The MEDUSA project addresses the urgent need to transform European manufacturing into a more flexible, resilient, and sustainable system. Current manufacturing value chains face significant challenges, such as high entry barriers for SMEs due to capital-intensive equipment, fragmented digitalisation efforts, and limited interoperability between IT platforms and operational processes. These issues hinder cross-industry collaboration, reduce resilience in times of crisis, and slow down the transition towards greener and more circular production models.
To tackle these challenges, MEDUSA develops a Manufacturing-as-a-Service (MaaS) meta-marketplace, integrating multiple existing and new vertical marketplaces into a single framework. This framework combines (i) a secure and IP-preserving data layer, (ii) advanced matchmaking functionalities based on sustainability, cost, time, and quality criteria, (iii) AI- and simulation-based services for design, planning, scheduling, and monitoring, and (iv) a cloud–edge automation infrastructure enabling the realisation of “wall-free factories.” The project sets out to democratize access to advanced manufacturing capabilities, allowing SMEs and start-ups to enter markets more easily, reduce costs and time-to-production, and embrace sustainable and circular business models.
By lowering entry barriers and fostering collaboration across industries, MEDUSA is expected to reshape the European manufacturing landscape into a more inclusive and dynamic ecosystem. The project will empower SMEs and start-ups to innovate without heavy upfront investments, while enabling larger players to benefit from more flexible supply chains and trusted data sharing. In this way, MEDUSA will contribute not only to greater industrial competitiveness and resilience, but also to sustainability and circularity objectives, supporting Europe’s strategic autonomy in critical value chains. Concretely, the framework is expected to reduce by up to 90% the effort needed to identify suitable suppliers and cut by around 30–50% the time required to configure manufacturing assets, while extending the lifetime of components through remanufacturing by as much as 50%. Ultimately, these advances will translate into new business opportunities, more sustainable products and processes, and tangible benefits for European citizens in terms of jobs, affordability, and environmental performance.
