MANUCONF08-09 · Organisation of Manufuture implementation conferences 2008-2009

Promoted by the MANUFUTURE platform and the DG research of the EC, an annual conference is hosted since 2003 by the country of the EU presidency. The event objective is to report on the progress of the Manufuture activities and debate the future of the European manufacturing industry and the conditions for its sustained development. These events are fundamental contributions to the governance of research and innovation in manufacturing with a real added value to the industry through a progressive selection of complementary themes. These conferences have become a vital event for strengthening the programmes and actions by contributing to effectively identify and fill in the gaps in the R&D programme support in a multi-annual strategy. This project objective is to organise two events, in 2008 and 2009, in the direct continuation of previous ones. The 2008 conference will be held under the French presidency with a focus on how European SMEs and regional developments can efficiently contribute to the industrial implementation of Manufuture roadmaps. The 2009 conference under the Swedish presidency will highlight how this implementation should lead to a sustainable European manufacturing industry taking into account environmental and social issues. The project proposes follow-up activities to link the two events organised with an active involvement of the competent National Authorities. In France the Ministry of Economy Industry and Employment –MEIE has labelled the 2008 event as an event of the French presidency and delegated FIM and CETIM to organise it. In Sweden, VINNOVA, the Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems, is directly involved in the organisation of the 2009 event. This reflects the strong commitment and support of national authorities in this project. The EC, the Manufuture community (high level and support groups, 22 national and regional platforms) and the national key players in manufacturing will be deeply involved in the conference.