Enabling Robotics Innovation: From Research to Products

Since year 2000 about EUR 700 million have been invested in Europe by the EU, academia and industry in robotics research. Thousands of research papers have been published and increased the global robotics knowledge, but the transfer from research into innovations and new products has been more difficult and disappointing for market players and consumers. 

The theme of the European Robotics Forum 2011 is "Enabling innovation: from research to products". The theme is inspired by last year's theme, "Bridging the gap": the discussion around that theme led to the observation that the perceived gap between academia and industry in robotics is much smaller than the broad gap between new robotics developments and "the service robot customer".
The European Robotics Forum is a co-organisation by the networks EUROP (European Technology Robotics Platform) and EURON (European Robotics Research Network) and will take place in Vasteras, Sweden on April 6-8, 2011, hosted by Swedish Robotdalen.
More information about the ERF can be found online.