Spotlight on SDG 9: industry, innovation and infrastructure
Sustainable Development Goal 9 (SDG 9) focuses on building resilient infrastructure, promoting sustainable industries, and fostering innovation to address global challenges like climate change and inequality.
Research plays a vital role in achieving these goals by developing solutions that align with SDG 9’s principles of sustainability, inclusivity, and resilience. Key themes in research supporting SDG 9 include the use of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, digital twins, and energy-efficient systems to develop smarter, more sustainable industries. These innovations focus on improving resource efficiency, minimizing environmental impact, and enhancing long-term resilience. Additionally, human-centred approaches are crucial to ensure that technology benefits people directly and promotes equitable access to progress.
Collaboration is another key theme, with researchers engaging with communities, policymakers, and industry to ensure innovations are practical and widely accepted. Holistic frameworks are being developed to evaluate project maturity and adoption potential, bridging the gap between research and real-world implementation.
By focusing on sustainability, inclusivity, resilience, and collaboration, research is driving progress toward SDG 9, creating a future where innovation supports both people and the planet while enabling sustainable growth. In the following blog post, we explore research and initiatives that support SDG 9, focusing on three key studies from Horizon Europe projects published on Open Research Europe.
The artificial intelligence cooperative: READ-COOP, Transkribus, and the benefits of shared community infrastructure for automated text recognition
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning systems thrive when the people who use them are involved in shaping their development. This Research Article highlights the work of READ-COOP, a cooperative organisation that creates AI tools for recognising text in historical documents, like its flagship tool, Transkribus. What makes READ-COOP stand out is its unique approach to governance, combining cutting-edge technology with democratic decision-making and community ownership.
The study traces READ-COOP’s journey from a European Commission-funded research project to an independent cooperative between 2019 and 2024. By October 2024, it had grown to 227 members from 30 countries and attracted over 235,000 registered users. Transkribus alone had processed 90 million images of historical texts, proving how effective AI can be in preserving cultural heritage. The cooperative’s success was further recognised with the Horizon Impact Award 2020.
READ-COOP balances innovation with inclusivity. Members have an impactful role to play in decisions, which has helped the cooperative grow sustainably while keeping its tools relevant and useful. Users of the platform have praised its governance and the integrity of its AI systems. The paper suggests that cooperatives like READ-COOP could serve as a great model for other AI projects, especially those that receive public funding. By transitioning to community ownership, these projects can stay sustainable and accountable in the long run. While READ-COOP’s success may be unique, it shows how technology can be developed responsibly.
Industry 5.0 concepts and enabling technologies, towards an enhanced conservation practice: systematic literature review protocol
Industry 4.0 brought major advancements in digital technology and industrial activity, but it has recently been seen as falling short of Europe’s goals for 2030. To address this, a new concept called Industry 5.0 has been introduced. Unlike its predecessor, Industry 5.0 focuses on three key ideas: putting people at the centre of technology, building resilient systems, and ensuring sustainable practices.
Industry 5.0 is powered by several advanced technologies. These include human-machine interaction, bio-inspired technologies, smart materials, real-time digital twins, advanced simulations, secure data management, artificial intelligence, energy efficiency, and reliable autonomous systems. Together, these technologies aim to create a more balanced and responsible approach to industrial progress, prioritising both people and the planet.
This Study Protocol explains how the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Management, Operation, and Conservation (AECMO&C) industry can adapt to the principles of Industry 5.0. By reviewing existing research, it explores how these new technologies can improve the way we conserve and manage cultural heritage, such as historic buildings and landmarks. The goal is to make conservation practices more efficient, sustainable, and prepared for future challenges. Industry 5.0 offers a vision of progress that not only embraces innovation but also ensures that it benefits people and protects the environment for generations to come.
A holistic framework for assessing the uptake potential of EU-funded security research and innovation project results
The European Union has relied on the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) since 2014 to measure the maturity of results from EU-funded research and innovation projects. TRL helps distinguish between early-stage innovations and market-ready solutions. However, despite being market-ready, many EU security research projects face low adoption rates, struggling to transition from research to practical use—a gap often referred to as the “valley of death.”
One major limitation of TRL is its narrow focus on technical maturity, which overlooks broader factors critical to adoption. Project maturity, in this context, refers to how well a project is prepared for real-world implementation, taking into account technical, societal, legal, and commercial aspects. To address these challenges, the MultiRATE EU research project proposes an enhanced framework, detailed in the following Open Letter, that expands TRL by introducing additional Readiness Levels (RLs). These include Societal RL (impact on society), Security RL (effectiveness in security), Legal, Privacy, and Ethical RL (compliance with regulations), Integration RL (compatibility with existing systems), Commercialisation RL (market readiness), and Manufacturing RL (production feasibility).
The framework also incorporates an investment forecasting tool to help policymakers, practitioners, and investors bridge the gap between research and adoption. By addressing these dimensions, the framework offers a holistic evaluation of project maturity, ensuring that research outcomes are better equipped for real-world application and adoption.
Discover further research from authors funded by the European Union related to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, as part of the Sustainable Development Community Gateway on Open Research Europe.
