ICT in manufacturing: Trends and challenges for 2020 — An European view

Agitated by the financial crisis in 2008 and occupied by the national debt debate since 2010, European companies need to take actions to recover from lost opportunities during the last years. The manufacturing sector still plays a major role in the European economy and is seen as a vital sector for the successful future of a common Europe. Acclaiming success in the private sector on a regularly basis, ICT has been identified as a key driver with a high potential to enhance European manufacturing industry in a sustainable way. The paper presents an approach of deriving new research priorities in Europe for the Horizon 2020 agenda. Based on agile roadmapping methodology, six ICT core areas for investments in research projects have been identified.