Mobile World Capital Barcelona activity in European projects now amounts to 3 million euros in 4 years

• MWCapital is currently participating in 10 Horizon 2020 European projects.
• The last four months of 2020 will see the start of 3 new projects, worth a total of 1.4 million euros: 5GMED, I4MS-4TS and Better Factory

28 September, 2020

Barcelona, 28 September 2020-.  From September onwards, the European Projects department of Mobile World Capital Barcelona will take part in 3 new projects that are subsidised to the amount of 1.4 million euros. This figure should be added to the 1.6 million euros corresponding to the 7 projects implemented by the department since 2016. In other words, the department’s total activity for the last 4 years now amounts to 3 million euros.

The European Projects department offers cross-cutting support to the activity of the foundation’s programmes (The Collider, 5G Barcelona, 5G National Observatory, Barcelona Digital Talent, Digital Future Society). According to Carlos Grau, CEO of MWCapital: “The department’s activity consolidates the role of Mobile World Capital Barcelona on a European scale and is crucial for strengthening the ties between businesses and research”.

3 new projects in key areas such as innovation and 5G

At the end of 2020, 3 new projects that account for a total subsidy of 1.4 million euros will be added to the portfolio: I4MS-4TS, 5GMed and Better Factory, in which MWCapital plays the lead role in scientific and technological dissemination and communication, and in boosting the ecosystem by creating synergies with the 5G Barcelona and Barcelona Digital Talent programmes.

Last June saw the start of I4MS-4TS, ICT Innovation for Manufacturing SMEs, the leading European initiative for supporting digital transformation in small and medium-sized companies in the manufacturing sector. SMEs may request technological and financial support to undertake experiments and pilot trials for testing technologies and implementing innovative digital processes.

September will see the start of 5GMED, which will develop and improve cross-border scenarios for the application of 5G within advanced services of cooperative, connected and automated mobility (CCAM) and the future railway mobile communication system (FRMCS). Four pilot projects on the railway and motorway between Figueres and Perpignan will be prepared.

In October, Better Factory will be launched. This project will encourage digital transformation and the acquisition of digital skills using lean-agile methodology for SMEs. Artists and designers will help to create sites of disruption and innovation for the management of waste, energy, resources and logistics in manufacturing companies.

Acceleration of startups and support for the manufacturing sector and industry 4.0

The European Projects department is actively seeking to take part in the process of European integration while presenting the values of MWCapital as major tools in the EU’s digital transformation process, promoting the human dimension of the latest technological developments and positioning Barcelona as the spearhead for innovation.

Since 2016, MWCapital’s participation in European projects has helped to boost 135 European startups and it has been present in project delegations in over 12 countries. The different projects involving MWCapital have distributed an approximate total of 27.4 million euros to SMEs throughout Europe.

Specifically, 3 of the 7 projects were focused on acceleration for startups. These are IMPACT Growth (smart technologies), IMPACT Connected Car (smart mobility) and RobotUnion (robotics). Support for digital transformation in manufacturing SMEs has also been a key factor in the I4MS and L4MS projects, with a view to encouraging manufacturing and logistics processes. 5GCroCo, meanwhile, is testing 5G-connected driving. Lastly, Next Generation Internet plans to develop a more human future for internet.