I*PROMS Network of Excellence
The Network of Excellence for Innovative Production Machines and Systems (I*PROMS), funded by the EU's FP6 programme and co-ordinated by the Manufacturing Engineering Centre (MEC), Cardiff University, will address the area of production research in an integrated manner in order to reshape the area and overcome its current fragmentation. The Network will integrate the activities of all leading EU research institutions in the field of production research. These institutions possess wide-ranging and complementary human and material resources. This will enable I*PROMS to cover all future research priorities in the field without being prematurely restricted to particular, narrow topics that could lose their significance with time. I*PROMS will develop concepts, tools and techniques enabling the creation and operation of flexible, re-configurable, fault-tolerant and eco- and user-friendly production systems that can react to changing customer needs, environmental requirements, design inputs, and material / process / labour availability to manufacture high quality, cost-effective products. Initially, I*PROMS will address the six Manufacturing Challenges for 2020, namely, Concurrent Manufacturing, Integration of Human and Technical Resources, Conversion of Information to Knowledge, Environmental Compatibility, Reconfigurable Enterprises, and Innovative Manufacturing Processes and Products. Research on those themes will be prosecuted by four interconnected I*PROMS clusters: Advanced Production Machines (APM), Production Automation and Control (PAC), Innovative Design Technology (IDT) and Production Organisation and Management (POM). At present, I*PROMS comprises 30 member institutions representing 14 European countries. They will commit 139 research staff and 70 PhD students to implementing the joint programme of activities developed by the Network. In addition to the core research partners, I*PROMS will also comprise associate partners to assist with the dissemination of results and spreading of excellence to research and user communities beyond the network. For more information please visit http://www.iproms.org