ProjectDetails Page

About SME 5.0

SME 5.0 is the first and only EU-funded project conducting specific research to prepare SMEs for Industry 5.0.

SMEs are the backbone of Europeans (and worldwide) economy. Increased awareness of industrial companies in Industry 5.0 topics will improve their processes by integrating not only digitalization but also sustainability, ethical aspects as well as a socio/human centred perspective in their strategic improvement plans.

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Project Objectives

SME 5.0 focuses on providing a Strategic Roadmap Towards the Next Level of Intelligent, Sustainable and Human-Centred SMEs consisting of six main General Research Objectives:

  1. Building an SME 5.0 Stakeholder & Training Network for increasing project sustainability and impact
  2. Empirical Research to identify SME Requirements and Barriers/Limitations for introducing Industry 5.0
  3. Development of an Industry 5.0 Assessment to facilitate SMEs evaluating their current status
  4. Development of an Online Platform
  5. Roll-Out Blueprint for a structured and systematic roll-out of Industry 5.0 in SMEs Z (Empirical Research) for accelerating the transition of European SMEs towards Industry 5.0 Implementation Guidelines of Industry 5.0
  6. Recommendations to the EC, policy makers and related stakeholders based on results of Objective 2 (Empirical Research) for accelerating the transition of European SMEs towards Industry 5.0

Project Structure

diagram of the Project Structure

SME 5.0 A STRATEGIC ROADMAP TOWARDS THE NEXT LEVEL OF INTELLIGENT, SUSTAINABLE AND HUMAN-CENTRED SMEs is structured around 4 main concepts:

  • Project Coordination
    • Project Management
    • Communication, Dissemination and Impact
    • Stakeholder & Training Network and Strategic Roadmap (GRO 1-6)
  • Intelligent SME Factories
    • Artificial Intelligence in SME Factories (SRO-1.1)
    • Bio-Intelligence in SME Factories (SRO-1.2)
    • Cyber-Security in SME Factories (SRO-1.3)
  • Sustainable SME Factories
    • Environmental Sustainability and Circularity in SME Factories (SRO-2.1)
    • Resilient SME Factories and Supply Chains (SRO-2.2)
    • Ethics and Stakeholder Value Creation in SME Factories (SRO-2.3)
  • Human-Centred SME Factories
    • Future of Work in SME Factories (SRO-3.1)
    • Inclusiveness and Diversity in SME Workplaces (SRO-3.2)
    • Technologies for Empowering Workers in SME Factories (SRO-3.3)

Project Timeline

project timeline diagram