Better Factory provides a methodology for manufacturing SMEs to collaborate with artists to develop new and personalized products. At the same time, it supplies technology for SMEs to become cyber-physical systems, transforming them into lean-agile production facilities capable of manufacturing new and personalised products along with existing ones in collaboration with technology suppliers.

Manufacturers can tap into disruptive product innovation that responds to new market demands while keeping production resources optimal. Better Factory helps manufacturers to enter new markets with customizable, personalized product or service portfolio. Together with Business and Arts Mentors, artists and technology partners, manufacturers can discover new business models and digitalise their factories to match the production of new or personalized products.

In4Art has been involved in this project as a partner and steward of the art-driven experimentation and innovation process, acting as the methodological lead in the program. We supported the APPS developers in achieving impact within the SMEs and assisted the artists, SME and Tech Suppliers from the earliest stages of matchmaking to the final outcomes and next steps.

“After the Covid pandemic in the beginning of the Better Factory project, we realized a need to put more emphasis on dialogue and contacts between the parties involved in the knowledge transfer experiments. In4Art was chosen to co-ordinate this work. Due to the active role of In4Art, the contacts between parties multiplied towards the end of the project. In4Art not only co-ordinated co-operation, but also took a central role in mentoring the artists, technology suppliers and manufacturing companies in looking for truly new and innovative solutions to their challenges, and to take them as far as possible through an iterative innovation process. As a result, the experiments went smother and the results become even better towards the end of the project.”
Magnus Simons – VTT, Program Coordinator

Read this article on our role in the project.

Sara Alvarez, Frederik de Wilde, Nicola Ellis, Jesse Howard, Isaac Monté, Gareth Neal, Tomas Libertiny, David Rickard, Anna Dumitriu, Gilbert Sinnott, Kristina Pulejkova, Anna Walicka, Govert Flint, Nick Ervinck, Sébastien Wierinck, Javier Masa.

Cappana Prosciutti (IT) / Delmac Scales (GR) / Europack (BG) / Fiction Factory (NL) / Ritherdon (GB) / Zovos-Eko (SK) / The New Raw (NL) / Antares Romania (RO) / Marco Felluga (IT) / Staramaki (GR) / Tapi-1 Aleksander Źur (PL) / Rongo Design (RO) / Famolde (PT) / Plast-farb (PL) / PREMET (HU) / SEACSUB (IT)

Sirmium ERP (RS) / Bridgewater Labs (RS) / Oviso Robotics (RO) / IAAC (SP) / Digiotouch OU (EE) / Rossum Integration (SK) / Artific Intelligence (FI) / Comfrac Green Energy (RO) / Bubamara V (RS) / CommonsLab (GR) / Studio GF&L Unipessoal, Lda (PT) / SPE Global Solutions (PL) / Octavic (RO) / And-Tech (PL) / Lasram Engineering Kft (HU) / Canonical Robots (SP)

● KTE VIDEO SERIES

These videos demonstrate the significant results achieved through the collaborative efforts of SMEs, technology suppliers, and artists collaborating in the project. By working together, they have successfully tackled complex challenges across different industries, showcasing the impact and value of these innovative partnerships.

● TOOLKIT

“Creativity Meets Industry: A Practical Guide to Transformative Partnerships“.
This comprehensive guide distills the insights and lessons learned from 16 collaborative experiments between manufacturing SMEs, artists, and technology providers. Contents:

• How to identify and frame industrial challenges for creative collaboration.
• Techniques for building effective, interdisciplinary teams.
• Iteration cycles to drive innovation through art.
• How to design sustainable business models and open new markets.
• Best practices for matchmaking between SMEs and artistic partners.

● ESSAY

“19 innovations from Better Factory’s Art-Industry Collaborations”

● DOCUMENTARY

This documentary showcases insightful interviews with teams, mentors, and partners involved in 16 collaborative projects uniting SMEs, artists, and technology providers. It illustrates how these 35 experiments resulted in the development of 12 digital tools, an IoT platform, and pioneering artistic innovations.

● FACTSHEETS

The consortium includes 28 partners from 18 European countries:  Fraunhofer IPA / AIMEN / Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana / Slovakia National Centre of Robotic / INESCTEC / Cyprus University of Technology / Transylvanian Furniture Cluster / Slovenian Tool and Die Development Centre / Latvian Federation of Food Companies – Food Products Quality Cluster / CLUTEX ‐ Klastr Technicke Textilie /  Bydgoszcz Industrial Cluster Tool Valley / Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Pécs‐Baranya / ICT Cluster / University of Oulu / Top Data Science / Holonix / GESTALT Robotics / European Dynamics / Hermia Yrityskehitys Oy / INOVA / GLUON / WAAG / FundingBox / time.lex / Mobile World Capital Barcelona

October 2020 – September 2024

€ 8.576.164

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement 951813.