Mon, 17 May, 2021
The second round of open innovation calls (OIC) from the WeldGalaxy consortium has now closed. The consortium was seeking proposals for innovations in arc welding following the success of the first round of OICs.
The two rounds of OICs have provided opportunities for arc welding innovators to gain access to a unique programme of support in order to enhance the European arc welding sector.
Innovators in their fields were selected from SMEs and Mid-Cap companies who had applied for support and funding from the WeldGalaxy project.
With an increase in regulations related to health, safety and the environment, as well as a lack of skilled welders, arc welding has needed to adopt innovation in the process and automation in order to remain competitive in recent years.
Finding the right resources to create innovations has proven difficult, with no central place for manufacturers to find out about the latest mechanised and automated solutions to improve quality and productivity.
WeldGalaxy was created to meet this challenge. Funded through the Horizon 2020 European Commission innovation programme and led by TWI Ltd, the project’s aim is to create a knowledge based B2B arc welding marketplace that will help users select the correct processes, consumables and equipment, while also streamlining inventory management, enhancing equipment maintenance, and collaborating with manufacturers to design and test new products that meet their needs.
The WeldGalaxy project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 822106