Advanced manufacturing technologies for leadership of EU manufacturers in products for the net-zero industry (Made in Europe Partnership) (IA)

Expected Outcome:

The European Union's manufacturing industry should benefit from the following outcomes:

• Enhanced capabilities in the areas of strategic and high-value-added products for the net-zero industry; and
• Increased production capacity for clean technologies in the Member States and Associated Countries, diversifying supply sources, and ensuring high environmental standards.
• Contributions to reaching the targets set by the Net Zero Industry Act, in ensuring the reduction of strategic dependencies.

Scope:

The net-zero industry relies on manufactured products, components and equipment.

The focus is on advanced discrete manufacturing processes for such products, components and equipment, which enable new product features (in terms of geometry, weight, robustness, functional integration, re-use-potential); advanced production processes including automation; or the use of innovative materials. The processes should improve productivity and upscaling, decrease waste, and shorten time-to-market and process integration times.

Proposals should address manufacturing technologies applicable to products for at least one of the strategic net-zero technologies listed in Annex I of the Net-Zero Industry Act:^[1]

Proposals should address the key manufacturing technologies that generate cross-sectoral impact among the chosen net-zero technology sectors.

While operating in synergy with initiatives that focus on the design and engineering of strategic products and solutions, research and innovation should focus on the innovative development and application of one or more of the following manufacturing technologies and associated systems:

• Additive manufacturing or cladding for manufacturing and/or repair;
• Advanced joining technologies;
• Advanced forming and material shaping technologies;
• Surface processing technologies, functionalisation, nano- or micromanufacturing; and
• High-precision machining and assembly.

Proposals should consider integrating

• Innovative metrology and inspection methods, aiming at first-time right manufacturing;
• Advanced and flexible automation approaches, for instance for large components, complex assembling or handling of hazardous materials;
• Digital twins and data mining for fast ramp-up, scale-up and real-time optimisation of production;
• Circular manufacturing approaches and reduced reliance on Critical Raw Materials, in view of increasing the options for re-manufacturing, disassembly, recycling, etc.; and
• Relevant skills and standards.

In addition the overall environmental impact of the manufacturing processes should be minimal in terms of energy and resource consumption and CO₂ emissions.

Proposals should include a business case and exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination. The aspect of manufacturing in the Union is particularly important in this topic.

The attention of proposers is also drawn to the complementary topic HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-34: Smart integration of net zero technologies into Energy Intensive industries. Technologies covered by that topic are not in the scope of this topic.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership Made in Europe.

[1] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_23_1666