Earlier this spring, the biggest robotics occasion in Europe – The European Robotics Forum 2023 (ERF23) – was held in Odense, Denmark. As some of the influential gatherings of the robotics group in Europe, the occasion introduced collectively researchers, engineers, managers, entrepreneurs, businesspeople, and public funding officers to discover the most recent traits and themes within the subject of robotics. With greater than 1100 registered individuals and 65 sponsors and exhibitors, this was ‘the largest ERF in recorded history – on all parameters’, say the organizers.
During the four-day discussion board, RI4EU robotics DIHs community, along with agROBOfood and Rima Network, hosted a sales space on the occasion, the place they showcased a spread of robotics initiatives. These additionally included TRINITY Robotics DIHs, agROBOfood, DIH-HERO, and DIH² robotics networks.
One of the highlights of the convention for RI4EU was their workshop – “Supporting SMEs in Bringing Robotics Solutions to Market“. The goal was to have an interactive dialogue on how robotics Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) networks can create a better influence for SMEs and facilitate a broad uptake and integration of robotics applied sciences within the business. The query comes within the context the place a gaggle of 5 EU-funded robotics tasks – robotics DIHs networks (agROBOfood, Rima Network, TRINITY, DIH-HERO, and DIH²) – below the umbrella of RI4EU, have supplied monetary assist of 40M EUR and extra companies to greater than 180 European robotics SMEs, to assist them deliver their options to the market. So now, when these tasks are ending after a interval of 4 years, it is just pure to debate the influence they’ve created, challenges and classes discovered.
The session featured 5 skilled audio system: Minna Lanz, Coordinator of TRINITY Robotics DIHs, Christophe Leroux, Coordinator of Rima Network, Françoise Siepel, Coordinator of DIH-HERO, Ali Muhammad, Coordinator of DIH², and Tsampikos Kounalakis, Robotics Researcher-agROBOfood. Maurits Butter, RI4EU Gateway to EU Robotics Initiatives, was a moderator, guaranteeing a productive and fascinating dialog.
Building trusting relationships is vital
There is huge potential for robotic functions within the business, for instance, to extend productiveness, enhance security, and so on. however the complete market dimension of robotics remains to be negligible in relation to the general market dimension. The suggestions obtained in the course of the workshop indicated that one of many main points robotic SMEs face is the trouble wanted to develop Proof of ideas and run checks. Along the identical line of reasoning, corporations agreed that the 4 most vital companies they want from DIHs are:
- Technological assist, to supply technological infrastructure and experience to develop the innovation.
- Ecosystem companies, aiming on the provision of assist to create a dynamic ecosystem.
- Business assist, to supply extra single buyer assist on growing an innovation-based enterprise
- Skills and academic assist, to reinforce the experience, expertise and human sources with the community companions.
However, there was a standard key component that corporations acknowledged to have nice influence on their exercise: the trusted enterprise connections that had been facilitated by the DIHs. Building a group of interconnected consultants within the many robotics fields requires strategic planning, sources, and willpower. So on this sense, DIHs networks can present alternatives that can not be discovered elsewhere. Moreover, scouting for brand spanking new regional community connections, in search of to attach the worth chain, and so on. could be a daunting and time-consuming process however then the DIHs networks actually deliver added worth by means of their connections with different tasks or professionals inside area of interest markets, which give the robotics ecosystem with a whole listing of contacts to seeks steering from or do enterprise with.
Long-term development
But now, the 5 robotics tasks, agROBOfood, Rima Network, TRINITY, DIH-HERO, and DIH², are coming to an finish, as they’ve obtained funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 up to now. So what would be the future of those DIHs networks? Will they cease their exercise as soon as the EU funding could have ended or will they proceed to supply their companies sooner or later? When requested these questions in the course of the workshop, all networks made it clear that they ‘will continue to live’, as one of many audio system stated. They are well-established networks within the subject of robotics and though their new enterprise fashions will not be officialized but, the DIHs networks are planning to develop sooner or later.
So far, the Rima Network has made its announcement: it’s now reworking into the RIMA Alliance, to maintain offering companies and seize all good practices in simply one-stop-shop, to maintain working in the direction of the uptake of robotics in inspection and upkeep. As for the opposite 4 networks, comply with their pages and RI4EU community to listen to contemporary information and subscribe to the e-newsletter on their web site.
Through participation within the ERF23, the RI4EU workforce was in a position to be taught from consultants within the subject, make new connections, and promote their work to a wider viewers. By partnering with their innovation actions/DIHs networks, they had been in a position to showcase their initiatives and encourage others to hitch them of their mission to speed up innovation in robotics.
RI4EU
goals to speed up innovation in robotics applied sciences in agile manufacturing, infrastructure inspection and upkeep, healthcare, and agri-food.
RI4EU
goals to speed up innovation in robotics applied sciences in agile manufacturing, infrastructure inspection and upkeep, healthcare, and agri-food.