The EU’s industrial policy approach promotes the creation of a competitive European industry. To support this, both systematic monitoring of technological trends, and data on advanced technologies are needed. The Advanced Technologies for Industries (ATI) project supports policymakers, industry representatives and academia with information on this.

The ATI website groups all the available information. It is a merger of the previous KETs Observatory and the Digital Tranformation Monitor initiative.

16 advanced technologies

The project focuses on the advanced technologies that will enable and help industries to successfully manage a shift towards a low-carbon and knowledge-based economy. The following advanced technologies have been identified:

• Advanced Manufacturing Technology
• Advanced Materials
• Artificial Intelligence
• Augmented and Virtual Reality
• Big Data
• Blockchain
• Cloud Computing
• Connectivity
• Industrial Biotechnology
• Internet of Things
• Micro- and Nanoelectronics
• Mobility
• Nanotechnology
• Photonics
• Robotics
• Security

Technology Centre Mapping

As a part of the European Commission’s policy to promote more cooperation between Technology Centres across Europe, ATI has perfomed a mapping of Technology Centres across Europe. These centres should help SMEs to cross the Valley of Death and go from lab to market more easily. As such, they help companiets to reduce the time-to-market for new innovation ideas.

• Technology centres typically provide the following services to SMEs:
• Access to technology expertise and facilities for validation;
• Demonstration;
• Proof of concept / lab testing
• Prototype development and testing;
• Pilot production and demonstration/ pilot lines / pre-series
• Product validation / certification

For Belgium, 20 Technology centres have been selected, representing a wide variety of organisations (some more academic, some very industry driven) in the many different domain that ATI covers.

Other project outcomes

As mentioned, the Advanced Technologies for Industry (ATI) project has been set up to properly support the implementation of policies and initiatives. Therefore, a systematic monitoring of technological trends and reliable, up-to-date data on advanced technologies is needed. More precisely, ATI will also deliver:

• Statistical data on the creation and use of advanced technologies (including information on enabling conditions such as skills, investment or entrepreneurship).
• Analytical reports on technological trends, sectoral insights and products.
• Analyses of policy measures and policy tools related to the uptake of advanced technologies.
• Analyses of technological trends in competing economies such as in the US, China or Japan.
• Access to technology centres and innovation hubs across EU countries.