Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MIND4MACHINES (MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY’S NOVEL DIGITALISATION VALUE CHAINS FOR CONNECTING MACHINES WITH PEOPLE, PROCESS AND TECHNOLOGY)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-04-14 al 2024-11-13
MIND4MACHINES aims to facilitate cross-border and cross-sectoral collaboration and to provide direct support for entrepreneurship and innovation in “smart ICT technologies for manufacturing industry”, particularly covering the entire digitalisation value chain, from IoT (hardware, software, services and connectivity) to Big Data, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Cybersecurity technologies Thus, the project aims to create accelerate the market up-take of solutions for deep transformation of energy/resource intensive industries into sustainable, climate neutral and intelligent manufacturing, within the context of the European Green Deal.
MIND4MACHINES targets to support SMEs in the digitalisation value chain via:
- Direct financial support through open calls to facilitate that SMEs – or groups SMEs and other stakeholders – develop, test and fine-tune solutions to bring successful innovations to the market, boosting the generation of new industrial value chains. The innovations tested, supported and scaled up within these open calls will be selected according to criteria based on the MIND4MACHINES Joint Strategic Agenda, a co-created guiding document establishing the main challenges and goals in the selected regions towards the transformation of manufacturing industries into digital, sustainable ones. This will ensure that the funded projects jointly contribute to the large-scale demonstrator objective, validating and scaling up new cross-sectoral and cross-regional value chains.
- Accelerator programmes to increase the capacity of SMEs in digitalisation value chain for scale-up and reach new financial resources by means of investment, funding and new clients. This is why project partners will invest their resources into a series of activities (bootcamps, mentorship, e-learning, etc.) to train technology provider SMEs to detect, engage and obtain successfully the financial sources they need, and to exploit the results of the projects to a wider audience, which could benefit from the technology as potential customers or partners. This work line, complementary to direct financial support, will multiply the chances of success of the companies.
Engaging clusters as key actors to foster cross-sectoral and cross-border new value chains. Clusters are regional innovation ecosystems with a great potential for the replication of new digitalisation solutions funded by MIND4MACHINES, reason why the project partners (already clusters and industry associations) will engage and evangelize other regional clusters to maximise the project’s impacts in Europe through dissemination activities.
MIND4MACHINES targets to support SMEs in the digitalisation value chain via:
- Direct financial support through open calls to facilitate that SMEs – or groups SMEs and other stakeholders – develop, test and fine-tune solutions to bring successful innovations to the market, boosting the generation of new industrial value chains. The innovations tested, supported and scaled up within these open calls will be selected according to criteria based on the MIND4MACHINES Joint Strategic Agenda, a co-created guiding document establishing the main challenges and goals in the selected regions towards the transformation of manufacturing industries into digital, sustainable ones. This will ensure that the funded projects jointly contribute to the large-scale demonstrator objective, validating and scaling up new cross-sectoral and cross-regional value chains.
- Accelerator programmes to increase the capacity of SMEs in digitalisation value chain for scale-up and reach new financial resources by means of investment, funding and new clients. This is why project partners will invest their resources into a series of activities (bootcamps, mentorship, e-learning, etc.) to train technology provider SMEs to detect, engage and obtain successfully the financial sources they need, and to exploit the results of the projects to a wider audience, which could benefit from the technology as potential customers or partners. This work line, complementary to direct financial support, will multiply the chances of success of the companies.
Engaging clusters as key actors to foster cross-sectoral and cross-border new value chains. Clusters are regional innovation ecosystems with a great potential for the replication of new digitalisation solutions funded by MIND4MACHINES, reason why the project partners (already clusters and industry associations) will engage and evangelize other regional clusters to maximise the project’s impacts in Europe through dissemination activities.
During the period from M22 to M41 reported, , all subprojects awarded under Open Call 1 and Open Call 2 were successfully implemented and finalized, with all payments completed. Two rounds of the Accelerator Programme were conducted, with the second round shaped by lessons learned from the first. The second Accelerator Programme commenced with a boot camp on 13 September 2023 and included live “Ask-Me-Anything” (AMA) sessions and recorded webinars comprising round-one live webinar recordings and additional content provided by partners.
The programme targeted Open Call 2 winners and other interested SMEs, offering 1:1 coaching sessions exclusively for Open Call-winning SMEs. Participation in the Accelerator Programme required completing the Investment Readiness Level (IRL) self-assessment tool, developed under WP2.
Under WP2, the MIND4MACHINES Open Innovation Space and Ideas Nurturing Platform, led by F6S, remained active, with the IRL self-assessment tool available to interested startups.
Activities under WP5 were conducted continuously in line with the Dissemination and Communication Strategy, led by AECIM.
Project management was carried out under WP6, with regular online Consortium and Executive Board meetings, as well as dedicated work package meetings. During this period, the Consortium partners held three face-to-face meetings:
• Dresden (19-22 June 2023), hosted by partner Silicon Saxony.
• Barcelona (27-28 February 2024), hosted by partner AECIM.
• Istanbul (11-13 September 2024), hosted by ICI.
Additionally, the coordinator, ICI, maintained regular correspondence with the Project Advisor and EISMEA to ensure smooth project execution.
The programme targeted Open Call 2 winners and other interested SMEs, offering 1:1 coaching sessions exclusively for Open Call-winning SMEs. Participation in the Accelerator Programme required completing the Investment Readiness Level (IRL) self-assessment tool, developed under WP2.
Under WP2, the MIND4MACHINES Open Innovation Space and Ideas Nurturing Platform, led by F6S, remained active, with the IRL self-assessment tool available to interested startups.
Activities under WP5 were conducted continuously in line with the Dissemination and Communication Strategy, led by AECIM.
Project management was carried out under WP6, with regular online Consortium and Executive Board meetings, as well as dedicated work package meetings. During this period, the Consortium partners held three face-to-face meetings:
• Dresden (19-22 June 2023), hosted by partner Silicon Saxony.
• Barcelona (27-28 February 2024), hosted by partner AECIM.
• Istanbul (11-13 September 2024), hosted by ICI.
Additionally, the coordinator, ICI, maintained regular correspondence with the Project Advisor and EISMEA to ensure smooth project execution.