Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MUSAE (MUSAE: a human-centred factory for a future technological sustainable development driven by arts)
Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-04-30
The Digital Transformation of the European economy is crucial for preserving and boosting international competitive advantages. This calls for companies to integrate digital technologies into their business processes, products, and services to fully benefit from innovation while remaining environmentally sustainable. However, it calls for a synthesis from various disciplines and areas of expertise to bring new forms of collaboration between different actors to: 1) provide knowledge and expertise on emerging technologies and their potentialities; 2) adopt a people-planet-centered approach to meet human and planetary values and needs, to ethically design technological application increasing their acceptance in society; 3) face complexity and uncertainty of the future by transforming the acute world issues into design opportunities, exploring problems and co-creating solutions. Today, linking technology and artistic practice is considered a win-win exchange between European innovation policies and the art world. However, there is still a hurdle to expand the art-tech programs, as usually they are done very ad hoc in a way that is not strategic or vision-led. Thus, there is an acute need for the unifying frameworks and training to convince organizations of the value of art-tech programs, provide them with replicable models for implementation, and properly equip participating individuals for success.
The project aims to set up the MUSAE Factory Model based on the Design Future Art-driven (DFA) method to be included in the (E)DIHs to strategically guide digital technology innovation and address future challenges in the food domain to improve people and planet wellbeing. The DFA will help artists envision future scenarios (5-10 years), critically reflect on them, and collaborate with technology providers to develop new technological solutions that meet the future humanity needs with a human-centred approach, opening up new markets and activities. To validate replicability, the MUSAE project will set up and activate one factory within the DIH partners (MADE and ETF) and create the Factory Model Pack that will allow other DIHs to adopt it. The project focusing on Food as Medicine includes an expert in food and wellbeing themes. The project focuses on the following objectives:
- Set up the MUSAE Factory Model in (E)DIH to foster a structured and continuous collaboration between arts and technology
- Implementing and validating a Design Futures Art-driven method to address future challenges through digital technologies
- Piloting the MUSAE model to explore future challenges of food as medicine and developing innovative solutions of products and services
- Creating links between the MUSAE model and the STARTS ecosystem to reinforce the model exploitation and push its transferability in other (E)DIHs
- Disseminate the MUSAE Factory model and increase technology acceptance and awareness
- Enrich MUSAE Factory Model in (E)DIH to address future challenges with digital technologies and foster a structured and continuous collaboration between arts and technology
- Enhance the exploitation potentials of the MUSAE Factory Model in (E)DIH towards wider and sustainable mobilization of all innovation stakeholders
The project aims to set up the MUSAE Factory Model based on the Design Future Art-driven (DFA) method to be included in the (E)DIHs to strategically guide digital technology innovation and address future challenges in the food domain to improve people and planet wellbeing. The DFA will help artists envision future scenarios (5-10 years), critically reflect on them, and collaborate with technology providers to develop new technological solutions that meet the future humanity needs with a human-centred approach, opening up new markets and activities. To validate replicability, the MUSAE project will set up and activate one factory within the DIH partners (MADE and ETF) and create the Factory Model Pack that will allow other DIHs to adopt it. The project focusing on Food as Medicine includes an expert in food and wellbeing themes. The project focuses on the following objectives:
- Set up the MUSAE Factory Model in (E)DIH to foster a structured and continuous collaboration between arts and technology
- Implementing and validating a Design Futures Art-driven method to address future challenges through digital technologies
- Piloting the MUSAE model to explore future challenges of food as medicine and developing innovative solutions of products and services
- Creating links between the MUSAE model and the STARTS ecosystem to reinforce the model exploitation and push its transferability in other (E)DIHs
- Disseminate the MUSAE Factory model and increase technology acceptance and awareness
- Enrich MUSAE Factory Model in (E)DIH to address future challenges with digital technologies and foster a structured and continuous collaboration between arts and technology
- Enhance the exploitation potentials of the MUSAE Factory Model in (E)DIH towards wider and sustainable mobilization of all innovation stakeholders
MUSAE project has been developing, implementing and testing various parts of the MUSAE Factory Model. In particular, the Design Futures Art-driven method has been developed based on the integration of Design Futures and Art Thinking methods. The DFA method has been implemented during the First Residency and it was refined based on the results and feedback of the First Residency. In addition, Training and Mentoring Formats have been developed, as well as the Integrated Stakeholder Network has been established. The First Open call and Evaluation processes were conducted, as well as First Residency, which involved 12 artists, was completed. The results of the First residency was 12 Future Scenarios in Food as Medicine, as well as 12 Artworks which were exhibited in April 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. The Second Open call was closed in May 2024, which took 12 Future Scenarios as starting points to which applicants (teams of SMEs and artists) responded. The Residency format for the Second Residency has been prepared, where 11 teams will be developing future-driven prototypes of TRL5.
