The Idea: The Initiative is a non-funded Network of Research and Industrial Stakeholders and high-tech SMEs that covers all vital expertise in adaptive and flexible production automation. Its objective is to form an umbrella under which sub-teams cooperatively reach a higher strengths of acquisition and implementation and solving of complex industrial problems. Activities and projects are performed coherently to maximize their impact and to minimize redundant uncoupled developments.

The Reality: As early as in its first 12 months after founding, the initiative did acquire more than 10 additional projects (industrial, national or EU) with a total of € 8 Mio, even more pending or under preparation. Different prototypes have been presented on Automatica 2004 and PaintTech 2004, one workshop was hold and 4 student exchanges intensified the exchange of knowledge.