FORGING was recently represented at the Enterprise Innovation Conference in Malta on 9 April 2025 by project partners Francesca Foliti (APRE) and Brigita Jurisic (INL), who held the interactive session “Humanising Innovation, Empowering Businesses: From tech-centricity to human-centricity”. Brigita Jurisic also delivered an inspiring keynote speech on the switch from Industry 4.0 to 5.0, highlighting the deep relations between Industry 5.0 and Society 5.0 as well as the special consideration social and environmental aspects should be given during tech design and implementation processes.

The interactive session invited participants to debate on how we can move from technology-first innovation to an approach rooted in human needs, societal values, and environmental awareness.

Key FORGING results served as the guiding leitmotiv of the session, providing participants with valuable tools and methodologies to integrate a more value-sensitive approach in their businesses’ daily operations and broader strategies. Namely, the co-creation journey, the co-defined criteria to assess the potential of emerging enabling technologies, and the perspective cards developed within the project helped attendees gain a better understanding on how to evaluate technologies and which stakeholder perspectives to consider when implementing new technologies.

Some key takeaways emerged from the highly participated group discussion:

  • Technological progress must be coupled with social integration and added human value, rather than just efficiency and cost-saving.
  • It is crucial to rethink how people are brought into and supported within the digital transition; therefore, workforce transformation and inclusion is a critical aspect.
  • Several challenges persist for businesses, both at a structural level (competition, regulatory changes, geopolitical instability…) and at a cultural level (resistance to change, lack of digital mindset…).
  • If applied thoughtfully, technology can be a great enhancer not only in terms of operational capacities, but also in terms of human freedom.

Overall, the session reflected the bigger shift that Industry 5.0 is all about: moving from just measuring success by what we produce, to focusing on the impact it has on the environment and society. Making sure that novel technologies are in line with human values, ethics, and sustainability – which are really at the heart of FORGING – was seen as key to making sure innovation actually benefits people and the planet.