BIFOCALPS project

BIFOCAlps project is tackling a common challenge to many Alpine Space (AS) regions: due to globalisation, many enterprises in manufacturing sector are not as competitive as wished in global markets, resulting in increased levels of unemployment, abandoned facilities and remaining plants that need new products and new processes. On the other hand, AS has a strong R&D sector and specialisation on Industry 4.0 and Factory of the Future (FoF) technologies. BIFOCAlps main objective is to boost collaboration and synergies among main actors of the AS innovation system for a sustainable, smart and competitive development of the manufacturing value chain towards the FoF.

The main outputs will be (1) a map of the sector at transnational level, to understand existing and potential good and best practices, technologies and competences along the value chain; (2) a validated methodology for enhancing FoF long-term sustainability through innovation and knowledge transfer among business, academic and policy actors, and (3) guidelines of strategic actions for influencing policy agenda based on an impact indicator system, to monitor and allow evaluation of performance in line with harmonisation of S3.

PPs and target groups are relevant stakeholders in the field of Industry 4.0 and FoF, which are involved in the policy-making, in the FoF research field and directly in manufacturing value chain. They will mostly participate to and benefit from project activities and outputs.  The innovative approach integrates a “bifocal” view (considering both up- and down-stream value chain) and the transversal competences of the business, research and policy actors at transnational level. It will allow to gather best case scenarios of the AS and to integrate and implement them in the validated methodology, which will build on previous results and will be transferable at cross-national and cross-sectoral level aiming to connect value chain and boost competitiveness of the whole AS in the long term.