Strengthening research, technological development and innovation
Promoting innovation capacities for a more competitive area
TechMOlogy aimed to promote new models of business-research cooperation based on principles of public-private co-investment, open innovation and shared economy to strengthen digital skills and the use of enabling technologies in the mobility supply chain.
TechMOlogy supported the transfer of know-how on emerging technologies decisive for automotive and broader mobility to smaller companies, which represent percentages of the supply chain, contributing to the development of new products and services.
TechMOlogy worked on the preconditions for increasing the use of key enabling technologies (KETs) of Industry 4.0 in enterprises, especially small ones, operating in the mobility value chain. New models of research-enterprise collaboration based on the principles of open innovation, public-private co-investment and sharing of research facilities in the program area were developed and tested. The project facilitated the accessibility of KETs and supported SMEs in the development of new products and services based on them, so as to contribute to the transformative process towards Industry 4.0 of those enterprises with the highest quality craftsmanship know-how, which are one of the assets of the cross-border economy. The verticality of the project on mobility industries is due to their strategic weight in terms of the number of employees/enterprises, high value-added niche processing, and available professionalism. Being technology-intensive sectors, a greater ability to align business models with smart manufacturing by including KETs has generated an improvement in the competitive positioning of the entire area, qualifying the digital skills of the workforce and promoting investment in R&I.
TechMOlogy has strengthened cross-border cooperation among key players in the innovation system based on new models and services, jointly developed during the project and primarily adopted by the partners. The new models were aimed at increasing the involvement of enterprises, especially small ones, in the mobility sector, including by strengthening clusters.
The results for direct beneficiaries:
- Establishment of a permanent observatory on emerging and future technologies most relevant to mobility and automotive in particular
- Construction of collaborations and networks of contacts , aimed at optimizing the use of knowledge and instrumentation available in the laboratories and research centers identified in the program area, with reference to the areas of specialization of Industry 4.0 such as robotics, 3d printing, XR, etc.
- Experimentation with new approaches (design thinking, industrial challenges) to support business competitiveness
Results for indirect beneficiaries of the project (impact on the territory):
- Improved I4.0 technology knowledge and skills among small industry players, - New business models for mobility companies based on the inclusion of enabling technologies
- Collaborations between companies, innovative startups and research centers
- New services and products developed as a result of the skills acquired
Added value and sustainability
The added value of cross-border collaboration was provided by the opportunity to share laboratories and research infrastructure already equipped with tools, space and machinery dedicated to strengthening and developing new skills aimed at Industry 4.0 technologies. Companies in the mobility industry were able to more easily access the wealth of knowledge and advanced technologies in the program area and learn about their potential.
The sharing of technology hubs, business models and industry challenges also increased the exchange of knowledge and information, as well as strengthened the partnership's internal expertise and knowledge.
The scenario analysis on mobility technology trends with recommendations from the expert panel provided a number of useful inputs and recommendations for defining policies, strategies and tools to address market challenges in the coming years, the potential target audience of which are both policy makers and companies in the mobility industry.
The established observatory remains active and will be able to provide analysis, reports, forecasts on trends in areas that influence the development of companies in the field of mobility, thus also to the orientation of regional industrial policies.