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Category: Project News

MANTRA’s General Assembly in Porto: Accelerating Green and Digital Transformation for Manufacturing SMEs

The MANTRA consortium gathered in Porto this week for the project’s General Assembly, hosted by INESC TECT. The meeting brought partners together to review the progress of the first year of the project, share insights, and align on the next steps to support the green and digital transformation of European manufacturing SMEs. Hosted in a highly collaborative atmosphere, the meeting focused on key developments within the project and on strengthening cooperation across work packages. Partners discussed the first learnings from MANTRA’s activities and explored how to maximise impact for SMEs across Europe in the coming months. A highlight of the agenda was a workshop of Enterprise Europe Network’s services by ENN Portugal advisor and INESC TEC researcher, Cristina Maria Barbosa, with a particular focus on possible collaborative activities between MANTRA and EEN. Her input sparked rich discussions on practical challenges, opportunities, and the type of support SMEs need most. Looking ahead, the consortium is now preparing for the next phase of MANTRA, during which the first 25 out of 50 manufacturing SMEs will be supported through tailored services, collaboration with tech-savvy SMEs, and access to funding for implementing their transformation roadmaps. As MANTRA enters its second year, the project is excited to start sharing initial results and success stories, and to continue empowering European manufacturing SMEs to drive green and digital transformation through advanced technologies and social innovation.        

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ΜΑΝΤRA Showcased at the Metal Matters Conference in the Czech Republic

The MANTRA project was proudly represented at the Metal Matters Conference, organised by AMIRES and Brain4Industry, which brought together leading experts, companies, and innovation actors in the field of metal additive manufacturing (AM). Carolina Sanfona from Zabala Innovation (Spain), the coordinator of the MANTRA project, participated in the event to present MANTRA’s objectives, activities, and opportunities for collaboration. During her presentation, Carolina introduced the MANTRA project, promoted the webinars for the Open Call, and engaged with representatives from across the European metal AM community, including key industry players. The Metal Matters Conference offered a valuable platform for knowledge exchange and networking, allowing participants to explore the latest technological developments, innovation trends, and policy directions shaping the metal manufacturing sector. One of the main insights from the discussions was that digital and industrial transformation must extend beyond technology alone. For transformation to be truly effective and sustainable, it is essential to focus on the social dimension — preparing people and organisations to embrace change, adapt to new processes, and contribute to a more resilient industrial ecosystem. Through events like Metal Matters, MANTRA continues to build connections with the European manufacturing community, promoting collaboration, innovation, and social readiness for digital transformation. A big thank you to AMIRES and Brain4Industry for organising such an inspiring and valuable event!

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MANTRA Open Call: Supporting manufacturing SMEs in Digital and Green Transformation

The MANTRA project launches webinars in 6 languages to promote its open calls to support the digital and green transformation of manufacturing SMEs  The MANTRA project aims to drive the green and digital transformation of European manufacturing SMEs through the adoption of advanced technologies and social innovation. Through its open call, the MANTRA will directly support a group of 50 manufacturing SMEs in the form of financial support of €50,000 with a tailored process in which they learn and unlock their digital and technological potential within a sustainable business model, that ensures more resource-efficient and circular processes and infrastructures.  To explain all the details behind the open calls, including the opportunities and benefits that these present to manufacturing SMEs, the consortium will organise 6 webinars in 6 languages to reach a wide audience of SMEs across Europe. By showcasing success stories and providing tools and services tailored to SME needs, MANTRA seeks to inspire and empower more European manufacturing SMEs to embrace green practices and integrate advanced technologies. Join this movement and get ready to start your MANTRA journey to begin the transformation of your manufacturing SME by registering for the webinars:   Overview of webinars  In Romanian: Tuesday 3 June 10:00 CEST (11:00 local time). Registration form In Italian: Wednesday 4 June 11:30 CEST. Registration form In Portuguese: Wednesday 4 June 15:30 CEST (14:30 local time). Registration form In English: Thursday 5 June 10:30 CEST – Event part of the EU Green Week. Registration form In French: Friday 6 June 11:00 CEST. Registration form In Spanish: Friday 6 June 12:00 CEST. Registration form

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Survey for manufacturing SMEs

