The Intelligent Manufacturing Systems Initiative initiative encourages the formation of international research consortia to address industrial manufacturing and organisational challenges in the 21st century. It provides a framework for industry and academia to identify partners world-wide and to co-operate throughout the full innovation cycle. It offers broad-based technology trials and benchmarking, involving a world-wide R&D community, ensuring general applicability of the technology developed and providing a better understanding of global markets through improved market intelligence.

IMS offers a proven and efficient framework for the protection of IPR which provides, in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises, a safe environment for global collaboration.

IMS has successfully finished its first 10-year phase on 30 April 2005. The countries/regions that have signed up for IMS Phase 2 are: the EU, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and the USA.

IMS in Europe

IMS is supported in Europe through the 7th Framework Programme for Research.

The relevant FP7 Themes are Information and Communication Technologies ('ICT' or Theme 3) and Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and New Production Technologies ('NMP' or Theme 4).

Guidelines & Calls

IMS is about multilateral R&D cooperation. IMS project teams therefore must involve partners from at least 3 of the following IMS member countries/regions: EU, USA, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland.

European participants can be funded under the 7th Framework Programme for Research (FP7).

Information on FP7 Calls for EU R&D stakeholders interested in setting up IMS projects:

• Guide for EU IMS project participants
  
  
• Relevant FP7 Calls ("Cooperation" as of 22 Dec 2006):
  FP7-ICT-2007-1, FP7-ICT-2007-C, FP7-NMP-2007-CSA-1, FP7-NMP-2007-LARGE-1, FP7-NMP-2007-SMALL-1, FP7-NMP-2007-SME-1
  
  
• Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and New Production Technologies ( NMP Theme):
  - Work Programme (2007) of NMP Theme
  
  
• Information and Communication Technologies ( ICT Theme):
  - Most relevant activities related to IMS: Components, Systems, Engineering;
  - Work Programme (2007-08) of ICT Theme