Studies on rail industry 5.0

Expected Outcome

European Commission’s Industry 5.0 Award provides a vision of the future of European industry taking into consideration the achievement of ‘societal goals beyond jobs and growth. Industry 5.0 is seen “as transition to a sustainable, people-centric and resilient European industry”[1].

The expected outcome of this Research and Innovation Action is a study that identifies the key challenges, drivers, and expected measurable outcomes/benefits related to the application of the new concepts introduced by the 5.0 Industry principles to the rail sector.

The study shall provide recommendations for the implementation of Industry 5.0 vision that will lead to a significant improvement of safety, reliability, and efficiency in rail operations.

Scope

The scope of the activities to be performed under this research and innovation action can address the following:

• Identification of practices and drivers required for the implementation of the Industry 5.0 principles in the European rail sector:
• Identification of the impacted stakeholders (i.e. Infrastructure Managers (IM), operators, suppliers, academia, etc.)
• Investigation and identification of possible implementation solutions
• Definition of implementation drivers, challenges and risks. The study shall also focus on the scope and role of public policies and regulations in the successful implementation of Industry 5.0 ).
• Definition of success factors for the implementation of the Industry 5.0 principles in the rail sector, including: stimulating competitiveness, reputation, talent attraction, job creation, meeting climate goals, etc.
• Identification of internal and external factors with the potential to impact (positively or negatively) the implementation of Industry 5.0 in rail industry. Such factors may include: worker acceptance of advanced technology, community engagement, and the potential for inequalities.
• Progress and benefits measurement: develop a framework for the measurement of progress towards the implementation of the Industry 5.0 in the rail sector within its three main dimensions: safety, reliability and efficiency.
• Recommendations for pilot projects showcasing the implementation of Industry 5.0 principles and leading towards a human centric rail system.

Interactions with other EU-RAIL projects:

The action to be funded under this topic shall:

• Take into account the outputs from EU-RAIL Flagship areas 1,2,3,4,5 and 6 if relevant to the studies.

Activities are expected to be of low TRL1, with possible technology concept formulated at TRL2, higher TRL are also possible - see General Annex B for a guide to the TRL definitions and criteria to be used.

[1] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/industrial-research-and-innovation/industry-50_en