Are you a manufacturing SME in the fields of machinery, food, textiles, plastics, ceramics, or metals, looking to advance your SMEs digital and green transformation?  The MANTRA project is preparing to support 50 European manufacturing SMEs with tailored assistance and financial support of up to €50,000.  To ensure we offer a personalised approach, we need your input to help us better understand the needs and challenges of manufacturing SMEs as they navigate sustainability, digitalisation, and innovation.  By participating, you will be able to: Contribute to research that informs policies and support programs for manufacturing SMEs. Gain insights into your own sustainability and digital transformation journey. Explore how your business aligns with global trends and emerging technologies. Your input will be invaluable in helping us assess SMEs for funding. The selection process for funded SMEs will begin in June 2025, and your SME could be one of those selected for funding. Take the MANTRA survey. 

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SECPhO is a cluster based on Spain that brings together more than 180 organisations that promote technological innovation through deep tech in all sectors of our economy. They contribute to the assessment and advisory services for SME’s, including due diligence assessments, matchmaking non-tech SMEs with tech SMEs, co-creation labs, and tailored, value-added advisory services.

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Rina-C is a global network specializing in energy transition, ESG, and digitalisation, based in Italy. They are responsible for providing assessment and advisory services to the selected SMEs undergoing digital and technological transformation. This includes due diligence assessments, matchmaking tech-savvy and traditional SMEs, share best practices in co-creation labs, and offering tailored solutions and recommendations for practical implementation as part of the advisory services.

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Babele is a social enterprise based in Romania, that acts as a catalyst for systemic innovation, uniting a global network of universities, corporations, NGOs, and social entrepreneurs to co-create impactful solutions to address global issues such as climate change and poverty, while fostering resilience in the face of its effects. They are responsible for developing, building, and managing the digital platform for SME recruitment, overseeing the capacity-building and support program, and connecting innovation communities, EU networks, and SME support initiatives. The platform will function as a hub for knowledge exchange and a community of practice.

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Greenovate! Europe is a not-for-profit network of organisations dedicated to sustainable innovation. It develops sustainability projects and provides innovation support to researchers, companies and policymakers. The project partner based in Belgium, is responsible for the communication and dissemination activities of the MANTRA project. Their goal is to maximize the project’s impact by raising awareness, building a stakeholder community, and sharing open project results in a way that ensures they are actionable and exploitable by stakeholders.

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INES TEC is a research & development institute located on the campus of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, located in Portugal. They oversee the role of identifying the needs and barriers of SMEs to create the most favorable capacity-building support services. They will connect European specialised business support structures, networks, and organizations to build-up an innovative value-added support ecosystem for SMEs.

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EIT Manufacturing is a public-private partnership located in Italy, co-funded by the European Union and established in 2019 that connects manufacturing players by promoting talent and entrepreneurship to accelerate sustainable innovation in Europe. They provide coaching programs and capacity-building support to enhance the competitiveness and innovation of SMEs. Building on the SME Alliance projects and EITM initiatives, they oversee the SME ecosystem, facilitating the exchange of best practices, and enable that traditional SMEs gain from dedicated peer-learning activities, learning directly from leaders in their sector.

EIT Manufacturing is a public-private partnership located in Italy, co-funded by the European Union and established in 2019 that connects manufacturing players by promoting talent and entrepreneurship to accelerate sustainable innovation in Europe.
They provide coaching programs and capacity-building support to enhance the competitiveness and innovation of SMEs. Building on the SME Alliance projects and EITM initiatives, they oversee the SME ecosystem, facilitating the exchange of best practices, and enable that traditional SMEs gain from dedicated peer-learning activities, learning directly from leaders in their sector.

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Cetim is a technological accelerator dedicated to industrial transformation. It brings the best of research to French industries and offers a comprehensive solution combining consulting and engineering services. They contribute to the assessment and advisory services for SME’s, including due diligence assessments, matchmaking non-tech SMEs with tech SMEs, co-creation labs, and tailored, value-added advisory services.

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Zabala Innovation is an international consultancy firm specialising in consultancy services for both R&D and Innovation management, based in Spain. As project coordinators for MANTRA, Zabala ensures smooth project management and defines the criteria to select and prioritise the manufacturing SME projects that will be funded through the project to unlock their digital and technological potential and build sustainable business models.

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