The manufacturing industry is currently witnessing the fourth industrial revolution as it increasingly moves towards Digital Manufacturing – often known as Industry 4.0, Smart Manufacturing and Factory of the Future – where the ‘real’ and the ‘virtual’ world are seamlessly connected in cyber-physical production systems, exploiting digital manufacturing tools, Internet of Things and cloud computing technologies along the entire production process. Industry 4.0 offers opportunities for companies to develop new products and ways of working while reducing costs.In recent years, some large companies have integrated digital tools such as cloud computing, rapid manufacturing, data analytics and virtualisation in several stages of the product lifecycle, driven by the need for reduced time to market (short product development time), improved productivity (in terms of quality and reduced waste) and management of cost. However, large manufacturers can be burdened with outdated production facilities and a big inertia towards a radical transformation.On the other side, SMEs could more easily fulfil customised product requirements with computer-based systems that comprise simulation, 3D visualisation and analytics, but often do not have enough knowledge about the benefits and requirements of the digitalisation and find it difficult to access clear and useful information about Digital Manufacturing due to their limited size, time and financial capacity.The aim of the Digital Manufacturing Training System for SMEs (Digit-T) project was to address this. It has created a free online training programme to help users understand what Digital Manufacturing is, the associated terminology, the expected benefits, and how an organisation can start adopting it. The key outputs of the project are the training materials developed which are available in English, Spanish and Italian and split into 2 parts:•A free online training course•Open access ebook The materials in both the training course and ebook are divided into 3 topics:•Management in Industry 4.0•Advanced Manufacturing Systems•Intelligent RoboticsEach topic in the online training course is divided into 3-4 training modules, each consisting of 3-5 sessions. Ten case studies are also linked to the training platform, with additional case studies and examples included, where appropriate, in individual sessions. Each session is designed to take the learner approx. 30 minutes to complete (excluding quizzes, case studies and additional materials). Additional reading materials are identified at the end of each session and, where appropriate, case studies relevant to that session are also linked. Materials can be accessed in any order. In the ebook each topic is divided into 3 standalone chapters.The online training course and ebook are complimentary but can be used independently of the other. All materials can be accessed via the project website at https://digit-t.eu.To ensure the content of the training platform, and subsequent book, were relevant and of interest to SMEs, the topics and modules included in the training platform, together with the arrangement of modules and sessions, style of sessions and session length, were informed by a user needs survey conducted with SMEs at the start of the project.Other books, courses and websites associated with Industry 4.0 do exist, including a number of initiatives within the VET framework. However, Digit-T is currently the only training framework on Digital Manufacturing Technologies available providing:•A comprehensive overview on the digitalisation in industry including technical and business considerations•Simple language, accessible to a broad target audience, e.g. manager, engineer, researcher, student•Accessibility via an online course and ebook which are complimentary to each other•Examples and applications that give an idea of the potential of Industry 4.0•Multi-language support•Open accessWhile the materials have been developed for SMEs, the training material is also suitable for larger companies dealing with the challenges of digitalisation, students, and any type of organization interested in the topic of I4.0 and digitalization. Therefore our engagement activities have focussed on SMEs as the prime users of Digit-T but throughout the project we have also engaged with a broader audience including large organisations and students.

<< Background >>DigiFoF consortium is made of: 5 HEIs, 3 training institutions, 3 large enterprises, 4 multiplier organizations & 2 associated partners. The focus was placed on selecting professionals with excellent academic research skills that have extensive experience both on national & international level.Based on OMiLAB4FoF we set an innovation laboratory for digital services in each HEI. The innovation within OMiLABs refers to engineering of new domain-specific modelling methods for Factory of the Future<< Objectives >>This DigiFoF project objective was to create an organizational platform where HEIs, enterprises, and training institutions come together to develop skill profiles, trainings and teaching concepts as well as materials for different FoF-design aspects. The platform is completed by laboratories equipped with a variety of open source tools, which provide educational and experimental environments, where aspects of the FoF can be taught practically and experimented by the employees of the companies.<< Implementation >>Create & use a digital library with different learning materials: case studies, lectures, tutorials, tools & webinarsEnsuring exchanges between academia&industry by lecturing, tutorials & experiments for students in order to apply the scientific results on real-world problems4 HEI set up physical modelling laboratories and 1 HEI a virtual one targeting FoF aspectsDevelop a new modelling method&software tool that integrates FoF characteristicsCreate 30 teaching materials&teacher’s netwowork<< Results >>Implementation of 4 physical & one virtual OMiLAB laboratories in Romania, Italy, France, Poland&Finland equipped with FoF tools&functionalities for ICT-based learningAll results obtained within the DigiFoF projecta are available on the project`s website, at the follwing link: https://www.digifof.eu/results and on Erasmus Plus Results Platform at the following link: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/projects/eplus-project-details/#project/601089-EPP-1-2018-1-RO-EPPKA2-KA

