What happens when people working on AI, advanced manufacturing, circularity and digital technologies come together around the same Horizon Europe opportunities?
On 17 September, AI4Manufacturing and CREDIT project, together with Syxis and Crowdhelix, brought together researchers, companies, innovation organisations and other stakeholders for a focused discussion on the upcoming Horizon Europe Cluster 4 calls and the opportunities they can create for new collaborations.
A strong starting point for collaboration
The webinar brought together around 50 registrants, representing 33 organisations, with participants from universities and higher education institutions, research and technology organisations, companies, networks, associations and agencies. Even more importantly, participants expressed interest in at least one of the eleven calls discussed, giving us a first picture of where the community sees potential for collaboration.
Rather than simply presenting the calls, the session was designed to understand where interests, capabilities and needs could meet and where new project ideas could potentially emerge.
From the calls to the opportunities
The discussion covered different upcoming Cluster 4 topics, spanning human-AI collaboration, advanced manufacturing, AI-driven robotics, de- and re-manufacturing, circular advanced materials, technology infrastructures and the exploitation of Horizon-generated results.
Five topics were explored in greater detail, including Human/AI collaboration for the workforce of the future, Advanced manufacturing for key products, Challenge-driven AI innovation booster, Factory processes and automation for de- and re-manufacturing, and Circular innovative advanced materials.
The aim was not to identify a single opportunity, but to help participants understand what each call requires, what type of consortium it may need, and where their own expertise could fit.
What came out of the discussion?
A key message from the session was that a strong consortium does not start with a finished proposal. It can start with a concept, a capability, or even a missing piece.
Participants were therefore invited to reflect on three questions:
- Which topic are you interested in, and in what role?
- What capability would your potential consortium need to source externally?
- Do you have an initial project concept you would be willing to put forward?
These inputs are particularly valuable because they allow the organizers to move beyond individual interests and start identifying complementary expertise, potential coordinators and missing capabilities.
And now, the real work begins
The webinar was only the first step.
An Expression of Interest is now being collected from individual experts. Participants can indicate the topic they are interested in, their initial concept, the capabilities they can offer, the capabilities they are looking for and whether they would be willing to raise coordination with their organisation.
Afterwards, the collected interests will be grouped by topic and the organisations involved will be contacted. Where a promising concept and a prospective coordinator emerge, topic-specific meetings will be organised during October, before the calls open, to discuss the concept, possible work package structures and roles within the consortium.
And where a coordinator or a specific capability is still missing, the search will continue – within AI4Manufacturing and CREDIT, across related projects and beyond these communities.
From a webinar to a community of projects
This is where the initiative goes beyond a single webinar.
AI4Manufacturing, CREDIT and Crowdhelix will act as facilitators, helping interested participants find the right connections, identify missing partners and bring complementary expertise together. The resulting proposals will remain in the hands of the consortia that form around each opportunity.
The goal is to create the conditions for new project teams, new connections and new ideas to take shape – starting from shared interests and turning them into concrete collaboration opportunities.
Interested in one of the Cluster 4 topics? Have an idea, a specific expertise or a capability your future consortium is looking for?
This is the moment to get involved. Share your interest, connect with the community and let’s start building the next collaborations together!