Fez Smart Factory Competitions

The Fez Smart Factory (FSF), launched as part of the FSF Ecosystem, is a support zone for innovative activities, aimed at developing a competitive industry by improving its productivity through the implementation of the principles and methods of industry 4.0. This competition is launched to improve industrial productivity and other KPIs or develop new factories for innovative products, by implementing the principles, methods, and technologies of Industry 4.0.

All the activities of the FSF zone will be oriented towards this objective, from raising awareness of the interest of Industry 4.0, to supporting industrialists in transforming their industrial units into smart factories, to supporting project leaders and startups working to create new 4.0 factories. The Fez Smart Factory Competitions is the first Industry 4.0 project of its kind in Morocco.

By creating a unique and integrated industry 4.0 ecosystem, the Fez Smart Factory Competitions aim to:

• Set up a core of smart factories by supporting project leaders and start-ups benefiting from FSF's engineering and R&D services, as well as a pilot model factory, to develop their 4.0 factories at the demonstration scale.

• Take advantage of the FSF ecosystem to support existing industrial units in the Fez-Meknes Region and Morocco to optimize their industrial, environmental and social performance by taking advantage of industry concepts 4.0.

The Fez Smart Factory Ecosystem is located in the city of Fes, Morocco, next to the Euromed University of Fes (UEMF).

Pro-Business:

• Morocco is politically & economically stable under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI
• Strong macroeconomic environment
• Reliable business partnerships

Competitive Environment:

• Strategic location for investment & trade
• Investment Charter with significant incentives for foreign investors
• Close to Tangier Med Port - 1st trans-shipment hub in Africa
• World-class public infrastructure throughout Morocco
• Dynamic & qualified workforce
• Home to high-end integrated industrial platforms

Sustainable Future:

• 37% electric energy supplied from renewables
• Aim to reach 52% from wind, solar & hydro by 2030
• 4 GW & USD 6 billion in investments

The Fez Smart Factory Competitions seeks applications from innovative companies to join one of the following four components of the FSF Ecosystem:

• The Fez Smart Factory Accelerator (for startups): A reception area for startups with development projects for intelligent industrial units for high value-added and competitive products.

• R&D services for Industry 4.0 (for R&D entities): The Fez Smart Factory Competitions aims to select five R&D entities, to be domiciled in the spaces dedicated to R&D services of the FSF ecosystem. A single entity will be selected per industrial sector among those covered by the FSF Ecosystem.

• Engineering services for Industry 4.0 (for engineering companies): The Fez Smart Factory Competitions aims to select ten engineering companies, to be domiciled in the spaces dedicated to the engineering services of the FSF ecosystem. They will be selected on the basis of technology and use cases, ranging from predictive maintenance and optimal energy management to IoT, sensors, connectivity, and cloud, among others.

• Business Center 4.0 (for industrial companies): This component of the FSF Ecosystem offers domiciliation spaces for small, medium, and large companies and industrial units wishing to invest in Morocco in the field of industry 4.0.

Companies selected for domiciliation within the FSF Ecosystem will sign a domiciliation contract with "FSF INDUSTRY" defining the commitments of each party, which can be found in the respective terms and conditions document, as listed above. Selected companies will receive the following benefits:

Benefits for Startups:

• Access to a 20m2 office equipped with office furniture, a 20m2 workshop, a conference auditorium, and an exhibition hall hosting up to 300 people
• A workshop space of 20m2
• One-stop-shop services
• Social services: catering and cafeteria; medical, health and safety services, and crèche services
• Support services for industrial property, Business Plan and industrial development
• Gain access to experts, donors, investors, manufacturers, etc. based in Morocco
• Services of the rapid prototyping center shared with the UEMF
• Services of the Pilot Model Factory 4.0
• Facilitation of access to other technological or other services which can be provided by the various components of the UEMF

Benefits for R&D Entities:

• Access to a 20m2 office equipped with office furniture, meeting rooms, a conference auditorium, and an exhibition hall hosting up to 300 people
• A workstation in an open office space
• A laboratory space of 20m2
• One-stop-shop services
• Social services: catering and cafeteria; medical, health and safety services, and crèche services
• Support services for industrial property, business plans and industrial development
• Gain access to experts, donors, investors, manufacturers, etc. based in Morocco
• Services of the rapid prototyping center shared with the UEMF
• Services of the Pilot Model Factory 4.0
• Facilitation of access to other technological or other services which can be provided by the various components of the UEMF
• Support services for the management of services provided as part of the transformation of existing industrial units, or for the benefit of Business Center companies, start-ups and project leaders domiciled at FSF;
• Help identify the transformation needs of existing industries with support from the CGEM

Benefits for Engineering Companies:

