Research related to the fourth Industrial Revolution is growing up and are a major asset for prosperity and European economic growth. However, the effect of human resources management in relation to industry 4.0 remains few investigated in the field of Work and Organizational Psychology. In view of the constantly evolving dynamics favouring the implementation of new technologies in organizations (autonomous robots, virtual reality, big data, and so on), it is now essential to define a model adapted to industry 4.0. The objective of ORBETEC project is to generate a model of human resources management, targeting four essential areas (organizational development, professional development, competence development, and compensation/reward), applied to the reality of industry 4.0. The research will take place in Foligno (IT) in a highly technological organization, the Umbra Cuscinetti S.p.A (Umbra Group headquarters), world leader in the production of recirculating ball screws in the aeronautic sector. Beatrice Baldaccini (Supervisor) and Carlo Odoardi (Professor Key person) will provide researchers’ supervision and training. The use of a qualitative and quantitative methodology via multilevel and longitudinal statistics will allow the study of the organizational behaviours generated inside evolving and highly innovative organizations. Two secondments will be determined in order to strengthen the international and interdisciplinary aspect of the ORBETEC project. ORBETEC will be one of the few researches to explore Industry 4.0 in the field of organizational behaviour and will contribute to the definition of an international human resource management model. The results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed international journals and interdisciplinary training will propel the researcher at European expert level. Finally, ORBETEC will improve the performance, productivity and work-life quality of a company with an economic impact at regional, national and European level.

The adoption of electrical equipment for flight-critical applications in future aircrafts is motivated by a number of economic and environmental considerations. Also thank to several research programs, EMA systems are now viewed as the best candidate for the aircraft of the future because they are: less complex because of the absence of a hydraulic system; better suited to long term storage since there is no leak potential; more energy efficient compared with hydraulic systems; easier to install and maintain (no filtration, no bleeding); less complex to control from a power-distribution and power-management perspective (power is transmitted without mass transfer). The aim of the FASE-LAG project is the development of an electromechanical actuation system (EMAS) for extension-retraction of main and nose landing gears for future SMALL A/C. The EMAS will be characterized by reduced spatial envelope and weight, improved reliability, increased safety margins and testability of the redundant components. In particular, the proposed solution will include key enabling innovative technologies such as: 1) optimized electromechanical actuator (EMA) fail-safe architectures; 2) advanced and reliable electronics; 3) advanced health monitoring system that do not require adding new sensors in the EMA; 4) highly reliable electrical machine with an intrinsic reliable architecture, high performance materials and a fault tolerant design; 5) advanced control algorithms focused on efficiency optimization. The achievement of the targeted TRL5 (technology validated in relevant simulated environment) will be verified at the end of the project according to a validation plan.

The objective of the VALEMA project is twofold: - On the one hand it is required to manufacture and assembly units (EMAs and ECUs) previously designed and developed according to the JTI-CS2-2016-CFP03-SYS-02-14 Call (Development of electromechanical actuators and electronic control units for flight control systems) for in flight tests activities. - On the other hand it is required to perform certification activities regarding both the HW and SW of the ECUs in order to obtain a permit to fly in the FTB2 demonstrator of the Regional Aircraft. The manufacturing part will include a deep analysis of manufacturing routes, materials to be used and applicable qualification tests, searching for innovative processes, in order to ensure that the processes optimize the manufacturing time, minimize the raw material used and minimize the environmental impact. The certification activities will be aimed at obtaining the permit to fly from the applicable Airworthiness Authorities for the aileron/spoiler ECU HW design (according to DO-254) and for the aileron/spoiler ECU SW design (according to DO-178B). These activities can be considered as the last step within the HW and SW design of the aileron/spoiler ECU development to be undertaken in EMA4FLIGHT according to the JTI-CS2-2016-CFP03-SYS-02-14 Call and, as such, the innovations developed within that call also apply herein.

The REPRISE project responds to the call JTI-CS2-2015-CFP02-SYS-03-01. The objective of the project is the design and development of an innovative electromechanical actuation system with health monitoring for primary-control-surface of a small aircraft. It is well-known that the electromechanical actuation will lead to weight saving and life-cycle cost reduction but some critical issues of this technology need to be addressed. The REPRISE project will thus be focused on overcoming these issues and improving technology performance, reliability and safety using new technologies and health-management algorithms. Project activities will start testing an available EMA (electromechanical actuator) and ECU (electronic control unit), which meets in general the requirements reported in the CfP, on an available test rig until mechanical failures occur. These tests will allow the development of a Health Monitoring System (HMS) able to detect degradations of the mechanical components before they will evolve into failures. New sensors will be added, to those already embedded into the available EMA, to verify their capability to detect part degradation. The EMA will be then redesigned in order to improve reliability and reduce weight and envelope through the introduction of new technologies into EMA/ECU, new sensors and the HMS. Finally, the improved EMA and ECU will be tested to demonstrate both performances and effectiveness of HMS. Pointing at the success of the project, the REPRISE consortium strength lies in the association of different expertise, from different type of active members (SME, academia and industry). This association will benefit to all involved partners by sharing resources, skills and competencies on a high technological field with a major growth potential. From a wider point of view, this challenging project opens the small aircraft market sector to cutting edge technologies and will be beneficial to the whole aeronautical market as well.

The IMAGINE “Innovative Method for Affordable Generation IN ocean Energy” project aims at developing the Electro-Mechanical Generator (EMG), an innovative Power-Take Off (PTO) concept for wave energy applications able to convert slow speed, reciprocating linear motion into electricity. The EMG is based on the integration of a recirculating ballscrew and a permanent magnet generator, an architecture that dramatically improves average efficiency (70-85% also when working outside design conditions), reliability (20 years MTBF) and affordability (CAPEX reduction by over 50%) compared to state-of-the-art PTOs. During the IMAGINE project, the EMG technology will be demonstrated through the fabrication of a 250 kW prototype and its testing on a HardWare-In-the-Loop (HWIL) bench. This will allow progressing its TRL from 3 to 5. A range of Wave Energy Converters (WECs) will be emulated on the HWIL bench and the performance of the EMG, under the action of a robust control system, will be measured and extensively assessed. Furthermore, a FMECA analysis and a subsequent accelerated life test will prove the reliability of the system. HWIL tests will allow reducing technological risk in power rating increase, providing an intermediate step between tank tests and sea trials that represents a critical transition for wave energy development. Finally, a techno-economical assessment of the EMG and a complete Business Plan for commercialization will be developed. Such activities will be carried out by an international consortium with multi-disciplinary skills in marine energy, led by a leading-manufacturing company as Umbra Cuscinetti S.p.A. The IMAGINE project is related to the topic “Developing the next generation technologies of renewable electricity and heating/cooling”, under the category “Ocean Energy: Development of advanced ocean energy subsystems: innovative power take-off systems and control strategies.