This cluster refers to groups of technologies that are used as a base or infrastructure upon which other applications, technologies or processes are developed for the end-user. Diverse aspects are addressed, such as the development of various vertical (application specific), horizontal, open and closed platforms, agile platform development as well as interoperability and standards.

Plug and play technologies enable a computer system to adapt to hardware changes with minimal intervention by the user, thus enhancing integration, standardisation, interoperability, modularity and flexibility of solutions.

Different challenges in the design phase of products are tackled in this cluster, such as the election of advanced and functional materials and its processing, quality optimization, process innovation or system-level design.

Logistics refers to the overall process of managing how resources and products are acquired, stored, and transported to their final destination. Trends here refer to the fields of adaptive logistics or autonomous intra-plant logistics and address topics such as the need of indoor positioning technologies to be seamless and reliable

Traceability refers to the ability to trace all processes from procurement of raw materials to production, consumption and disposal to clarify when and where the product was produced by whom. In the near future, both product tracking and product tracing will need to be a permanent feature for both mass customization and service delivery. The design of traceability systems including tracking machines and people for process compliance are addressed in this cluster.

The cluster addresses recent topics related to the optimization of technological processes, such as the demand by customers for individualized / highly configurable products, the validation & verification at run-time or the engineering for resilience, adaptability and flexibility.

The category of new technologies offering more efficient solutions includes fields as diverse as 5G-MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems), artificial synapse, self-healing materials, bionics and related bio-inspired technologies, nanotechnology, nanoelectronics and printable electronics, photonics, and DNA-based processors.

Circular Economy refers to an economic system of closed loops in which raw materials, components and products lose their value as little as possible, renewable energy sources are used and systems thinking is at the core. All topics related so sustainability and waste management, such as ecodesign and recycling, green manufacturing or responsible consumption, are relevant in this cluster.

This cluster focuses on different aspects of knowledge communication and education, such as collaboration between industry, education and research, educational incentives/policies and global access to knowledge.

Value of data is related to the increasing value of data in a secure, fast and intelligent way that leads organizations to competitive advantage.

Safety and security issues include topics like cybersecurity, privacy and confidentiality, behavior-based methodologies for trust, advanced techniques to manage and automate traceability and trade-off optimization between safety, security, performance and usability or Data ownership GDPR issues.

This cluster focuses on meeting the needs of the present (economic, environmental, and social) without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Environmental sustainability is becoming a relevant parameter for the company's competitiveness. Thus, related topics are carbon neutrality, fuel efficiency or the rise of environmental consciousness.

This cluster focuses on new high-level plans for profitably operating businesses in a specific marketplace, including links with regulatory aspects such as safety, data ownership and liability, in start-ups as well as in established enterprises. Related topics are servitization, startups and alternative value creation.

Today's rapidly evolving manufacturing technologies including artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and the Internet of Things are poised to reshape the global manufacturing landscape. Thus, the related trends tackle issues such as (auto-)adaptive, flexible and smart manufacturing, autonomous factories, scalable and modular plant infrastructure as well as end-to-end integration of manufacturing networks.

Machine learning is a method of data analysis that automates analytical model building. Deep learning is a subset of Machine Learning. Trends here relate to cloud, cognitive, edge, neuromorphic, bioinspired, optic and quantum computing. Also, adaptive behaviour and high-performance computing increasing the overall computing capacity are highly relevant.

The trends in this cluster address technical aspects of complex processes, such as handling of complex/large amount of data, the manufacturing and design of complex products (e.g. growing embedding of more electronics or micro-features and being composition of advanced multi-materials) and also optimization of decision making processes.

This cluster refers to the capability of producing similar but not identical products without major retooling resulting a) in the ability of a manufacturing company to offer a wide variety of products to its customers or b) in the ability to efficiently produce highly customized or even unique products. Speed, precision, quality and reliability with flexibility and agility are underlying trends.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the latest aspects in simulation of human intelligence in machines, such as Al-enabled filtered information extraction, automatic text generation, natural language processing and machine translation and, very importantly, the ethical framework for AI, supporting transparency, and regulating for misuse.

