Background
With the aim of coordinating and the evolution of manufacturing toward Industry 5.0, of cloud AI technologies to AI-at-the-Edge, of Horizon2020 to Horizon Europe, AI REDGIO 5.0 maintains the momentum of AI technology adoption in Manufacturing SMEs.
A major contributor to the digital transformation of European Manufacturing SMEs has been and continues to be the H2020 ICT Innovation for Manufacturing SMEs (I4MS) program. Launched in June 2020, Phase IV of the program focused on expanding the transformative impact to businesses, regions, and industries. It aimed to accelerate the adoption of digital technology in processes across Europe.
The Vanguard Initiative (VI) gathers 39 of the most advanced industrial regions in Europe, focused on industrial innovation and European value-chains based on regional smart specialisation strategies. The core activity of VI is the implementation of its Pilots, promoting the collaboration among the participating regions. AI REDGIO 5.0 is a collaborative project between the Efficient and Sustainable Manufacturing (ESM) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Pilots.
In the context of I4MS, the Politecnico di Milano coordinated the AI REGIO Innovation Action project, that built a one-stop-shop platform to enable access to AI-based solutions for efficient and sustainable manufacturing, focused in particular to SMEs. The project also promoted the creation of a DIHsand Didactic Factories network to promote the adoption of AI at policy, technological and business level.
Vision
The pan-European network of Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) promoted by AI REGIO project within Vanguard EU regions will be updated and expanded in AI REDGIO 5.0 project to enable competitive AI-at-the-Edge digital transformation of Industry 5.0 Manufacturing SMEs.
The starting point of AI REDGIO 5.0 is composed by the results of AI REGIO project
-
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 13 Vanguard regions
There are different outcomes expected from AI REDGIO 5.0 project
-
The transition towards Industry 5.0, where manufacturing will be based on active human-robot collaboration;
-
The implementation of new technologies along the edge-to-cloud continuum for digital sovereignty of machines;
-
The support of EU open-source hardware and software reference implementations for trustworthy, preserving EU ethical principles;
-
The interconnection with the EDIH network, AI TEF (Testing and Experimentation Facilities) nodes and the embryonic Data Spaces deployments, favouring collaboration corridors and cross-border SME-to-SME experimentations.
Objectives
The overall objective of AI REDGIO 5.0 project is to enable competitive AI-at-the-Edge digital transformation of Industry 5.0 Manufacturing SMEs.
Conceptual framework and reference architecture for AI-at-the-edge Industry 5.0 applications and experimentations, through the development of methods and tools, maturity assessments, 6ps pathway specification and AI skills
Secure and trustworthy edge-to-cloud continuum data and computational space for highly distributed AI applications
Interoperability by design with the pan-EU AI-on-demand platform and its ecosystem of H2020 and HE innovation actions
Transition from regional DIHs to a network of EDIHs in AI for manufacturing
Test-before-invest experiments in AI Didactic Factories and TEF (Testing and Experimentation Facilities) for SME-driven applications
Support the transition towards sustainability, through the ecosystem development and replication to SMEs
I4MS2
AI REDGIO 5.0 is part of the I4MS2 initiatives, which also include CIRCULOOS, WASABI, and AIRISE.
These innovative projects share a common objective: to revolutionize the European manufacturing sector by enhancing the sustainability, resilience, and competitiveness of SMEs and small mid-caps.
Building on the success of the ICT Innovation for Manufacturing SMEs (I4MS) program, I4MS2 supports manufacturing companies in adopting the latest digital technologies. Given the challenges posed by the pandemic and economic crises, the significance of digitalization in bolstering resilience, agility, and competitiveness is clear. The I4MS2 projects aim to enable cost-efficient production and substantially reduce the environmental impact of the manufacturing sector.
WASABI provides digital assistance solutions that enhance human-AI collaboration in manufacturing. Using Natural Language Processing (NLP), it improves workers' cognitive skills and accelerates knowledge transfer for upskilling and job security. Targeting European SMEs and mid-caps, WASABI helps them manage resources while pursuing sustainability. The project's solutions make digital intelligence and conversational AI accessible and affordable, empowering small companies to adopt innovation and boost market competitiveness.
AIRISE promotes the increased use of Artificial Intelligence in manufacturing. Our primary focus is on empowering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the adoption of AI, by enhancing their skills and capabilities. The AIRISE ecosystem offers a comprehensive range of services, ranging from scientific support, across shop-floor deployment support, to skills and education on the use of AI in manufacturing. The key objective is a reduction of waste and carbon footprint while ensuring a resilient production.
CIRCULOOS helps micro, small and medium-sized production companies redefine their supply chains through Circular Economy. New collaborations among production companies are driven by sustainability and the circularity on their products and processes. CIRCULOOS follows a case-driven framework, where new digital tools and models of circular supply chains are built on existing collaborations of commercial entities through the project’s Pilots and Open Calls.
