The Horizon Europe project has officially launched to support the transition towards Industry 5.0, focusing on future skills and innovation in manufacturing systems.
Promoting a more sustainable, resilient and human-centric industrial model is the aim of SHIFT 5.0 – System Innovation and Holistic Design Experimentation to Incentivize and Accelerate Future and Long-Term Transitions to Industry 5.0, a European project funded under the Horizon Europe programme and coordinated by Flanders Make (Belgium).
The project officially began with a meeting held in Leuven, Belgium, on 23–24 September 2026, which brought together consortium representatives to share objectives and define initial activities. The SHIFT 5.0 project involves 13 participating organizations and one affiliated entity from nine European countries, including universities, research centers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and innovation organizations.
The initiative promotes a collaborative approach based on the Quadruple Helix model, bringing together businesses, academia, public institutions, and civil society. The project also examines the incentives and enabling factors that can support industrial transformation across European regions, to foster the development of more inclusive, competitive and resilient manufacturing systems.
Politecnico di Milano participates in the project through the Manufacturing Group of the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, with Marco Taisch as scientific coordinator, contributing expertise in industrial innovation and digital transformation.
The Department's activities focus on identifying the skills required for the transition to Industry 5.0 and developing appropriate learning pathways. The team will also contribute to the development of one of the six regional experimentation environments (sandboxes), by exploring how intelligent, human-centric systems can be applied to improve worker wellbeing, training, and manufacturing quality.
Other key SHIFT 5.0 activities include up to 12 SME-led pilot projects, supported by direct funding to test innovative solutions, and the development of the SHIFT Academy, which is dedicated to skills development and lifelong learning. The project will also provide practical tools and policy recommendations to support the adoption of proven solutions in various industrial and regional contexts.
SHIFT 5.0 builds on the knowledge and results of previous European initiatives, including PROSPECTS 5.0, BRIDGES 5.0, SEISMEC and AI REDGIO 5.0. Through these collaborations and engagement with the European Industry 5.0 Community of Practice, the project aims to strengthen knowledge exchange and support the application of research findings across different industrial contexts, contributing to the transformation of Europe's manufacturing sector.