News/Events

THE TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM ON FUTURE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES: MANUFUTURE

Mission

To propose a strategy based on research and innovation, capable of speeding up the rate of industrial transformation in Europe, securing high added value employment and winning a major share of world manufacturing output in the future knowledge-driven economy.

Objectives

To develop a "research and innovation" strategy based on a long term vision for a field where there are many technological and economic variables and in consequence to assist the transformation of the European manufacturing industry towards a knowledge-based economy and the achievement of a world leadership in manufacturing.

To identify aspects of technological research and innovation with high potential for breakthroughs that could be only achieved at a European level. To co-ordinate EU and national, regional and local R&D Programmes to reach a critical mass, to avoid overlaps and to develop a long term strategy where RTD activities will be a core element, but also where education and training will be priorities.

Role

to govern research, technological development and innovation (RTDI) efforts aimed at the transformation of the European manufacturing industry at two levels:

A policy level aimed at continuous development of the MANUFUTURE vision and promotion of the Lisbon objectives; and o An operational level employing a technological approach exploiting all possible synergies arising from the converging nature of science and technologies.

The technological approach should begin by addressing common problems or bottlenecks faced by the sectoral platforms.

Structure

The governance of the MANUFUTURE platform is ensured by the following structure:

• High Level Group (HLG) The HLG is the Governing Body of the MANUFUTURE Platform. It should help in setting-up the strategy to maintain European leadership in manufacturing through the development of a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) and in identifying the main barriers and technological needs of the sector.
  
  
• The Support Group (SG) coordinates all the work in the platform and provides the secretarial support. SG is composed by selected members who have internationally recognized knowledge and experience in Manufacturing and are able to commit resources for the definition of the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) and the Implementation Plan (IP).
  
  
• The Industrial Advisory Group (IAG) oversees the strategic part of the SRA and Implementation plan and ensure its dissemination to industrial Stakeholders.
  
  
• The Mirror Group (MG) is composed of at least one representative from each of the 25 member States and each of the Associated States to Research and Development Framework Programmes (i.e. Switzerland, Norway, Israel, etc.). The MG should ensure the harmonisation of Manufacturing Research activities in Member States with those of the MANUFUTURE Platform.
  
  
• Working Groups and HLG groups 5 Working Groups (WGs) and 3 Horizontal Groups (HGs) have been established for the finalisation of the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA). The WGs will tackle technological topics, while the HGs have a horizontal aspect and are more related with the need to give more evidence in the SRA to those non-technological issues. Further information and details on the platform structure are available in the conclusions of the first HLG meeting.

Find out more www.manufuture.org