Italian contribution to Horizon 2020

The Workshop on the Italian contribution to Horizon 2020 Industrial leadership occurred at SMAU fair in Bologna

At the workshop the priority objectives of Horizon 2020 were introduced with a focus on research and its economic and social application to industrial competitiveness, emphasizing the importance for SMEs to develop standard and applied research to new products.

The role of research for the development of new innovative technologies adapted to the expectations of sustainability and performance for use in diversified areas was empathized. University is important in the research projects, although in Italy University do not collaborate enough with SMEs. For Horizon 2020, SMEs have to concentrate in the following three main directions in which the program is directed:

• scientific excellence,
• industrial leadership, with a focus on enabling technologies KET (Key Enabling Technology), and
• challenges in society including play an important role topics of interest such as clean energy, transport and resource efficiency.

It was also defined the national and European cluster model and it was pointed out that the’ “alliance between companies” can help SMEs to be more competitive on the market, domestic and foreign, providing a direct line with the italian authorities and the European community .

Ecosurvey exam participation in Horizon 2020 projects around each of the three lines of the program.