FUTURE 4.0 Policy Recommendations – Policy learning: Smart Learning in an Industrial Policy Prospective

FUTURE 4.0 is an ADRION – Interreg project which was carried out in five European regions: Apulia and Veneto for Italy, Western Greece for Greece, Primorje – Gorski Kotar County in Croatia and Albania. The project aimed at supporting the spreading of Industry 4.0 techniques and culture in the shipbuilding and maritime sector of partner countries.

According to FUTURE 4.0, the policy recommendations coming from the partnership at the end of the project should be in line with the first pillar of the European Strategy for the Adriatic – Ionian macroregion, which is about the Blue growth. More in detail, as specified by this pillar, the Adriatic and Ionian Region suffers a lack in “business resource efficient culture” and cooperation of business, research and the public sector. Blue Growth industrial sectors are short on clustering and fail to fully exploit the advantages of effective cooperation among research centres, public and private sectors and users. It is essential to transfer R&D results of Key Enabling Technologies (IT, robotics, materials, automation) in new end-users components & applications for the advanced manufacturing industries. EUSAIR Action Plan argues that some key sectors, such as shipbuilding, the boating industry and logistics, risk losing competitive leverage while others, such as marine technologies or blue bio-technologies, have not yet developed their full potential.

To face this challenge, the project worked for three years to drive innovative maritime and marine growth and employment by enhancing innovation and business opportunities in blue economy sectors, with a focus on developing human capital, promoting entrepreneurship, fostering cooperation among research, knowledge providers and industry to develop innovative products and knowledge and technology transfer. In the following document FUTURE 4.0 Policy Recommendations, 18 recommendations are developed and proposed to ease the transfer of project results into industrial policy for the shipyard and maritime sector.

Recommendations can be clustered in three groups:

1. recommendation related to competence development;

2. related to the support to Adriatic Ionian Region companies for understanding digitalisation and Industry 4.0;

3. related to the relations between nautical and shipbuilding companies and their environments. 

Read more here: D.T3.3.1 FUTURE 4.0 Policy Recommendations