The MUSAE project has three significant ambitions related to
1. Method for Art-driven innovation: MUSAE project develops and tests a new method for innovation - Design Futures Art-driven (DFA) method. DFA method is shaped at the intersection of knowledge of all the consortium partners and participants involved in the MUSAE project. DFA method is based on two components - Design Futures combined with Art Thinking. The method goes beyond the state of the art by providing a structured process, related tools to the artists to explore future scenarios before starting to work with SMEs. Therefore, the starting point in DFA method is the input from the artists to explore the untapped domains for innovation and guide further exploration of technology and creation of new products and services, rather than redefining existing ones.
2. Collaborative model integration in (European) Digital Innovation Hubs: MUSAE project aims to define, test and deliver a Factory Model to be adopted and implemented independently by (E)DIHs that work with the technologies in AI, Robotics and Wearables. By adopting the model, (E)DIHs will receive a devoted label, which will certify them as providers of the DFA method and will open access to the enhanced STARTS stakeholder network, which will give a unique advantage to (E)DIHs for enabling SMEs to bring together their strategic vision for future development of product and service portfolio, state-of-the-art technology solutions and arts perspective on future scenarios. (E)DIH becomes an independent provider of the service to SMEs by exploiting the Factory Model, and STARTS and (E)DIH stakeholder networks. It will ensure sustainability and relevance of (E)DIHs, and accelerate the process of digital transformation of SMEs and ensure their competitive position on the market.
3. Innovation in Food as Medicine domain: MUSAE aims to approach the topic of Food as Medicine based on a solid knowledge on the future trends; and (ii) state-of-the-art technologies - Robotics, AI, Wearables. Food is a holistic domain which requires interventions for innovation from both dimensions: industry/ technological development and awareness of citizens. MUSAE will move beyond the state-of-the-art and contribute to the innovation in industry by developing new solutions for future products through DFA method. Unique consolidation of artistic, technological, and industrial expertise within the Factory model will not only push the creative thinking for production of future products, but will also ensure its real use and industrial prototyping.
1. Method for Art-driven innovation: MUSAE project develops and tests a new method for innovation - Design Futures Art-driven (DFA) method. DFA method is shaped at the intersection of knowledge of all the consortium partners and participants involved in the MUSAE project. DFA method is based on two components - Design Futures combined with Art Thinking. The method goes beyond the state of the art by providing a structured process, related tools to the artists to explore future scenarios before starting to work with SMEs. Therefore, the starting point in DFA method is the input from the artists to explore the untapped domains for innovation and guide further exploration of technology and creation of new products and services, rather than redefining existing ones.
2. Collaborative model integration in (European) Digital Innovation Hubs: MUSAE project aims to define, test and deliver a Factory Model to be adopted and implemented independently by (E)DIHs that work with the technologies in AI, Robotics and Wearables. By adopting the model, (E)DIHs will receive a devoted label, which will certify them as providers of the DFA method and will open access to the enhanced STARTS stakeholder network, which will give a unique advantage to (E)DIHs for enabling SMEs to bring together their strategic vision for future development of product and service portfolio, state-of-the-art technology solutions and arts perspective on future scenarios. (E)DIH becomes an independent provider of the service to SMEs by exploiting the Factory Model, and STARTS and (E)DIH stakeholder networks. It will ensure sustainability and relevance of (E)DIHs, and accelerate the process of digital transformation of SMEs and ensure their competitive position on the market.
3. Innovation in Food as Medicine domain: MUSAE aims to approach the topic of Food as Medicine based on a solid knowledge on the future trends; and (ii) state-of-the-art technologies - Robotics, AI, Wearables. Food is a holistic domain which requires interventions for innovation from both dimensions: industry/ technological development and awareness of citizens. MUSAE will move beyond the state-of-the-art and contribute to the innovation in industry by developing new solutions for future products through DFA method. Unique consolidation of artistic, technological, and industrial expertise within the Factory model will not only push the creative thinking for production of future products, but will also ensure its real use and industrial prototyping.