• Access to a 20m2 office equipped with office furniture, meeting rooms, a conference auditorium and an exhibition hall hosting each up to 300 people
• Five workstations in an open office space
• One-stop-shop services
• Social services: catering and cafeteria; medical, health and safety services, and crèche services
• Support services for industrial property, Business Plan and industrial development
• Gain access to experts, donors, investors, manufacturers, etc. based in Morocco
• Services of the rapid prototyping center shared with the UEMF
• Services of the Pilot Model Factory 4.0
• Facilitation of access to other technological or other services which can be provided by the various components of the UEMF
• Support services for the management of services provided as part of the transformation of existing industrial units, or for the benefit of Business Center companies, startups and project leaders domiciled at FSF
• Help identify the transformation needs of existing industries with support from the CGEM (General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises)

Benefits for Industrial Companies & Units (Large & SME):

• Access to a 20m2 office equipped with office furniture, meeting rooms, a conference auditorium, and an exhibition hall hosting up to 300 people
• One-stop-shop services
• Social services: catering and cafeteria; medical, health and safety services, and crèche services
• Support services for industrial property, Business Plan and industrial development
• Gain access to experts, donors, investors, manufacturers, etc. based in Morocco
• Services of the rapid prototyping center shared with the UEMF
• Services of the Pilot Model Factory 4.0
• Facilitation of access to other technological or other services which can be provided by the various components of the UEMF

This competition is open to any innovative company or startup, Moroccan or foreign, with an eligible project aimed at developing a new innovative industrial unit for high-value-added and competitive product(s), using concepts and technologies of industry 4.0.

Sectors of interest for the Fez Smart Factory Competitions

• Agriculture and Food
• Chemical and Para-Chemical
• Biomedical and Pharmaceutical
• Metal, Metallurgical, and Electromechanical
• Renewable Energy
• Textile and Leather
• Digital Tech

Technologies of interest for Engineering Companies:

• Predictive Maintenance
• Optimal Energy Management
• Industrial Supply Chain Management
• IoT and Sensors
• Connectivity and Cloud
• Virtual and Augmented Reality
• Industrial Automation (Robotics & Cobotics)
• Mechanical Manufacturing Processes
• Chemical and/or Biological Transformation Processes
• Data Analytics and AI

For Startups:

Companies selected for acceleration within the FSF Ecosystem will sign a domiciliation contract with "FSF INDUSTRY" defining the commitments of each party during the acceleration period not exceeding four years. The accompanying accelerator comprises two phases:

• Phase 1: Feasibility study of the industrial installation on a demonstration scale and raising of funds.
• Phase 2: Implementation of the industrial installation on a demonstration scale on the FSF Ecosystem spaces.

For R&D Entities:

Each R&D entity will develop innovative solutions for the vertical and horizontal integration of the industrial sector concerned. It will develop a global optimization approach for industrial companies in the sector as well as digital twins for all links in the value chain and their components. The supervision of these services is the responsibility of FSF-INDUSTRY. The selection of R&D entities will take place in two stages, the first of which will ensure the eligibility of the candidate's file and the admission stage.

For Engineering Companies:

The engineering companies will be domiciled in the FSF ecosystem, through FSF-INDUSTRY, to provide services related to the services of the use cases of industry 4.0 meeting the needs of the beneficiaries of the Fez Smart Factory ecosystem. The selection of engineering companies will take place in two stages, the first of which will ensure the eligibility of the candidate's file and the admission stage.

For SME and Large Companies & Industrial Units:

The Business Center 4.0 offers domiciliation spaces for companies wishing to develop smart factories in Morocco. These spaces are managed by FSF-INDUSTRY. It organizes technology watch and economic watch to identify companies likely to be interested in setting up a smart factory in Morocco. The selection of industrial companies that will be domiciled at the Business Center will take place in two stages, the first of which will ensure the eligibility of the candidate's file and the admission stage.

Please check the specifications that are elaborated within the respective Terms and Conditions documents listed above.

The final deadline to submit the application form as well as all administrative and technical documents to Fez Smart Factory is 12th May 2023, 23:59 CET.

Check the respective terms and conditions documents for more information.

The eligibility of the candidate's applications to be evaluated by the evaluation committee is based on the following, which must be met simultaneously:

For Startups: The industrial sector targeted by the project, which must be among the sectors covered by the FSF ecosystem, as mentioned above. Project activities to take place during the acceleration phase must have at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 or higher.

For R&D Entities: The R&D service subject of the submission must relate to one of the industrial sectors covered by the FSF Ecosystem, as mentioned above.

For Engineering Companies: The engineering service subject of the tender must be part of the engineering services covered by the FSF Ecosystem, as mentioned above. Engineering service activities must target Industry 4.0 use cases related to the industrial sectors covered by the FSF Ecosystem, as mentioned above.

For SME and Large Companies & Industrial Units: The project of the industrial company must relate to one of the industrial sectors covered by the FSF Ecosystem, as mentioned above.

In addition, the applications must meet certain technical requirements that are elaborated within the Terms and Conditions documents listed above.