MUSAE: a human-centred factory for a future technological sustainable development driven by arts

Project Information

MUSAE

Grant agreement ID: 101070421

DOI

10.3030/101070421

Project closed

EC signature date 20 June 2022

Start date 1 September 2022

End date 31 August 2025

Funded under

• Digital, Industry and Space

Total cost

€ 3 088 475,50

EU contribution

€ 3 088 475,50

Coordinated by

POLITECNICO DI MILANO
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MUSAE (MUSAE: a human-centred factory for a future technological sustainable development driven by arts)

Reporting period: 2024-05-01 to 2025-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The digital transformation of the European economy is essential to maintain competitiveness and ensure sustainability. To achieve this, companies must integrate digital technologies into their processes and products while embracing ethical, human, and environmental values. This challenge requires new forms of collaboration between disciplines — linking technological expertise with creative, social, and human perspectives.
Art–technology collaborations are increasingly recognised as a powerful driver of innovation. However, they often remain fragmented and experimental, lacking strategic frameworks and structured support. MUSAE addresses this gap by creating a unifying model and training system that empowers organisations to adopt art–tech collaboration as a replicable, strategic, and future-oriented practice.
MUSAE has developed the MUSAE Factory Model, based on the Design Futures Art-driven (DFA) method, to be implemented within European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs). The Model helps guide digital innovation through a People–Planet–Centred approach, enabling artists, designers, and technology providers to co-create responsible solutions for the future of food and wellbeing — under the theme “Food as Medicine.”

The main objectives are to:

- Establish the MUSAE Factory Model in (E)DIHs to foster long-term collaboration between arts and technology.
- Implement and validate the DFA method to address future challenges through digital technologies.
- Pilot the Model through residencies exploring “Food as Medicine,” developing innovative products and services.
- Connect the MUSAE Model with the STARTS ecosystem to enhance adoption and transferability.
- Disseminate the Model to increase awareness and acceptance of art-driven innovation.

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

MUSAE has developed, implemented, and validated all components of the MUSAE Factory Model, now available as an open-source Factory Model Pack on the STARTS MUSAE website. The Pack includes the DFA method, training materials, mentoring guidelines, open call formats, residency frameworks, and stakeholder engagement tools. A Factory Model Label and application process were also created to support adoption by EDIHs — with 11 hubs already joining the network.
The Model was tested through two large-scale art–tech residencies:

- First Residency (2023–2024): 12 artists developed future scenarios on “Food as Medicine,” presented at the Future Foodscape exhibition in Barcelona (2024).
- Second Residency (2024–2025): 11 artist–SME teams co-created 11 prototypes (TRL5) based on those scenarios, exhibited in Belgrade (2025).

The DFA method, combining Design Futures and Art Thinking, was refined through iterative testing and participant feedback. Its final version is published as an open framework in the MUSAE webpage and STARTS Toolbox. The method gained major recognition, being selected in the ADI Design Index 2025 and qualifying for the Compasso d’Oro 2026. It has also been integrated into university courses and educational materials, showing its value beyond research.
In Serbia (Widening Region), MUSAE successfully established a robotics lab at ETF, trained staff in the DFA method, hosted residencies, and organised events such as the Serbian Chamber of Commerce Workshop (2024) and STARTS Academy (2025). ETF is now positioned as a STARTS Knowledge Hub for the region, supporting further art–tech innovation.

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)

MUSAE’s impact is threefold:

1. A new method for art-driven innovation.
The DFA method provides a structured process that allows artists to explore future scenarios and identify innovation opportunities before engaging with SMEs. This anticipatory approach stimulates the creation of new markets and human-centred technologies instead of improving existing ones.

2. A collaborative model integrated in European Digital Innovation Hubs.
Through the Factory Model, (E)DIHs can independently offer art-driven innovation services in AI, robotics, and wearables. Certified hubs gain access to the extended STARTS network, empowering SMEs to align strategic vision, technological capability, and artistic foresight. This ensures sustainability and strengthens the competitive position of European SMEs in the digital era.

3. Innovation in the “Food as Medicine” domain.
By merging technological expertise with artistic and design foresight, MUSAE introduces new ways to rethink food as a tool for wellbeing. The project has generated innovative product and service concepts, prototypes, and educational materials that bridge industry and citizen awareness, promoting health, ethics, and sustainability in future food systems.

Neuro-cooking prototype during the exhibition in Belgrade

Artwork based on the future scenario "Microbial Reneissance" at the exhibition in Barcelona

Future Scenarios of the FIrst MUSAE STARTS Residency

DFA tools

MUSAE Consortium and artists from the first residency