Innovate UK, GB and other funders: Manufacturing made smarter – smart factory innovation hub

26/11/2020

13/01/2021

Innovate UK, under the manufacturing made smarter challenge and through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, invites applications for its smart factory innovation hub call. This supports setting up and managing an innovation hub focusing on manufacturing operations within the factory, looking to digitally enable and connect operations from the factory floor through to the enterprise level. The innovation hub will develop a national network or cluster of existing facilities. The total budget is £20 million over four years.

(Robotics; 3D Printing & Additive Manufacturing; Manufacturing Processes & Technologies; Business Big Data & Informatics; Manufacturing Process Management). Smart factory themes may include, but are not limited to: •digitalisation of manufacturing process and operations; •use of robotics or additive manufacturing to accelerate processes; •dynamic, real time production planning and scheduling; •digital twins of facilities and processes to optimise future designs or current state; •real time and in process quality monitoring and process optimisation; •digital track and trace systems; •asset management optimisation.

Applications are open to single applicants and collaborations from UK registered organisations of any size. They may be businesses, academic institutions, research organisations, research and technology organisations, charities, not-for-profits or public sector organisations.