Project Achievements

Advanced manufacturing technologies are a key driver of competitiveness in many industries, which contributes to keeping skills and jobs in central Europe. The AMiCE project tackled three major challenges faced by SMEs when adopting advanced manufacturing technologies: access to knowledge; promotion of investments; and competitiveness of these projects. AMiCE promoted advanced manufacturing technologies especially focusing on 3D printing. The rise of 3D printing and fragmentation of required knowledge across the area demand transnational cooperation that will allow replication of best practices in different sites. The project connected five innovation hubs that prioritized advanced manufacturing in their regional strategies. A tandem of partners including a business support institution and a leading university represents each innovation hub. AMiCE developed a knowledge platform, a network of shared demonstrators and pilot lines highlighting proven benefits of 3D print to new end-users. The platform which also provides access to news, financial support and events is available in English and is published at www.amice-alliance.eu. The network of pilot lines and demonstrators is a service, which is one part of a complex transnational innovation support mechanism for manufacturing SMEs.

It complements information- and innovation management services, tackles the issues of non-availability of research, testing and manufacturing facilities for SMEs and innovation teams in the fields of advanced manufacturing. In the same time, it facilitates the access to labs and specific expertise, which SMEs need for well-based investment decisions on new manufacturing equipment. The network constitutes from research and innovation infrastructures, which are open to share their facilities, equipment and know-how with partners from the involved regions and to join transnational innovation projects. In order to fill this concept with life actors from facilitators or owners of those demonstrator networks, research organizations, clusters, business support organizations were trained to operate and develop the network efficiently in 2-to-2.5-day pilot action training courses. In addition, the AMiCE consortium organized two innovator camps and collected 600 outstanding business and research ideas.