"Chain project aimed to contribute to the Digitising European Industry initiative. Currently we are suffering a 'de-industrialisation' process, in part due to the rise of manufacturing in other parts of the world and the growing automation. In 2012, in response to this decline in the relative importance of industry, the EC set a target that manufacturing should represent 20% of total value added in the EU by 2020. Industry 4.0 (I4.0) could boost the productivity and value added of European industries and stimulate economic growth. As part of its new Digital Single Market Strategy, the EC wants to help all industrial sectors exploit new technologies and manage a transition to a smart industrial system. What I4.0 is trying to achieve is the improvement of the manufacturing process by utilizing atomization and data collecting. The effects of which are brought on by the implementation sensors, microcomputers and transceivers that allow the whole factory to not only have its physical embodiment, as also as a cyber-physical structure. This fact and cloud computing and other state of the art technologies will allow the machines to communicate with each in real time allowing for better performance, larger flexibility in product customization, decrease in labour costs, lower waste creation and the downtime of machines would be optimized. I Chain project aimed to provide a basis for the creation of new competencies for HE students and SMEs (managers and owners) to deal with the change brought by this “revolution”. Europe needs to learn to deal with a profound digitisation of society which is already blurring the lines between workers and self-employed, goods and services, or consumers and producers. there are challenges for SMEs in participating in I4.0 supply chains (costs, risks, reduced flexibility and reduced strategic independence). Partnership was coordinated by the Polytechnic of Leiria/ CDRsp (HE and Research Center on production technologies - Portugal) and partnered by: AidLearn (Training, Action-Research and HR Consulting Company - Portugal); ECQ Ltd (Business Consulting Company- Bulgaria); ESTIA (HE Advanced Industrial Technologies - France) and FH-Joanneum University (HE Business Studies – Austria). It is a multidisciplinary team balanced between research and direct experience with the target groups and pooling together the required background and know how in the financial, technical and scientific areas as well as in European projects experience to fulfill the project objectives. Project consisted of 5 main outputs: 1. Brochure “I4.0: A comprehensive approach, main features and impacts” (topics are: Definition of I4.0. Main elements of I4.0; Linking, Innovation and I4.0, Theories of innovation and technological revolution; the Transformation of the economy and society). 2. Battery of Case Studies, that demonstrated how I.40 was being correctly handled in real instances. 3. Course ""Strategic Digitisation of Organisations"" targeted to HE students and SMEs (managers and owners), to improve core competencies for I4.0 , based on a Manual in 5 modules (M1 What is indusy 4.0; M2 Case studies; M3 Strategies for I4.0; M4 Digital fabric and Additive Manufacturing; M5 Chain Lab: How to start a pilot project. Management of resources). This course aimed to provide the essential skills to create and manage companies that will strive in this new paradigm and be the pillars of the industrial strategy of the 21st century; Understand the evolution of different technologies and how they integrate in production processes; Optimize the use of new technologies through the product development and production cycle and Manage Qualified HR. Building on the previous outputs, Chain develops: 4. Strategic Guidelines for HE and new skills requirements for the “smart factory” and hyper-connected economy towards I4.0 (that we've sent to several HE institutions); 5. A web Interactive Documentary on “Industry 4.0 – What future for European SMEs in the digital economy?”, that increases the awareness and understanding this topic by different audiences. A Compendium (with Brochure, Case Studies, Course (and Manual), and Guidelines for new HE curricula about I4.0 ) and the web interactive documentary, may function as a basis for replication and training (both in companies and in academia). To be available in five languages: PT; BG; FR; DE and EN Long term expected Results • Accelerate the adoption of technologies and concepts of Industry 4.0 in the business fabric; • Improve SMEs and Higher education level of commitment and competencies for the new types of businesses and technological innovations • Improved overall competitiveness of companies (also compared to competitors from abroad) • Improve competencies of SMEs and their awareness of the competencies needed for I4.0 • Improve and change higher education curricula to provide learning that will allow students to agents of change and competitiveness in firms, managing and engineering within this new reality of I4.0"