After the success of the first call and the inauguration of the pilot line, the Competence Center in Bologna marks a further step forward, confirming its leading role in the innovation processes 4.0: there are 19 winners of the second call, half SMEs, coming from 4 regions and 12 industrial chains. Focus on 4 different thematic areas.
PRESS RELEASE
A 1.2 million Euro call, awarded to 19 companies from 12 different production chains, coming from 4 regions of Italy to develop 7 innovative ideas of Industry 4.0, involving 3 universities and 1 research body: these are the numbers of the second call for the selection of technological innovation projects of companies, carried out by Bi-Rex, Competence Center of Bologna.
Confirming the strategic role played by BI-REX in the implementation of Industry 4.0 enabling technologies, especially following the inauguration of its Pilot Line last October 27, the Bolognese consortium has selected the 7 best ideas and initiatives, with the goal of carrying out Research, Development and Innovation projects oriented towards experimentation, prototyping and adoption of solutions based precisely on the use of these technologies: 50% will be financed for each winning project, up to a cost of 200,000 Euros. The 7 projects identified concern 4 thematic areas:
- Sustainability and Social Responsibility;
- Advanced systems for the management of production processes;
- Security and Blockchain;
- Collaborative robotics, warehousing and automated guided vehicles.
“At the moment the total amount allocated by BI-REX for the implementation of projects related to tenders co-financed with the Ministry of Economic Development amounts to 4.4 million Euros, the highest made available by the entire network of the 8 Italian Competence Centers – comments Stefano Cattorini, General Manager of BI-REX – through this second call we continue on the path of continuity with respect to what has been implemented up to now, in order to support all those companies that see technological innovation and digitalization as an extraordinary opportunity and to contribute to the economic growth of the national productive fabric. The current context – continues Cattorini – is particularly complex: BI-REX sends a further signal to demonstrate how strategic the role of a Competence Center like ours can be”.
Also in this case the need to innovate business models towards Industry 4.0 has been felt in a transversal and widespread way by companies: the 19 winning companies come from 4 Italian regions (Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Campania) belonging to 12 different supply chains (Services and Consulting, Construction, Mechatronics, Packaging, ICT, Automotive, Batteries, Robotics, Logistics, Agrifood, Energy, Renewable Energy). Just like in the first call, almost half of the beneficiaries are SMEs, proving how much the demand for innovation and technology is not a prerogative reserved only for large companies and multinationals.
“The transversality is confirmed as one of the characterizing elements of our calls. – adds Cattorini – The numerous ideas received range within many areas and we have decided to enhance this aspect. Visual Inspection for quality control, Optimization of the management of agrovoltaic systems, Digital Twin for Configuration of Production Lines, Automation for Assembly of Cells and Lithium Batteries are examples of some areas within which projects will be developed, bearing witness to how technological innovation can concretely support the needs and requirements of companies belonging to different product sectors “.
BI-REX’s choices were made in line with the founding principles of the consortium: innovativeness, quality and economic impact of the project, inclusiveness of SMEs, enhancement of collaborative projects between public and private and research institutions) were considered as the main reward criteria in the allocation of resources. The list of the 19 winning companies has been published on the BI-REX website, in the specific section related to calls.