The fifth industrial revolution is built upon the technologies of the fourth, with an increased emphasis on a human-centric, sustainable and resilient industrial base, emphasising the digital and green transitions. A key pillar of this economic transformation is the role played by Advanced Manufacturing systems such as Robotics, 3D & 4D printing, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. I5.0, requires VET to develop 'learning centric approaches' that focus on the holistic competences of humans that plan, manage, oversee or operate technologies. LCAMP will tackle this by incorporating a permanent European Platform of Vocational Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing, seeded from a consortium of 20 partners and over 50 associate organisations including leading VET/HVET centres, companies, regional government, R&D centres, associations of companies and clusters. By collaborating across borders, LCAMP’s goal is to support and empower regional AM CoVEs to become more resilient, innovative, and better equipped to train, upskill, and reskill young and adult students to successfully face the digital and green transitions. We will help regions grow and be more competitive through their VET systems. The Alliance is service-oriented, planning to establish permanent structures for: Teaching & Learning: establishing AM skills frameworks and curricula; launching or revising AM programmes (including micro-credentials); creating or capacity building learning factories (special AM labs, jointly run by VET and industry) Cooperation and Partnerships: launching a skills & jobs observatory for advanced manufacturing; accelerating industry/VET/region cooperation ideas via an open innovation community, and providing consultancy to SMEs on integrating SME/VET connections. Governance & Funding: creating a one-stop-shop portal for all our services; ensuring a business case for continuing services to stakeholders in the long-term, while enhancing participation

Recent events have demonstrated the need for readiness for medical supply and equipment rapid manufacturing repurposing. Eur3ka will deliver a trusted and unique capability to plug and collectively respond to a sudden demand increased in a coordinated and effective manner at unprecedented scale. Eur3ka mission is to bring together most recent R&I results in (1) Industry 4.0 standards, open automation modular manufacturing production line enablers; (2) industrial international common data space enablers and digital infrastructures; (3) global on-demand and manufacturing as a service platforms; (4) connected and smarter supply networks, and global medical supplies and equipment repositories; (5) the vibrant European and Global network of manufacturing DIH network innovation services and open experimental facilities. The main ambition of Eur3ka is to enable and facilitate global and fair access to (1) a Plug & Respond (P&R) repurposing resource coordination framework for pandemic crisis response, (2) a common open standardized modular manufacturing reference architecture and solutions, and (3) top digitally sovereign cross-sectorial manufacturing networks and capacities that should allow to connect global manufacturing and supply chain capabilities and medical knowledge on-demand and as-a-Service across the globe in an IP-responsive manner to ensure rapid manufacturing repurposing for an increased and sudden demand of medical supplies and equipment. Eur3ka builds and extends the existing Global Network of Advanced Manufacturing Hubs (AMHUBs) to leverage a comprehensive COVID response based on solid socio-tecno-economic pillars that bring together advanced manufacturing and digital enablers that will raise robustness, redundancy, resourcefulness, response, and recovery against current and future pandemics. Eur3ka vision builds on and accelerate current digital transformation industry 4.0 efforts, as well as flexible regulations and tailored workforce re-/up- skilling

BEinCPPS Innovation Action aims to integrate and experiment a CPS-oriented Future Internet-based machine-factory-cloud service platform firstly intensively in five selected Smart Specialization Strategy Vanguard regions (Lombardia in Italy, Euskadi in Spain, Baden Wuertemberg in Germany, Norte in Portugal, Rhone Alpes in France), afterwards extensively in all European regions, by involving local competence centers and manufacturing SMEs. The final aim of this Innovation Action is to dramatically improve the adoption of CPPSs all over Europe by means of the creation, nurturing and flourishing of CPS-driven regional innovation ecosystems, made of competence centers, manufacturing enterprises and IT SMEs. The BE in CPPS project stems upon three distinct pillars: • A FI-based three-layered (machine-factory-cloud) open source platforms federation, integrated from state-of-the-art R&I advances in the fields of Internet of Things, Future Internet and CPS / Smart Systems and able to bi-directionally interoperate data pertaining to the machine, the factory and the cloud levels. • A pan-European SME-oriented experimentation ecosystem. In a first phase of the project, the five Champions will provide requirements to the platforms integrators. In a second phase, an Open Call for IT SMEs developers (applications experiments) will award 10 third parties. In a final third phase, the extended platform will be instantiated and deployed in additional 10 third parties equipment experiment SMEs. • A well-founded method and toolbox for Innovation management, where an existing TRL-based methodology for KETs technology transfer will be enriched by a CPPS certification, education and training programme for young talents and experienced blue collar workers and by a well-founded three-fold (objectives-variables-indicators) method for results assessment and evaluation.