. which are able to assess the potential and viability of the proposed new value chains for SMEs innovative services or products. Besides, the third kind of entity, the innovation facilitators will operate at a cross-cluster level, organizing funding rounds to complement with private funds EU public support and establishing networks for collaboration. More than 50 letters of support signed by a different type of stakeholders. ACTTiVAte will undertake 2 kinds of activities to optimize the benefits to SMEs: a)Direct funding of SMEs innovative projects. Competitive calls will be launched in the proposed technology areas. The winning projects (50) will be selected and an overall amount of up to 46.000€/each SME from a total of a 1,5M€ from the project budget. The selection criteria will consider both the technical feasibility and viability and the socioeconomic impact. b)Activities aimed at creating a favourable environment for the innovation in those SMEs participating in projects selected in the call for proposal processes, such as brokerage events, innovation services, open collaboration platforms, investor readiness training or guidance to set up coaching, training, mentoring, peer sharing, internationalization solutions (Mobility and Exchange Program with 10.000€ of additional funding to the top five SMEs), B2B matchmaking. The demonstration of the project at large scale will also be carried out during the project.

The sustainability of the European health care sector is challenged by 6 mega trends and as a consequence, the health care sector has for several years been undergoing major changes becoming increasingly digitalized, streamlined and focused on more staff and patient involvement and patient responsibility, in order to gain maximum quality in care, patient safety, efficiency, and at the same time stay economically sustainable.EUVECA is designed to support the needed innovation and development of the health care sector, by ensuring the provision of future oriented skills within the sector. This will be done through the creation of Regional Vocational Excellence Hubs in 7 European regions, which collaborate within a European Platform for Vocational Excellence in Health Care. The objective is to ensure coordination, adaption, innovation and upward convergence within regional health education eco systems, as well as promoting European (blended) mobility and inter regional learning and collaboration among health care professionals and students from the participating regions. EUVECA will show that by including a strategic and coordinated focus on VET in the work and collaboration within the regional health eco-systems, VET can contribute in a substantial way to move innovation forward within the European health care sector and ensure the sustainability of the sector on both a European and regional level. EUVECA will be implemented by a multi-disciplinary consortium of professionals, academics, local and regional health authorities, regional development agencies and social partners. Within 8 work packages, the partners and their regional stakeholders will co-create a governance model, as well as concrete education and training activities for the 7 regional hubs and the European platform will be developed, tested, fine-tuned and made sustainable for uptake of regional partnerships beyond the partnership.

Europe is facing major economic challenges that require an ambitious economic policy for the 21st century. The EU has set out its vision for Europe's social market economy in the Europe 2020 strategy, which aims at confronting our structural weaknesses through progress in three mutually reinforcing priorities : • smart growth, based on knowledge and innovation, • sustainable growth, promoting a more resource efficient, greener and competitive economy, • inclusive growth, fostering a high employment economy delivering economic, social and territorial cohesion. MANUNET III, as a continuation of MANUNET II, is aligned with the European priorities and pretends to create a smart sustainable growth in the European manufacturing sector by coordinating the research and innovation efforts in the field of advanced manufacturing with a special focus in the key areas of new production processes, adaptive manufacturing systems and technologies for the factory of the future. The project will also reinforce the territorial cohesion through an extended collaboration network. The consortium pretends to respond to the actual economic crisis by promoting the transnational research, innovation and entrepreneurship in the industrial sector, especially in the SMEs, which are the backbone of Europe's economy. Through this strategic and integrated approach to innovation in advanced manufacturing, MANUNET III pretends to maximise European, national and regional research and innovation potential.