Description
Description (EN): Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is taking off across Europe. Regions are keen to ensure that their strategies are coherent with this new line of integrated, digital development. They must also ensure that SMEs, the heart and soul of regional economies, are involved and that they benefit from it. This is not only technological R&D. It is about cultural mind-set, preparation and qualifications.
40Ready promotes cooperation at interregional level to reach anoverall aim: to prepare SMEs for the I4.0 revolution. With SMEs, we refer to entrepreneurs, owners, managers and staff at all levels, who need to become ready to take on the new challenges of I4.0.
European social funding (ESF) can support vocational and professional capacity building. European regional development funding (ERDF) can support technological, organisational and skill development. Improvements to these policies could go far to ensuring that SMEs, and people working for them, are able to embrace and benefit from industrial digitalisation and automation.
40Ready partners and stakeholders cooperate to understand SMEs’ skill and digital maturity needs and what policy makers can do with policy instruments to address these needs. They develop an Action Plan, with proposals on how ESF/ERDF policies can better support SMEs in preparing for I4.0. Partners and selected stakeholders implement and monitor the Action Plan, starting in project Phase 1, leading into Phase 2.
Policy improvements range from funding projects on I4.0 skills and digital maturity, to management approaches that create synergy between policy instruments, to strategies that integrate both I4.0 and the SME skill focus. Partners are Managing Authorities or Implementing Bodies of selected policies: they have the power to make real change.
40Ready regions will become better placed for a successful, durable and profitable application of I4.0. They will support their SMEs to become more competitive, while maintaining and creating more and better jobs.
Read more Expected Results (EN): 40Ready has the overall objective to prepare SMEs, the backbone of our economy, for the industry 4.0 (I4.0) revolution. With “SMEs”, we refer to people: entrepreneurs, owners, managers and staff at all levels, who need to become ready to take on the new challenges of I4.0. In order to see real regional growth thanks to I4.0, SMEs need policy instruments that support them in this technological, cultural and organisational transformation.
At regional level, two funding streams have the greatest potential to support them: European Social Funding (ESF) can support vocational and professional capacity building and European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) can support technological and organisational development. Improvements to these individual instruments and to synergies between them could go a long way to ensuring that our SMEs, and all the people working for them, are able to embrace, strengthen and benefit from the digitalisation and automation of industry. Such improvements could turn potential risks of a digital economy into an opportunity for all.
In this context and in order to achieve the overall project goal, 40Ready partners cooperate at interregional level to reach the following sub-objectives:
1) to understand the needs of SMEs, and the various people working within them, in terms of adaptation to I4.0;
2) to understand what has been done at regional level to address these needs. This concerns an analysis and evaluation of the success and impact of policy measures undertaken to support regional transformation towards I4.0 (identifying weaknesses to be addressed and good practices to share);
3) to develop (Phase 1) a comprehensive Action Plan, in various stages and based on interregional and regional exchange, which defines a proposal for policies (ESF and/or ERDF) that can support SMEs in their preparation for I4.0 and implement it with regional resources (in Phase 1 where possible to ensure an influence on 2014-20 policy instruments and in Phase 2).
Read more Expected Outputs (EN): To achieve the overall objective of preparing SMEs to engage in I4.0, 40Ready works towards outputs in each step of project activity. The first is the Methodological Document for interregional policy learning, followed by outputs for each step:
• Step 1: 7 overviews of skill and digital maturity needs for I4.0, gathering input from beneficiaries in each region and undergoing interregional comparison;
• Step 2: 7 Policy Needs and Policy Success analyses, gathering results of a consultative evaluation of policy initiatives and projects from each region. This also leads to Good Practice (GP) identification (expected at least 14 GPs);
• Step 3: 7 regional Action Plans for improved policy to support SME capacity to adapt to I4.0, designed and approved in Phase 1, implemented (with regional funding) and monitored in Phase 2 (and already in Phase 1, where possible).
These outputs are made possible thanks to:
• 7 physical interregional learning events (6 in Phase 1, 1 in Phase 2) and 6 virtual events;
• Creation of 1 stakeholder group per policy instrument (total 7), each meeting for a workshop at least once per semester in Phase 1 (total 35 workshops);
• 1 physical GP exchange session, supported by virtual sessions and document exchange.
