By bringing together people in the manufacturing sector, the BIFOCAlps project has helped the Alpine Space region re-emerge as a competitive manufacturing hub ready to take on the challenges of Industry 4.0.
- 10 April 2019
Looking at the regional innovation European scoreboard, we appreciate that the Alpine Space Region is a leading hub. Nevertheless, with the BIFOCAlps project, we really boosted and diffused best practices with the innovative contribution of excellent R&D bodies and fertile and open-minded SMEs. The 4th industrial revolution is reshaping the region’s industry, and the project’s partners have been a gearbox to diffuse advanced technologies and political recommendations. We still have a lot of energy to continue our successful mission.
Due to increasing globalisation, many Alpine Space communities once known as manufacturing powerhouses have lost their competitive edge. This has led to increased unemployment and a growing number of abandoned and out-of-date facilities. In recent years, technology companies have started to make use of the region’s historic manufacturing expertise to create new R&D-focused enterprises specialising in Industry 4.0 and factory of the future technologies.
Industry 4.0 refers to the trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. The European Commission defines factories of the future public-private partnerships as an initiative to help EU manufacturing enterprises, in particular SMEs, adapt to global competitive pressures by developing the necessary technologies.
The EU-funded BIFOCAlps project brought innovative actors together to develop a smart, sustainable and globally competitive Industry 4.0 manufacturing value chain for the Alpine Space Region. The goal was to create knowledge of best practices in innovation and to make the region a global leader in factory of the future technologies.
Mapping the manufacturing sector
To accomplish this, the project started by creating a picture of the region’s manufacturing sector. From this study, project researchers developed policy recommendations to support the innovative companies and research institutions operating in the region and to attract new players capable of filling gaps in the manufacturing value chain.
This work was enhanced by a communication campaign that highlighted the important role innovation plays in the economy and made the case for transforming the Alpine Space region into an factories of the future hub. This message was disseminated via workshops, conferences, social media, publications, scientific papers, a website, and newsletters.
By bringing together various players from across the region, the BIFOCAlps project enhanced the long-term sustainability of enterprises. As a result, the region is re-emerging as a competitive manufacturing hub – one geared to meet the technological demands of Industry 4.0.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “BIFOCAlps – Boosting Innovation in Factory Of the future value Chain in the Alps” is EUR 1 619 240, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 1 376 354 through the “Alpine Space” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Energy union and climate”.