Interplay Between Sustainable Development, Knowledge Society, and Smart Future Manufacturing Technologies in EU RTD Policy Documents, in the Work Program of FP7 and Horizon 2020

Abstract

Modern societies create, share and use knowledge to grow wealth and well-being, in other words-to follow the principles of sustainable development on a broader scale. In such societies jobs no longer depend on basic manufacturing but on gaining and smartly applying the knowledge instead: developing and using the manufacturing technologies more efficiently. A knowledge-based society addresses the socio-economic challenges by international and inter-sectorial sharing of knowledge crucial for innovation. Sustainable development is a core EU objective ensuring our future being not compromised by our present socioeconomic development. Policy-makers at the EU and Member State level have agreed that creation of wealth should merge with social cohesion and environmental protection for win-win solutions promoting further research in the interplay between the social, economic and ecological systems. The paper summarises the EU policy documents and research in knowledge-based society for smart future manufacturing.