They are flanked by communication and management related outputs:
• 1 project Communication Plan and 7 regional level plans, which will be implemented throughout the project based on various communication measures, including media appearances (total 70 at project level);
• 1 set of project level Communication Tools, including webpage, social media, poster, collaboration network;
• 1 High-Level political dissemination event (Phase 2);
• 1 project Subsidy Contract and 1 Partnership Agreement (with relative annexes);
• 7 Steering Group meetings (6 in Phase 1, 1 in Phase 2), including participative evaluation sessions;
• 6 progress reports (5 in Phase 1, 1 in Phase 2).
Thanks to these outputs, 40Ready aspires to the following short -term results (in addition to indicators in section C.6.2):
• Greater awareness among regional stakeholders and wider public on the concept, benefits and practical implications of I4.0 in SMEs;
• 7 policy instruments improved thanks to insertion of measures to support the capacity of SMEs staff, managers and owners to adapt to and embrace the I4.0 revolution;
• Better-targeted public funding, thanks to better and more synergic use of ESF/ERDF ROP funding (see C.6.2 for estimated amount) through measures based on an analysis of real SME skill needs and an assessment of concrete policy improvements needs.
Mid to long-term results fit into the overall objective: 40Ready regions should become better placed for a successful, durable and profitable application of I4.0 in their economic structure. Regions that improve policy instruments thanks to 40Ready will support their SMEs to become more competitive in their processes and products, while maintaining and creating more and better jobs.
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Themes
Specific Objective:
Improve the implementation of regional development policies and programmes, in particular programmes for Investment for Growth and Jobs and, where relevant, ETC programmes, supporting SMEs in all stages of their life cycle to develop and achieve growth and engage in innovation
Thematic Objective:
(03) enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs by:
Investment Priority:
(03d) supporting the capacity of SMEs to grow in regional, national and international markets, and to engage in innovation processes
Partners
Lead Partner:
Agenzia per lo Sviluppo Empolese Valdelsa SpA
Department:
Research, Innovation and Territorial Cooperation Project Unit / Professional Training Unit
Address:
Via delle Fiascaie 12, 50053 Empoli, Italy
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.asev.it
Total budget:
EUR 393 190.00
ERDF budget:
EUR 334 211.50
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Service Public de Wallonie
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Name:
Service Public de Wallonie
Department:
DGO6 - Department of Employment and vocational training
Address:
Place de la Wallonie, 1, 5100 Namur, Belgium
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://emploi.wallonie.be/home.html
Total budget:
EUR 191 615.00
ERDF budget:
EUR 162 872.75
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Urząd Marszałkowski Województwa Śląskiego
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Name:
Urząd Marszałkowski Województwa Śląskiego
Address:
ul. Ligonia 46, 40037 Katowice, Poland
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://ris.slaskie.pl
Total budget:
EUR 126 010.00
ERDF budget:
EUR 107 108.50
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Regione Toscana
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Name:
Regione Toscana
Department:
Vocational Training and Education Department
Address:
PIAZZA DELL'UNITA' ITALIANA, 50123 Florence, Italy
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.regione.toscana.it
Total budget:
EUR 80 215.00
ERDF budget:
EUR 68 182.75
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Organismul Intermediar Regional pentru Programul Operational Sectorial Dezvoltarea Resurselor Umane - Regiunea Bucuresti – Ilfov
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Name:
Organismul Intermediar Regional pentru Programul Operational Sectorial Dezvoltarea Resurselor Umane - Regiunea Bucuresti – Ilfov
Department:
N/A
Address:
Carol I Blvd., no. 34-36, 11th floor, district 2, 20922 Bucharest, Romania
Legal status:
public
Website:
https://www.oirbi.ro/
Total budget:
EUR 109 610.00
ERDF budget:
EUR 93 168.50
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Europos socialinio fondo agentūra
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Name:
Europos socialinio fondo agentūra
Address:
Gynėjų str. 16, 1109 Vilnius, Lithuania
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.esf.lt
Total budget:
EUR 124 220.00
ERDF budget:
EUR 105 587.00
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Uudenmaan liitto
-
Name:
Uudenmaan liitto
Department:
Regional Development
Address:
Esterinportti 2 B, 240 Helsinki, Finland
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.uudenmaanliitto.fi/en
Total budget:
EUR 163 150.00
ERDF budget:
EUR 138 677.50
