The 2008 Manufacturing in FP7 Conference on the 16th and 17th January has built upon the success of its predecessor in 2007. The conference was attended by some 130 delegates and provided in-depth information about the manufacturing topics addressed in both Theme 3 (ICT) and Theme 4 (NMP) of the European Union's 7th Framework Programme (FP7).

Speakers at the conference included key and influential people from within the European Commission NMP, ICT programmes and the Manufuture community. In addition to these speakers there were experts in proposal preparation and evaluation giving insights into what makes a successful project proposal. Plus representatives of European SMEs and new EU member states providing their perspectives on the FP7 programme.

The Manufuture’2007 Conference was held on 2-4 December 2007 in Porto, Portugal. The conference theme was: Constructing a Sustainable Competitive Europe. Over 320 delegates attended the event. During the Conference, senior EU Officers gave presentations on the opportunities provided by the EU’s Framework Programme. Experts from Europe, China and USA also shared with the participants their views about the status of manufacturing worldwide and highlighted the challenges facing the sector in a globalised marketplace.