MANTYS and the 6^th Framework Programme



MANTYS, as the European exchange platform for manufacturing technology research, can provide the best facilities to prepare future research activities within the 6th Framework Programme:

• The MANTYS consortium consists of the main European research players in the fields of manufacturing processes, machine tool and machinery technologies.
  

• The MANTYS Industrial Advisory Committee comprises 25 industrial partners (machinery builders, component suppliers or end-users), who all show a dedicated interest to Research and Technology Development initiatives in their respective fields. Their size can vary from a few dozen to over a hundred thousand employees.
  
  
  

Promotion of project proposals

In October 2002, MANTYS and the European Commission co-organised the FP6 Workshop on “New Production Processes and Machine Tool Technologies” in Leuven, Belgium. With 100 participants, the Workshop was attended by many of the technical experts active in the production processes and machine tool industry sectors, representing most EU countries and new member states. The networking activity was open and constructive. It resulted in a very strong consolidation of the possible FP6 project proposals: over 65 Expressions of Interest were represented in the Workshop and the attendees finally agreed on 12 new possible proposals for Integrated Projects (IPs) and Networks of Excellence (NoEs).

Finally, in the field of “Industrial Machinery”, 4 proposals for IPs and NoEs were accepted in the first stage evaluation of the Priority 3 (First Call of December 2002). Out of these 4 accepted proposals, 3 are co-ordinated by MANTYS partners.

European research Policy and Foresight activity

The writing of recommendations will follow the Foresight activity of MANTYS. Some of these recommendations will address the European Commission RTD policy, and will contribute in a constructive way to the debate on the Future of Manufacturing led by the EC DG Research
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/industrial_technologies/futuremanufacturing_en.html). In that regard MANTYS can be seen as a Think Tank for RTD issues in the field of manufacturing technologies.