Concurrent engineering projects supported by the European Commission's ESPRIT programme and future trends

The European Commission ESPRIT (European Strategic Programme for Research i n Information Technology) Programme has been supporting Concurrent Engineer ing (CE) related projects since the 1980s. The purpose of this paper is to raise awareness of the substantial research done within this programme and provide pointers for the international CE community to access the research projects. This paper presents the views of a European expert group on the changes in industrial and research context in the CE area and highlight current challe nges. A tabulation of ESPRIT R&D projects in CE to January 1999 is presente d to provide a quick index of research projects. The projects are analysed with reference to industrial sectors and project foci. The paper finishes w ith a brief comparison of the relevant activities at the wider internationa l research and industrial application context.