EIT Manufacturing and EFFRA will sign a Cooperation Agreement on the 27th of October that will enforce the existing collaboration. It will be a joint effort, by sharing resources and knowledge to support the manufacturing industry in Europe.

Bruxelles, 22 September, European manufacturing is going through several changes and challenges. It needs to accelerate innovation and investments in order to drive the transition to a climate-neutral and sustainable circular economy, as well as to follow the path to a more digital future. The European Factories of the Future Research Association (EFFRA) and EIT Manufacturing are working together to make the transition happen. In order to create tangible synergies between Factories of the Future (FoF)/Made in Europe and EIT Manufacturing, are also in the process of launching an Innovation Pilot 2022: an innovation mechanism to multiply the impact and facilitate the alignment of European manufacturing.

EIT Manufacturing will launch an open Call for Proposals for innovation activities aiming to support tested and demonstrated exploitable results coming out from FoF/Made in Europe projects to accelerate their market deployment. The call process starts with a pre-call (extended summaries & eligibility criteria) that will be open from the 27th of September to the 11th of October and the Main Call (submission of full proposals) takes place between 18 Oct and 26 Nov 2021. The Evaluation of proposals will be held by independent experts and the implementation of selected activities starts in the 1st of January 2022 and ends in the 31st of December of the same year. EIT Manufacturing is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.

Joaquim Menezes Chairman of The European Factories of the Future Research Association (EFFRA) says:

„As manufacturing is at the core of the European economy, it will be a key driver of the twin transitions. Joining forces, EFFRA and EITM will pave the way towards a more competitive, sustainable, and digitalised industry. The collaboration between EFFRA and EITM will upscale the research and innovation process, advancing the global leadership of Europe’s manufacturing community “

„Europe has always been the home of industry and a pioneer in industrial innovation - research and innovation are key drivers behind this success, ensuring the global competitiveness, sustainability and growth of European Manufacturing”, says Klaus Beetz, Chief Executive Officer of EIT Manufacturing ASBL. “I am happy that EIT Manufacturing is joining forces with EFFRA. Together we will make innovation happen.”

“This collaboration signals a milestone achievement. Stakeholders from two important Horizon Europe initiatives will work together for amplifying the impact of Research and Innovation activities to the industry and for strengthening European manufacturing in total. Having Europe as the global reference for manufacturing innovation is critical for a strong European industry and ensuring the future prosperity of Europe”, says Konstantinos Georgoulias, Director of Regional Innovation Scheme & EU Affairs of EIT Manufacturing ASBL.\

To mark the start of the on-going cooperation, there will be a signing ceremony on the 27th of October at the BluePoint Building (Bruxelles)

Let’s shape the future of manufacturing together!

Background information

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) strengthens Europe’s ability to innovate by powering solutions to pressing global challenges and by nurturing entrepreneurial talent to create sustainable growth and skilled jobs in Europe. The EIT is an EU body which is an integral part of Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The Institute supports the development of dynamic pan-European partnerships – EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities – among leading companies, research labs and universities. The EIT Community includes eight innovation communities: EIT Climate-KIC, EIT Digital, EIT Food, EIT Health, EIT InnoEnergy, EIT Manufacturing, EIT Raw Materials, and EIT Urban Mobility.

EIT Manufacturing is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. EIT Manufacturing’s main goal is to bring European stakeholders focused on manufacturing together in innovation ecosystems that add unique value to European products, processes and services and inspire the creation of globally competitive and sustainable manufacturing. EIT Manufacturing brings together more than 65 organizations (universities, research institutes and business).

The European Factories of the Future Research Association (EFFRA) is a non-for-profit, industry-driven association promoting the development of new and innovative production technologies. EFFRA was established to shape, promote, and support the implementation of the ‘Factories of the Future’ public- private partnership in H2020, and in the future its continuation, the ‘Made in Europe’ European Partnership. The partnership aims to create an industry-led programme in research and innovation with the aim of launching hundreds of market-oriented cross-border projects throughout the European Union. Such projects will produce demonstrators and models to be applied in a wide range of manufacturing sectors.

Media contact details

Giulia Artibani, Head of Communications, European Factories of the Future Research Association (EFFRA) Email: giulia.artibani@effra.eu

More information at www.eitmanufacturing.eu and at www.effra.eu