Co-creation and innovation address the need for approaches and tools that strengthen the capability of industrial actors to draw value from the strong European network of creativity potentials. Digitalization will deliver totally new ways to interact with customers and users, while products become more and more customized. Thus, the trends reach from consumer-driver change and customer interaction to stricter quality requirements.

This cluster includes trends that address the way in which computer technology influences human work and activities, such as brain-computer interfaces and the concept of “human-in-the-loop”: human as part of the system and HMI including intuitive systems, wearable and implantable systems, virtual and augmented reality, as well as human machine collaboration and collaborative decision making.

Connectivity is related to the democratization and massification of digital connectivity among people and assets.

Global warming is the gradual rise in the earth's temperature caused by high levels of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere. The increasing number of challenges related to global warming, climate change, scarcity of natural resources or rising greenhouse gas emissions are addressed in this cluster.

Globalisation addresses the growing interdependence of the world's economies, cultures, and populations, brought about by cross-border trade in goods and services, technology, and flows of investment, people, and information. Trends tackle the increased/increasing localisation of manufacturing in three aspects: 1) backsourcing of manufacturing to Europe, 2) urban production to reduce distance to consumers, 3) local customisation of products.

Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical devices that data scientists use to run simulations before actual devices are built and deployed. They can be used in relation to CPS, virtual engineering, modelling and simulation, visualisation, and virtualisation in order to analyse all levels from material processing to product and production development, behaviour and performance until value network level under virtual conditions.

Here, the newest aspects and needs in software architectures are addressed, like service orientation, enabling context awareness, integrating legacy systems, visualisation, virtualisation, situational awareness & decision support.

This cluster refers to the processing of raw materials or parts into finished goods through the use of tools, human labour, machinery, and chemical processing. Trends address topics such as the maximization of manufacturing efficiency and quality, ensuring the sustainability of the provided technology or collaborative engineering but also drawbacks for companies that are not adequately equipped digitally.

Value chains are high-level models that describe the full range of activities that an organization or a network of organisations carries out to create a product or service. The underlying trends address topics such as digital product and supply network, end-to-end supply chain synchronization and flexibility in supply chain participation.

Advanced robotics combine sophisticated programming and powerful hardware that make use of smart sensor technology to interact with the real world around it. The related trends address issues of technology (semi-/autonomous robots, chatbots, cobots cloud robotics, drones…) and applications (mainly specific, innovative industry/manufacturing automation applications).

This cluster focuses on diverse recent trends and issues related to service technologies, such as concurrent, holistic and collaborative product-service engineering: B2C & B2B models, digital marketing or the concept of “everything as a service”.

This cluster focuses on recent developments in sensor applications, such as wearables, automation of outdoor farming and bio-sensing, miniaturized low-cost sensors and smart sensor technology.

Rapid prototyping refers to the fast fabrication of a physical part, model or assembly using 3D computer aided design (CAD). The underlying trends tackle multiple areas such as 3D imaging and scanning technology, additive manufacturing, prototyping and even upcoming approaches to 4D printing.

Fifth-generation (5G) is the latest iteration of cellular technology, engineered to greatly increase the speed and responsiveness of wireless networks. Trends here address technical factors like full connectivity and real-time streaming to secondary advantages like reliability and affordable cost.

The use of digital applications enables more rapid product development, decision making and time-to-market. Thus, improvements such as automated testing, integrated end-to-end life-cycle engineering, predictive intelligence or symbiotic product and service development are tackled in this cluster.

Inclusive policy making activates diversity to improve innovation, engagement, and results across the enterprise. Underlying trends relate to citizens empowerment, democracy 4.0 and aspects of diversity, values, inclusion and accessibility, social scoring and monitoring of the workforce and unemployment, (im)migration/ mobility of Young Talents as well as the chances and challenges associated with Minority Populations worldwide.

CPS are computer systems in which a mechanism is controlled by computer-based algorithms. The trends reach from Artificial and Ambient Intelligence to the foundations & design and development methods & tools of CPS. Also, the whole range of semi-autonomous, autonomous, cognitive, distributed, adaptive and cooperative CPS are tackled.

