Sean O'Reagain | Industry 5.0 Podcast | European Commission | Momenta

Industry 5.0: Human-Centric, Resilient and Sustainable Industry

In this episode, Ken Forster talks to Sean O'Reagain, the acting head of Industry 5.0 at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. This Commission department is responsible for EU policy on research, science, and innovation, with a view to reinforcing the scientific and technological base, promoting innovation and turning societal challenges into innovation opportunities.

Mr. O’Reagain leads the development and adoption of Industry 5.0 as a human-centric, sustainable, and resilient approach to industry digitalization. He previously managed the set-up and implementation of the Joint Technology Initiatives as the first public-private partnership in research and innovation at the European level. He also managed the Industrial Technologies program under the Horizon 2020 European Framework for Research and Innovation. Prior to that, he managed the European Commission’s Benchmarking for Competitiveness and Innovation Initiative. And finally, before joining the European Commission, Sean held management positions with Enterprise Ireland and with the Irish Industrial Development Agency.

Discussion Points:

• What would you consider to be your 'Digital Thread'?
  
• You were an early supporter of industry in Europe. What drew you to public service and, in particular, your interest in industry?
• You created a framework for European industrial strategy in order to measure Europe's competitiveness and innovation, all the way up to the industrial technologies work you conducted for Horizon 2020. What were some of the most important takeaways from this groundbreaking work?
• What is the origin story for Industry 5.0?
• You've segmented Industry 5.0 into three categories: human-centric, sustainable, and resilient. Can you simply describe each of these and why they are critical to Industry 5.0?
• Industry 4.0 represented the fourth industrial revolution or the digitization of industry. Do you see Industry 5.0 as a revolution or evolution?
• The EU has taken many bold stances most recently on privacy with GDPR. Is it fair to refer to Industry 5.0 as equally bold? And if so, where do you see this boldness emanating from?
• What are some of the key initiatives in the pipeline for the Industry 5.0 initiative and how can people learn more or participate?