Speeding up industrial exploitation and take up of results of projects
Acting as cluster the involved projects gained visibility among relevant stakeholders. Industrial end-users’ awareness was raised, interest in the solutions and results was stimulated:
- 3x innovation coaching and management for core projects
- 1 major conference (linked to IT2Industry 2016), which pushed visibility
- Online portal linking stakeholders, active LinkedIn group
- SCRU online search tool for exploitable results
Stimulation of networks and alliances for further RTD and industrial innovation
The core cluster projects through the extensive contacts of the consortium, benefitted from a broad network and started new FoF projects collaboration:
- Coordinated activities (workshops, discussions, 2 expert panels, industry event)
- Facilitation of follow-up led to new alliances
- Good example as cluster model
More effective execution of common interest activities
Activities highly stimulated experience & knowledge exchange, supporting a debate on strategies of market acceptance of technology, alignment of project activities, IPR and novel business model deployment:
- Joint use of specific technologies among core projects
- Standardization procedures on program & sector level
- Provision of consultation, IPR material & NDAs
Anticipation of business trends and market prospects
Innovation assessments for technology providers and targeted searches for industrial use-cases and end-users, B2B meetings, marketing efforts, assessing future market opportunities, SCRU search tool, publication of success stories & representation at events
Complement efforts of Manufuture & EFFRA
- A tight collaboration was maintained to exploit synergies on thematic level
- Co-FACTOR delivered insights on smart components by 2 green papers
Employment - skilled employees for manufacturing industry
The science-to-business link remained an important aspect widely discussed.
- Engagement of students through dissemination of smart components contest and chance to get in touch with industrial FoF players
- Expert panel session on socio-economic factors: new skills were highly debated and are reflected in a green paper
Building of “smart component community”
By co-coordinating the individual projects dissemination. This community was stimulated also via the LinkedIn Group “smart components for tomorrow’s industries”
- Dissemination including brand new tools from winner of the students contest
- Support with insight, reviews and best-practices
Competitiveness of manufacturing businesses, esp. SMEs
Co-FACTOR fostered the technological excellence of involved organizations, more sophisticated products were developed within single projects. In particular SMEs benefitted from the cluster activities by the provision of an opportunity to significantly increase their visibility
Gender issues
Co-FACTOR considered young women as one target audience. This led to a positive impact on the equality of genders as nowadays the ICT domain is dominated by male researchers and engineers. Co-FACTOR supported a specific price category in students contest
