2025 European strategic projects at EIT Manufacturing South: Driving innovation, skills and circularity in manufacturing

How EIT Manufacturing South is supporting companies of all sizes through collaborative European-funded projects

In 2025, EIT Manufacturing South, together with its European partners, continued to advance manufacturing innovation through projects focused on digitalisation, circularity and human-centric innovation. These initiatives demonstrate how such a European ecosystem can equip companies of all sizes with new tools, knowledge and skills while supporting the green and digital transition.

Through these initiatives, the region helps build a more connected industrial ecosystem, where immersive technologies, data, advanced design practices and modern training approaches enable companies to adopt practical, sustainable solutions.

Circular and digital manufacturing: Digi4Circular and GEAR-UP

Two European-funded projects, Digi4Circular and GEAR-UP, are helping reshape product development and sustainable production.

Digi4Circular is developing a digital platform to support circular product design in the automotive sector, encouraging the use of secondary aluminium and integrating tools such as automated design workflows, machine learning, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Digital Product Passports (DPP). The project enhances traceability, reduces digital and material waste and supports reskilling activities linked to new circular practices.

GEAR-UP focuses on additive manufacturing and aims to improve the reliability of recycled stainless steel, aluminium and fibre-reinforced plastics. By developing new digital tools, simulation methods and training pathways, the project promotes circular design, reduces reliance on virgin resources and strengthens sustainable manufacturing practices.

Support for SMEs: MANTRA and SM4RTENANCE

At the level of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), two projects are helping smaller companies access technologies and prepare for green and digital transformation.

MANTRA supports 50 SMEs across machinery, food, ceramics, plastics, metals and textiles by providing grants, advisory services and access to technology matchmaking. By collaborating with technology providers across Europe, SMEs can test and adopt advanced solutions such as digital twins, automation and simulation tools, supported by targeted guidance and knowledge exchange.

SM4RTENANCE complements this work by guiding SMEs in adopting data-driven manufacturing. The project helps companies make better use of industrial data spaces, understand EU regulations such as the Data Act and explore new value-creation opportunities based on operational data.

Diversity and inclusive innovation: WomenTechEU

Innovation thrives on diversity and Women TechEU highlights the role of women founders in Europe’s deep-tech startups landscape. Supporting 160 women-led startups across areas such as automation, advanced manufacturing, robotics, sustainable energy, health, quantum technologies and photonics, the programme demonstrates that inclusive leadership strengthens technological development and supports a more human-centred approach to innovation.

New skills for the workforce: UPRAISE and XR2Learn

Developing the manufacturing workforce remains a priority and two projects, UPRAISE and XR2Learn, are contributing to  Europe’s first industrial-scale extended reality (XR) learning ecosystem.

UPRAISE provides modular training programmes in XR, AI, digital twins and other emerging technologies to address skills shortages and support employees in adapting to digital production environments.

XR2Learn offers XR-based training solutions for industrial and healthcare use cases, allowing workers to train safely, test procedures and collaborate remotely. By connecting universities, companies and research organisations, the project helps create a more accessible and interoperable training ecosystem.

Together, these initiatives support practical, scalable learning opportunities that help workers adapt to technology-driven production.

Across these strategic projects, EIT Manufacturing helps companies access research, training and solutions that support the transition to sustainable and competitive manufacturing. Through platforms such as AGORA, the AI & Data Thematic Working Group and the EIT Manufacturing Academy, the organisation ensures that innovation remains responsible, inclusive and aligned with industrial needs.

These efforts help prepare Europe’s manufacturing workforce and companies for a resilient, sustainable and digitally capable future.

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