On June the 10th, 2021, Professor Can Huang gave a lecture on Industry 4.0 drivers, challenges and regulatory considerations in the training program “Industry 4.0 and Innovation Management” organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Singapore and IP Office of Singapore International. The program was conducted virtually via Zoom from the 7th to the 11th of June. The program explores the transformative and disruptive potential of the new technology developments and the evolving innovation landscape.

(Prof. Can Huang and the training program participants)

The attendees of the program were mid-to senior-level government officials from 22 different countries, mainly from Asia and America nations, such as United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, and Indonesia and so on. The attendees are involved in innovation management and policymaking pertaining to industry and workforce development.

Prof. Can Huang's presentation on the drivers, challenges and regulatory considerations of Industry 4.0 focused on the areas of industry automation and autonomous driving. The presentation started with a review of the past industrial revolutions, in which he explained the main pillars, benefits and the progress of the Industry 4.0. Next, the industrial automation was presented, along with the progress that firms are making on smart factories and digital lean. In addition, the main technologies and market of autonomous driving were described. Prof. Huang introduced the main challenges for the era of industry 4.0, including the diverse range of standards and products, the large number of implementers and their lack of experience on the licensing of patents essential for standards. Finally, Prof. Huang discussed the Avanci patent pool, which was founded in 2016 as a one-stop solution for licensing standard essential patents for connectivity standards in the IoT space.