The Horizon Europe project leaves a legacy of technologies, methods and tools that will support the transition of European manufacturing.
The MODUL4R project, which was funded by the Horizon Europe program, has now come to an end. The project developed innovative solutions to make production systems more modular, autonomous and flexible. The initiative aimed to strengthen the ability of European manufacturing to adapt to an environment characterized by increasingly volatile demand and frequently changing supply chains.
Coordinated by Fraunhofer IWU, MODUL4R involved 19 partners from nine European countries and received a total of around six million euros in funding. Research activities centred on four main areas: resilience to changes in demand and the socio-economic context; modular technologies for flexible production; simulation tools; and interfaces to the industrial metaverse. A particular focus was placed on people-centred technologies and skills development.
These solutions were validated through four industrial use cases representing various manufacturing contexts, from tool production to printed circuit board assembly. The trials demonstrated the potential of these technologies to increase the adaptability of production systems whilst promoting sustainability and enhancing the role of people in production processes.
The Manufacturing Group at the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering at Politecnico di Milano contributed to the project in three complementary areas. The group led activities focused on the sustainability of industrial production, developing tools to measure and reduce environmental impacts along value chains. The group also coordinated the skills development plan, identifying companies’ training needs and defining professional development pathways to support the adoption of new technologies. Finally, the group led the socio-economic evaluation of the project, analyzing the value generated for companies, partners, and local areas through stakeholder engagement.
Overall, MODUL4R has demonstrated how digital modularity can enable a more resilient, flexible and sustainable European manufacturing sector. The project's outcomes provide a wealth of knowledge, methods, and tools to support the transformation of the manufacturing sector and strengthen collaboration among the European partners involved.
These results were presented at the final review meeting in Lisbon on 18 June 2026, where consortium partners and European Commission representatives assessed the activities and results.