The European consortium ADMA TranS4MErs, which also includes the Northwest Regional Development Agency (ADR Northwest), is launching a Digital Acceleration Program addressed to companies in the advanced manufacturing industry. Companies will be able to benefit from vouchers through which they will have access to a package of support services for digital transformation. The applicant's guide is available on the project website: https://trans4mers.eu/open-calls

The call is addressed to small and medium-sized companies, including micro-enterprises and start-ups, operating in the manufacturing industry at the level of advanced manufacturing/ advanced manufacturing, level that involves the use of innovative technologies to improve products or processes. The applying companies have the opportunity to benefit from the technical expertise of TranS4MErs experts, who will guide the beneficiary in the development and subsequent implementation of a Digital Transformation Plan.

The call will take place in two stages:

• Design stage [Design Phase] – during this stage, beneficiaries will receive support to identify digital solutions dedicated to the challenges they face. In order to develop the Digital Transformation Plan, companies will be assisted by a TranS4Mer expert, selected from TranS4MErs Exchange platform, and will have access to a series of trainings and resources to improve employee skills and company visibility.

Firms must first obtain a referral from a member of the ADMA Trans4Mers project (ADR North-West or TechImpulse from Romania), of an organization in the network Enterprise Europe Network from Romania or of one Digital Innovation Center.

Applications can be completed electronically on the platform F6S. There are 3 application deadlines, namely November 2-16-30, 2022, and companies that meet the criteria will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Vouchers for access to digital transformation services will be assigned within the limit of availability until December 14, 2022 and can be used until February 15, 2023, for the development of Digital Transformation Plans.   

• Implementation Stage [Revamp Phase] – after completing the design stage and evaluation of the Digital Transformation Plans, 250 companies will be able to benefit from a series of support services for digitization and innovation, and 27 of them will receive an extra 10 vouchers for innovation services in the amount of 2800 euros. The vouchers will be able to be used from April to September 2023 for the payment of specialized technical assistance and consulting services in the field of innovation for the implementation of plans. The services may be selected from the ADMA Catalog or from other sources.

This call dedicated to access to the Acceleration Program for Digital Transformation takes place within the project ADMA TranS4MErs, financed by the European research-development-innovation program Horizon 2020. The project is implemented by a consortium consisting of 32 organizations from all the states of the European Union, providers of support services for innovation.