The knowledge Alliance for aDditive Manufacturing between Industry and univeRsitiEs/ADMIRE project, under the Manufacturing sector, intends to establish a solid relationship among enterprises working in the Additive Manufacturing (AM) supply chain, research centres and universities.It firstly addresses the death-valley among academic and industrial world, whilst responds to an urgent industrial need: the qualification of AM workman force. Together (universities, companies and students) will design a Metal AM Executive Joint Master degree (EQF level 7) with a set of innovative features: a multidisciplinary scientific scope; a modular structure promoting hard and soft skills, based in Learning Outcomes described in Knowledge, Skills and Competences; with learner-centred, self-direct and work-based learning approaches, enabling flexible learning paths, including a problem-based one and holding an international teaching staff trained in entrepreneurship from enterprises and universities.It secondly enhances the flow of knowledge and innovation among the triangle, through the creation of a collaborative AM platform/hub to store PBL assignments and solve them collaboratively, matching students, research institutions and enterprises, uploading research positions, internships and job vacancies in AM; promoting AM knowledge speed-dating and AM world café meetings. ADMIRE project fulfils the Knowledge Alliance call, contributing with a new curriculum, innovative solutions, products and processes, as well as, guidelines on university-enterprise cooperation. In a nutshell, it also contributes to attain the European Commission 2020 policy priority: a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth of the economy.
Considering the innovative aspects of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology, its significant impact on Europe’s economic growth, and also considering “Europe 2020 Strategy” that addresses employment, research, development, environment and education, the knowledge Alliance for aDditive Manufacturing between Industry and univeRsitiEs (ADMIRE) project intended to address the gap between Companies working in AM supply chain, Research Centres, Universities and potential end users to foster a solid relationship among them, whilst replying to an urgent industrial need for a highly qualified workforce in AM. ADMIRE had a duration of 46 months (January 2017 to October 2020) and was characterised by a fruitful involvement from Education and Industrial sectors in the development of its outcomes. The constitution of ADMIRE consortium was, by itself, a way to address the gap between these sectors as ADMIRE partnership was built upon a balanced representation of both Education and Industrial sectors. ADMIRE partners were institutions from Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal and the United Kingdom - Cranfield University, Bremen University, European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting (EWF), GKN Aerospace, IREPA Laser, Instituto Superior Técnico, MTC and University of Birmingham.Their knowledge and experience were crucial for the development of ADMIRE results, for their quality and alignment with Industrial needs and requirements. Also crucial for the achievement of ADMIRE results and their validation by industry were the connection between ADMIRE and industrial stakeholders (more specifically standardization bodies) and its synergies with other Erasmus + projects (e.g. SAM - Sector Skills Strategy for Additive Manufacturing, CLLAIM - Creating Knowledge and Skills in Additive Manufacturing) and Horizon 2020 projects (e.g. LASIMM - Large Additive Subtractive Integrative Modular Machine).The connection between Education and Industrial sectors was fostered and achieved by carrying out several activities in the scope of ADMIRE project, which also allowed the consortium to collect the necessary inputs and feedback for the development of its outcomes. Among those activities, were: capacity building workshops, World Cafe meetings, Knowledge "Speed-Datings", Mid-Term Conferences, National Roundtables for testing ADMIRE AM Hub/Platform with its end-users and Final Conferences that allowed to present ADMIRE project, its results and how they can be implemented to its target groups (ADMIRE Consortium organizations, companies belonging to AM supply chain, national, European and international students with a Bachelor degree, EWF network (composed by members from 31 countries), decision-makers of Educational policies at local, national and European levels, managers and other professionals working in the manufacturing sector, local, national and European authorities devoted to employment, training and education affairs and general public).More information about the scope, activities and main results of ADMIRE is available in its website, at https://admireproject.eu/index.html