Digital World 2050, Connected Everything

Connected Everything has embarked on horizon scanning activities, undertaken in collaboration with industrial partners and policy makers, to generate new knowledge on the challenges and opportunities for Digital  Manufacturing practice and policy in 10, 20 and 30 years' time. The horizon scanning activity has been focused on four cross-cutting themes that emerged from consolidation with the digital manufacturing community, via surveys and workshops and guidance provided by the Connected Everything Executive group.  

Connected Everything is an Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) funded Network Plus that aims to accelerate multi-disciplinary collaboration, foster new  collaborations between industry and academia and tackle emerging challenges which will underpin the UK academic community's research in support of people, technologies,  products and systems for digital manufacturing. 

A total of 27 recommendations emerged from the Connected Everything roundtable discussions which included: encouraging researchers to quantify digital solution impact; supporting the design of sustainable products; providing financial incentives for manufacturers to decarbonise; and removing legislation preventing waste  from being used as a viable alternative resource.