The province of Drenthe is investing 1 million euros in the manufacturing industry of the future. Since 1 October, manufacturing companies in Drenthe have had the opportunity to apply for a subsidy to demonstrate smart and clean technologies in a factory in Drenthe. They can thus share useful knowledge and experiences with other SMEs and knowledge institutions.
For manufacturing companies in SMEs, it is a challenge to scale up and demonstrate innovations, as this involves the necessary (financial) risks. To help companies with this, the province of Drenthe offers the 'Smart Demonstration Plants Subsidy Scheme Province of Drenthe', Agro & Chemie reports, among others.
Drenthe is looking for good examples for the factory of the future. These example companies should inspire other SMEs to also set up their companies in a smarter and cleaner way. Director Henk Brink: "Many companies know they have to respond to new developments such as digitisation, robotisation and energy transition to remain competitive. But where to start, which investments are best to make and which equipment is most suitable? These are questions entrepreneurs struggle with. And who better to get advice from than other entrepreneurs? With this grant scheme, we hope to lower the threshold for those companies that want to take the lead in this."
Proven technology
However, there are a few conditions: to be allowed to show something in the factory, it must be a 'proven technology' (TRL-6). The performance of the prototype need not yet be optimised for the operational environment. The subsidy scheme is intended for manufacturing companies that invest in making their production processes smarter and also pay attention to sustainability. In addition, the company must also show what activities it undertakes to share knowledge with other SMEs and possibly also with knowledge and educational institutions. The demonstration companies can receive 50% subsidy on investments up to a maximum of 200,000 euros per company.
An expert advisory committee tests the submitted applications on the nature and scope of the demonstration activities and on the 'smartness' of the processes and techniques demonstrated on three criteria:
- How smart is the demonstration factory? Think about: smart manufacturing; flexible manufacturing; smart products; smart services/new business models; smart internal organisation; smart supply chain and smart working.
- How clean is the demonstration plant? Think CO2 reduction, biobased economy and/or circular economy.
- How demonstrative is the factory? To what extent is there knowledge sharing and interaction with educational and knowledge institutions and SMEs?
The subsidy scheme starts on 1 October 2019 and runs until 31 March 2020 or until the budget is exhausted. The rule is: first come, first served.
Source: Agro & Chemistry/Province of Drenthe.
