Bridging Risks to an Inclusive Digital and Green future by Enhancing workforce Skills for industry 5.0

Project Information

BRIDGES 5.0

Grant agreement ID: 101069651

DOI

10.3030/101069651

EC signature date 8 December 2022

Start date 1 January 2023

End date 31 December 2026

Funded under

• Digital, Industry and Space

Total cost

€ 4 604 616,25

EU contribution

€ 4 604 616,25

Coordinated by

NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK TNO
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BRIDGES 5.0 (Bridging Risks to an Inclusive Digital and Green future by Enhancing workforce Skills for industry 5.0)

Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

R1- The European Commission has introduced Industry 5.0 a policy aimed at steering European industries towards sustainability, human-centricity, and resilience. Industry 5.0 focuses on transforming company practices to prioritise green production processes and circular economy principles, emphasising the reuse of materials to mitigate reliance on scarce resources. Central to this initiative is the recognition of the human worker as a vital resource, advocating for leveraging human intellect alongside advanced technologies to drive societal change over mere profit maximisation.
In support of Industry 5.0 the BRIDGES 5.0 project has been developed to bridge risks towards an inclusive digital and green future by enhancing workforce skills. It outlines four main objectives: first, to quantitatively and qualitatively analyse the transformation of jobs and the emergence of new roles within the green and digital sectors; second, to map out necessary skills and identify skill gaps across the EU, using skills taxonomies and standards for ongoing monitoring; third, to establish learning trajectories and training pathways that incorporate new teaching concepts, targeting managers, employees, job seekers, and students; and fourth, to engage stakeholders across various levels to co-produce the Industry 5.0 Platform—a web platform that facilitates social innovation in learning and provides tools for new training systems.
This platform integrates technical disciplines like robotics and AI with social sciences to address the needs of industry and academia, fostering a consortium collaboration among researchers, industrial companies, Industry 4.0 ecosystems, and EU social partners. This collaborative approach ensures diverse stakeholder engagement and alignment of interests, which is crucial for the success of Industry 5.0. The outcomes of these initiatives are expected to equip companies with the skilled workforce necessary to maximise benefits from digital technologies and manage the green transition effectively, thereby promoting a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future for Europe. An accompanying business plan aims to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Industry 5.0 Platform, leveraging research produced in seven strategic steps.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

As of March 2023, the project's Work Packages (WPs) 1, 2, 8, and 9 were initiated, with some even hosting kickoff meetings prior to their official start. WP1 coordinated internal workshops to align the project team's ideas and prepared to release a report by April's end, managing discussions via the Fresh Thinking Labs website. WP2 began by evaluating datasets to ensure they meet project needs and planning a workshop in April for final discussions. WP8 organised various boards including the Company Board (CB), Stakeholder Board (SB), and the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), with the latter meeting preliminarily in March 2023 and scheduling a full meeting for June. WP9 focused on dissemination activities, establishing logos and core documents due by March-end, alongside organising an Ethics Board.
By December 2023, all WPs had progressed as planned except WP4, which was foreseen to start in 2024. Reports and deliverables were submitted on time, apart from the ethics report which remained under discussion. WP1 elaborated the project's general idea in report D1.1 which was discussed extensively and resulted in a (to be submitted) scientific journal article and a policy brief by year-end. WP2 completed a technical report on data analysis. WP3, after challenges with accessing CEDEFOP OVATE data, turned to analysing its own scraped or purchased data sets, successfully conducting a proof-of-concept of reducing vacancy text into codes. WP5 and WP6 initiated discussions and assessments with companies and stakeholders, producing draft reports. WP7 published a policy brief, and WP8 submitted an initial report on the potential Industry 5.0 platform.

By June 2024, except for WP4, all WPs continued to meet their timelines, with some deliverables like D10.1 and D1.3 requesting a two-month extension. The ethics discussion concluded with the Ethical Advisory Board, now including two more external specialists. WP1's results underwent two scientific journal revisions. WP3 continued its successful data scraping projects, although it faced recurring access issues with CEDEFOP OVATE data. WP5 and WP6 progressed into second assessments and reports. WP7 prepared for an August workshop. WP8 further developed the Industry 5.0 platform, and WP9 efficiently managed the entire process without major risks or issues.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

R1 - March 2023
This action will be completed at a later date.

December 2023
We have reported our impact in the D9.1 and D9.2 reports. We have reached 1000+ persons in different events, thousands of persons through our social media. We already have published three peer-reviewed articles, with three in review. We have written a report on standardisation of I5.0: this still needs more discussion.

June 2024
See our Communication report in this portal for the impact we have. We can however indicate that D3.1 contains our first information on a proof-of-concept for the analysis of the vacancies, starting with the company information. We can deduct company values from vacancy information and classify different types of companies.