Event

When: 18 (evening session) and 19 June 2007, Brussels

Title: ''Mechatronics for the next generation of production systems'

Location: Agoria, Diamant Building, Boulveard A. Reyers 80, B-1030 Brussels

Eumecha-pro coordination action event, organised by MANUFUTURE Belgium	in association with MANUFUTURE Germany

In the period preceding the launch of the 7th Framework Programme, coordination actions and specific support actions have supported the creation of common visions and platforms on research, development, education and innovation. Eumecha-pro, the coordination action that focuses on mechatronics for the next generation of production systems, has and is contributing to the establishment of a community of industrials, researchers and academics in a strategic field. Eumecha-pro is coordinated by AGORIA, the Belgian federation for the technology industry that also coordinates the Belgian Manufuture Platform. The main goals of eumecha-pro are identifying roadmaps and research competence maps, as well as establishing best practices for mechatronics education and industrial application.

The funding period for eumecha-pro is coming to an end in June 2007, although efforts will be sustained which will strengthen a European research and innovation community that is of strategic value to the machinery and equipment sector.

In order to mark this milestone, the European Commission and the Belgian Manufuture Platform, in association with the German Manufuture Platform, invited all stakeholders in the field at a public event in Brussels on 18 June (evening) and 19 June 2007. Industrials, academics and researchers presented visions and roadmaps which were also offered to the participants in booklet format.

The roadmap booklet is available for dowload at the eumecha-pro web site.

You can also order it by contacting Chris Decubber.

The agenda of the event was as follows:

18 June - Evening session
18:00 – 19:00	Registration, refreshments
19:00 – 19:15	Introduction: Eumecha-pro within the context of AGORIA, Manufuture Belgium and the European Manufuture Platform by Jos Pinte, AGORIA
19:15 – 20:00	Eumecha-pro in a nutshell Roadmapping, Chris Decubber, eumecha-pro / Manufuture Belgium Best Practices for mechatronics, Karsten Stoll, Heinz Nixdorf Institute Education in mechatronics, which direction to go? Jan Wikander, KTH
20:00 – 20:15	Mechatronics: Key Technology for the factory of the future in Europe, Christos Tokamanis, the European Commission, DG Research, Head of Unit New Generation of Products
20:15 –	Buffet
19 June
9:00 – 9:55	Registration, Coffee
9:55 – 10:00	Welcome by Jos Pinte, AGORIA
10:00 – 11:15	Industry’s look into the future The wood processing equipment sector, Ulrich Doll, HOMAG AG, Germany The agricultural equipment sector, Paul Snauwaert, CNH, Belgium The robotics sector, Johannes Kurth, KUKA GmbH, Germany
11:15 – 11:45	Coffee Break
11:45 – 12:45	Research roadmaps Integrated mechatronics design: methods and tools, Hendrik Van Brussel, KULeuven Adaptive manufacturing systems, Mauro Onori, KTH
12:45 – 13:45	Lunch Break
13:45 – 14:45	Research roadmaps (continued) Monitoring and diagnostics and beyond, Mike Jackson, Loughborough University User friendly systems, cognitive systems, robotics, Christoph Schaeffer, Fraunhofer IPA
14:45 – 15:15	Coffee Break
15:15 – 16:15	A coordinated implementation of the roadmaps Implementing the research roadmaps through FP7, Hans Brelen, the European Commission, DG Research The integration of Eumecha-pro within Manufuture at European and national levels, Andrea Gentili, the European Commission, DG Research
16:15 – 16:55	Questions and Answers session (with contributions from the speakers panel)
16:55 – 17:00	Conclusion, Jos Pinte, AGORIA