Information and communications technologies (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and computers, as well as necessary enterprise software, middleware, storage and audiovisual, that enable users to access, store, transmit, and manipulate information.

Regulatory aspects are receiving more and more attention, implementing and developing technical standards based on the consensus of different parties that include firms, users, interest groups, standards organizations and governments. Trends relate to product safety, process requirements, environmental/resource aspects, data security, data ownership liability, traceability, ethical issues and proactive, open dialogue and awareness-raising.

This cluster involves aspects of vehicles capable of sensing its environment and operating without human involvement, such as autonomous driving, automated logistics, automated indoor farming and even flying cars.

Urbanisation refers to the shift from rural to urban areas. Trends here tackle issues such as the quality of (urban) life and smart, carbon-neutral cities, including clean, safe, seamless transport, smart spaces for all (and demographic challenges related to this), urban production, the relocation of manufacturing, urban farming, and co-creation.

In this cluster, different needs and challenges related to demographic changes, specially the ageing population, are addressed. Among them are the need of personalized device protheses, the falling of birth rates, the impact on social welfare and public health systems.

AR/VR refers to an interactive experience of a real-world environment where the objects that reside in the real world are enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information. Here the trends address its use to upgrade products and processes; enabling of remote services through smart glasses through recognition technology, robots and assistive systems.

Innovation involves the new wave of technological advances which is now creating novel opportunities, while testing governments ability to harness their benefits and provide prudent oversight. Trends relate to the development of worldwide ecosystems for manufacturing innovation, including both product- and process-oriented best practices towards Industry x.0 and anticipating changes in demand and supply (value networks).

This cluster focuses on the rise of the individual. Individual empowerment will accelerate owing to poverty reduction, growth of the global middle class, greater educational attainment, widespread use of new communications and manufacturing technologies and health-care advances.

Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes. Here, different types are addressed, such as big data, knowledge based, cognitive, hybrid or software automation. Other aspects like integrating the plant into its local ecosystem and cost efficiency are also relevant.

Big data deals with data sets that are too large or complex to be dealt with by traditional data-processing application software. The trends here refer to all aspects and processes of today’s big data applications, such as data analysis, data mining, statistics techniques and predictive modeling.

Blockchain is a system of recording information in a way that makes it difficult or impossible to change, hack, or cheat the system. Trends here tackle the integration of the blockchain technology.

This cluster includes different techniques and processes related to examining datasets to draw conclusions about the information they contain. Modern data analytics capabilities are boosted through the use of technologies such as artificial intelligence and the deployment of digital platforms for data management and sharing, visualization, pattern analysis or data-enabled resource optimization.

The trends here address aspects related to the body of technologies, processes, and practices designed to protect networks, devices, programs, and data from attack, damage, or unauthorized access. Examples of trends are resistance/resilience to external cyber-attacks, digital ethics and privacy, or increased awareness of privacy and security in industry and to the general public.

The future of work describes changes in how work will be done over the next decade, influenced by technological, generational, and social shifts. The underlying trends range from soft skills like communication, creativity, and collaborative working, to hard skills such as co-design and the requirement for technical knowledge to operate assistance systems needed to meet an increasing complexity of products and processes.

Different technological aspects of communication and speech are addressed in this cluster, such as context-driven user interfaces, speech recognition or the use of virtual/voice assistants, and also human factors such as transparency and openness in corporate communications.

Cloud computing refers to the delivery of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the Internet to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale. Trends here address aspects like the better connectivity and computer processing through the cloud.

Predictive maintenance techniques are designed to help determine the condition of in-service equipment in order to estimate when maintenance should be performed. This approach promises cost savings over routine or time-based preventive maintenance, because tasks are performed only when needed and before damage occurs.

Trends related to demonstration and testing technologies divide into living labs test sites, on the one hand, and shared infrastructure and large-scale pilots, on the other.

This clusters tackles multiple issues and challenges in the field of resource efficiency and management, such as the need to use resources, including water and energy, in a less wasteful way to achieve the target output, the shift to renewable raw materials or to counter volatility of raw material prices.

Topics in standardization and interoperability include safety, security and privacy issues as well as IP protection, including blockchain, distributed ledgers, digital identities, trusted and adaptive security architectures.