Periodic Reporting for period 1 - IndTech 2022 (EUROPEAN EVENT ON INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES - INDTECH 2022) Reporting period: 2022-03-01 to 2022-11-30 Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project Industries worldwide are facing the challenges posed by the twin Green and Digital transitions. The research programs of the European Commission and the member states of the European Union target highly innovative research actions that foster transformative results with high social impact. Successful research hinges on cohesive teams with a common vision and a structured framework. Conferences, workshops and brokerage events play a vital role in structuring research teams that will in turn execute successful projects and create strong ecosystems. The overall objective of the project was to execute IndTech 2022 as a high level conference that brings together stakeholders from research, industry, students, policy makers and the general public to present and debate the most pressing issues facing innovators today. The goal was to position IndTech 2022 as one of the most well-known events targeting the European research landscape of industrial innovation. IndTech also sought to provide the most important showcase of technological developments stemming from projects financed by the European Commission’s research framework programs. Helping to ensure that these R&I activities may be translated into sustainable products and services addressing societal challenges was a major priority for the organizers as they should provide a boost to industrial innovation. The conference also targeted younger generations of future innovators by providing a forum to network and build future projects to address upcoming challenges. Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far IndTech 2022 was held on 27-29th June 2022, in Grenoble, France as a conference that is focused on innovation in industrial technologies. The specific theme of the 2022 edition was chosen to be Driving a competitive, sustainable and sovereign industry for the future of Europe. This conference was officially a sponsored event of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The format combined keynote presentations, parallel sessions with round table discussion, a large exhibition area, matchmaking and several industrial site visits. It provided an excellent opportunity for experts from industry, academia and policy to exchange information and to strengthen collaboration. The conference structure was based on a 3-day event, with the first day reserved for side events, workshops, industrial site visits and a welcome reception. The main conference sessions took place on the second and third days, for a total of 3 plenary sessions and 16 parallel sessions. In total, 622 participants from 33 countries visited this conference. The participation to the conference was free of charge.The primary venue was envisioned to be easily accessible from the Grenoble train station and with enough capacity to accept at least 800 people. The venue also needed to be compatible with a hybrid or full digital event, in case the Covid situation required a switch away from a person-to-person event. The selected main conference site was the Maison Minatec in Grenoble. Early in the project, a Steering Committee brought together all of the required skills to respond to the requirements of the project. Continuous interaction with the various stakeholders, including the European Commission and the French ministries, provided the validation loops required for moving forward at each critical step in the process. The nomination of recognized experts to the Advisory Board provided high-level visibility for identifying speakers and putting together attractive sessions. One of the main challenges in the speaker selection process was to respect equality of gender, diversity of nationality and provide a good mix of research, education, policy makers and industry leaders in each session. The iterations of the selection process took significantly more time than originally expected, but the result turned out to be highly rewarding with an excellent and diverse panel. The final selection produced an agenda with 93 speakers and chairs, of which 48% were women, across 3 plenary and 16 parallel sessions. Promotion of the event was critical for achieving a high number of attendees and extensive exhibitors in the networking area. Links with the Commission website and existing industrial associations such as EMIRI, EFFRA, A.SPIRE ECP4, Polymeris and others were instrumental in relaying the announcements and promoting the event. The visibility of the event on the partners’ websites, each having its own followers, was one of the most essential elements of the event marketing and made it possible to draw participants from many countries and affiliations. The contribution of event partners to the social media attention was also important, where exhibitors presented their stands and welcomed their followers to visit them, speakers announced their engagement in the sessions, and participants who simply reported their presence at the event for their network to see. The best measure of a successful event can be derived from the comments of the participants.A calculation of the carbon footprint of the event estimated that the event generated 183 tons of CO2, of which 80% were related to participant transportation to and from the event. 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) Despite the Covid related difficulties of configuring the format before launch, IndTech 2022 provided a renewed opportunity for the industrial research community to finally get together in a face-to-face environment after many months of isolation. One of the most important feedback points elicited by participants was the satisfaction to finally exchange with colleagues and begin to put normal interactive relations back on the right track.The impact of current and future research programs financed by the European Commission were highlighted during the plenary and parallel sessions, and further supported by the presentation of results in the exhibition area, particularly in the villages. The discussion and debate provided keen insight into the challenges faced by industry in navigating the green and digital transitions. Joanna Drake, Deputy Director General for Research and Innovation, opens the event Jurgen Tiedje, Head of Unit RTD.3.E chairing a session Mike Horn, guest speaker Industrial site visit at Soitec The OITB village in the exhibition area Touring the conference and exhibition Eric Piolle, Mayor of Grenoble, in the opening plenary session IndTech 2022 exhibition area Joanna Drake visiting the Research Infrastructures village with Ed Mitchell, ESRF
