With the aim of mutually exchange best practices, approaches and methodologies on the topic of SME support for Advanced Manufacturing Technologies uptake, the project partners organized 2 peer learning workshop with the support of an expert with knowledge on Twinning Advanced Methodology (Twinning+); this methodology has the potential of bringing many benefits to the participants by giving them the opportunity to share problems, exchange knowledge and understand different viewpoints. The peer learning activity has been addressed to drafting of a Design Option Paper, a common document that identifies the knowledge baseline, existing options, guidelines and implementation alternatives that AIM partners have experienced and would recommend to other agencies interested in implementing the proposed best practice. The peer learning activity have been delivered through the organization of tow meetings (in Graz and in Udine) and by a continuos exchange of views and an internal debate of the consortium. In parallel, dissemination activities have been organized with a twofold objective: on the one hand to provide an awareness activity addressing local SMEs that have been introduced to the main issues of latest advanced manufacturing technologies. On the other, PPs had the chance to get in touch with key stakeholders and getting a clear feeling of businesses needs. The dissemination activities have been quite intensive and has been welcomed by the participants: 146 people attended (the majority of them SMEs, 107) the 6 events organized by the partners (3 open days, 3 workshop). The events organized, during which participants had the chance to get technical information about AMTs, as well as discussing of the business potential for their productive systems, showed the high interest of companies toward this topic and the great need of specific, customised support services.
A pilot action has been delivered to support the Design Option Paper drafting. Scope of the pilot action was to verify “on the field” the companies’ point of view for what advanced manufacturing technologies are concerned. The scope is to be in touch with real industries and get from them a clear picture (not theoretical or even top-down) of what really means advanced manufacturing for small and medium enterprises in order to analyze strengths, weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats affecting the companies’ transformation and technology transfer. The pilot action was carried out through company visits and in the form of interviews ad companies have been asked to provide their suggestion on how to improve the range, quality and type of services related to the technology transfer offered by BSOs and RTOs. A total of 16 companies have been involved by the means of bilateral meeting and door-to-door interviews. The companies have been identified by narrowing the choice among them that are showing a specific interest in an advanced manufacturing technology and/o rare currently using it in their productive systems. The focus has been made on Additive manufacturing, Robotics and Automatization, Surface Technologies and Advanced Materials.
Main findings of Pilot Action have been then used for drawing out conclusion of the design option paper. The document is the results of a joint work delivered by all Project consortium partners with the support of the facilitator.
A final event has been organized in Udine in October to set out financing opportunities on advanced manufacturing mainly coming from H2020 work programme.
