The European Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) strategy is important for the European global competitiveness, the creation of jobs and the European growth. Focusing on the development and valorisation of these KETs is crucial to this strategy. The industry-centred LEIT-NMBP part of Horizon 2020 is instrumental to the support of four of the six KETs: Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Biotechnology, Advanced Manufacturing and Processing. The Work Programme (2016-2017), LEIT-NMBP focus on the valorisation of KETs. One of the activities supported by the European Commission are “events of a major strategic nature” such as conferences organised within the framework of the EU presidencies to create better synergy between initiatives launched by the Commission and by the Member States. This proposal is developed within the framework of the Dutch EU-Presidency (2016) and aims at the organisation of an international conference on Industrial Technologies. The main focus of the conference is the impact of KETs on the future of industry, that emphasizes the application of new and innovative technologies in the field of manufacturing to prepare the European industry for the future. Within this conference, the Dutch strategy on Smart Industry will act as the focal point to enhance the momentum to enter into a new manufacturing era in Europe. The overall aim of the conference is to co-develop the European agenda for the new industrial revolution and review the EU research agenda(s), to enhance the competitiveness of the European manufacturing industries. The conference will be held in the Netherlands in 2016 and last 3 days with an expected number 1250 participants over 30 nationalities from divers target groups (research, industry, private investors, policymakers and education). Specific attention will be paid to stimulate the gender balance at the conference and within the target groups. The conference will be international with an EU wide geographical spread.

In order to mitigate the negative impact of human activity on the environment, significant efforts to lower carbon emissions are being pursued at both the global and European levels. Globally, the aviation industry aims for a 50% reduction of its carbon emissions by 2050, relative to 2005. In this transition towards net zero carbon emissions, novel powertrain technologies exploiting fuel cells and/or combustion systems that rely on hydrogen will play a significant role. TRIATHLON will use the synergy between powertrain components to overcome the challenges associated with scaling up hydrogen powertrain technology to MW class. The ambition of TRIATHLON is the development of disruptive approaches to design more robust, low-maintenance, low-emmision, highly responsive hydrogen-electric powertrains for megawatt class aircraft. When the distruptive technologies developed by TRIATHLON are adopted by the industry beyond TRIATHLON, it will lead to: 1) Reduction of emissions by implementation of NOx reduction strategies like injection of exhaust water of the FC into the CC and by capturing vented and permeated hydrogen and recompressing it; 2) Elimination of the need for a cryogenic pump by using a high-pressure storage buffer for pressurisation of the fuel distribution system (making the fuel distribution more robust for turbulence as well); 3) Reduction of the power required for hydrogen conditioning using excess heat from FC and CC by means of 3D printed heat exchangers using innovative materials like ceramics, and smart thermal management; 4) Improvement of the gravimetric index of the entire powertrain by providing an effective heatsink to powertrain components, reducing the need for coolant, allowing design of a more compact and lightweight CC, as well as the need for insulation of the hydrogen storage whilst enabling a longer dormancy time.

This proposal for a Coordination Action aims at improving visibility for essential stakeholders, most notably national/regional programming and funding authorities, on programming synergetic actions between the European Union and member states in the NMP Program. This shall be done by organising a forum and collecting road maps focused in particular on the use of the new ERANET instrument in the NMP area. In doing so, the CSA shall acknowledge that the NMP program has an important role in translating result from flagships towards industrial application and in facilitating key enabling technologies towards the Grand Societal Challenges. It shall also take into account the methodology of technology readiness levels is leading the programmation of the NMP work program. Programming should also acknowledge that industrial leadership, for SMEs in particular is an important objective. This objective should result in a road-map with the aim to increase visibility on themes to program. In exploiting synergies, the new ERANET Instrument is an important tool. In order to operationalize it in Horizon2020 visibility should be improved on best practices in using the ERANET under FP7 as well collecting a database on projects funded through it. This shall give input to a forum to discuss future opportunities and identify critical mass of funding agencies willing to support it. Synergies shall often require alignment of European, National and Regional funding. In fact operational programs under ERDF demand these synergies. In NMP many topics demand an alignment of proposals with regional Smart Specialisation Strategies. How these synergies can be organised is an explicit objective, with the aim, to enlarge the number of funding agencies (national or regional) able to use it. Therefore particular attention in this project shall be given to reach out to as many regions as possible.