IAAC, in partnership with the University of Plymouth and ENSCI Les Ateliers, was the coordinator of the Made@EU project, launched within the framework of the Creative Europe Programme. Technologies such as 3D printing and scanning have recently opened new development and innovation opportunities for the creative sectors. This phenomenon, described as the third industrial revolution, is expected to radically change the production and distribution status quo and strongly influence society as a whole, from a cultural, social and economic point of view.

However, in order to fully unleash design’s potential as a driver for growth and innovation, a number of remaining barriers have to be lowered in the fields of education and training linked to the use of digital fabrication technologies amongst European creatives.

Made@EU aims to bridge the “digital divide” that currently hinders the widespread use of digital fabrication knowledge and technologies in the European culture, especially in the field of design, arts and crafts.