After more than two years of preparation and a challenging multi-round evaluation, CIIRC CTU has won the European RICAIP project (Research and Innovation Centre on Advanced Industrial Production). Thanks to RICAIP, a European Center of Excellence for Industrial Robotics and Artificial Intelligence is being created at CIIRC CTU, with nearly EUR 50 million in start-up support.
CIIRC CTU together with other important partners VUT-CEITEC, DFKI and ZeMA will develop within RICAIP a brand new concept of distributed industrial production and industrial production realized in the form of a service. The RICAIP pillar is a geographically dispersed non-interconnected network of experimental and testing industrial operations organized within a single integrated European industrial testbed. This lays the foundations for a completely new EU research infrastructure for advanced industrial production, which has so far been lacking in the EU.
The European Center of Excellence RICAIP is built in line with best international practice. The central attribute of the Center is its autonomy and operational autonomy. RICAIP was created as an autonomous unit within the CIIRC CTU, which is managed and supervised by its own bodies with the representation of consortium members and internationally recognized experts. In addition to massive investments in testbed development in Prague and Brno, RICAIP also brings the necessary resources for the development of excellent teams, especially thanks to its tenure (track) positions.
RICAIP is built on a strategic international partnership and is built in collaboration with the most important pan-European networks for artificial intelligence (CLAIRE and ELLIS).
The 6.5 year RICAIP project is funded by Call H2020 Teaming 2 (EUR 15m) and OPVVV Teaming (almost EUR 35m). The success rate in this European competition was about 5%.
CIIRC CTU, as project coordinator, confirmed its key integrating role in developing the National Industry Initiative 4.0 and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.
