IT-Logistics Cluster (logistics and mobility)

Block.IS, Blockchain Innovationspaces, https://blockis.eu (H2020-INNOSUP-2018-2020)

Block.IS aims to build an open and collaborative cross-border, cross-sectoral innovation ecosystem that will connect over 75 clusters from the financial, logistics and agrifood sectors with ICT players, to generate new value chains and develop innovative solutions embracing blockchain technology, in order to overcome the problems and challenges that the sectors are facing today. The project’s goal is to provide a strong technical and business framework that will support and enable innovators to develop large-scale and competitive market-driven applications, and to ensure post-project sustainability and growth of the Block.IS ecosystem. In order to help innovative SMEs and start-ups to build high-tech, venture-backable enterprises, the Block.IS acceleration programme will provide a total of €2.8 Million in funding to the selected candidates.

In addition to funding and business acceleration support, the Block.IS programme will include a series of events, hackathons and business missions to SME clusters across Europe. Two open calls will be organized which will take place through a 3-phase process: INNOVATE, EXPERIMENT and COMMERCIALIZE.

In the INNOVATE phase, 90 best project ideas will be invited to fine-tune their concepts and present their tech-business pitches at the Block.IS Clusters-Innovators Assembly. The EXPERIMENT phase will select 45 best projects from the previous phase and offer them €50.000 each to develop their proposed projects in close collaboration with relevant cluster networks, sector specialists and technology experts. Finally, the COMMERCIALIZE phase will select 20 projects with the greatest business potential and support them in developing activities associated with the promotion and exploitation of their projects, in order to engage new customers, partners and investors.

ChainReactions, https://www.interreg-central.eu/Content.Node/CHAIN-REACTIONS.html (Interreg central Europe)

The cluster is also participating in Intereg projects.ChainReactions (Interreg central Europe) CHAIN REACTIONS addresses the challenge for industrial regions not benefitting from innovation activities from large leading corporations to increase regional capacity to absorb new knowledge and turn it into competitiveness edge and business value. https://www.interreg-central.eu/Content.Node/CHAIN-REACTIONS.html There is a strong need to help SMEs to overcome capacity shortages for innovation and integration into transnational value chains. The project aims at empowering regional ecosystems with the knowledge and tools to help businesses overcome those barriers and generate sustained growth through value chain innovation. CHAIN REACTIONS focuses thereby on modern approaches considering value chains and their complex developments rather than linear technology transfer approaches. The framework of value chain innovation builds on Porter’s 5 forces framework (new entrants, substitutes, customers, suppliers and rivalry) and transversal innovation drivers: key enabling technologies, resource efficiency, digital transformation and service innovation. The focus is on key sectors: advanced manufacturing, ICT and electronics, energy and environment, health and bioeconomy in accordance with their S3 priorities. 

RECiPE4Mobility, COS-CLUSTER-2018-03-02

RECiPE4Mobility stands for Regrouping European Clusters in a Partnership of Excellence for Mobility. RECiPE4Mobility is a 24-months project pursuing the overall objectives of strengthening cluster management excellence while facilitating strategic connections between our clusters and our specialised ecosystems across Europe, in the sector of mobility. Capacity-building and collaboration activities between our cluster organisations, respective members and regional ecosystems, will contribute to the development of our clusters’ professionalized services. In this regard, RECiPE4Mobility will ensure that these new competencies (uptake of advanced technologies, new business models, low-carbon and resource-efficient solutions, creativity and design, skills upgrading, talent attraction, entrepreneurship acceleration, and internationalisation) particularly favour European SMEs, helping them to better address the innovation, growth and globalisation challenges. This priority on SMEs is crucial for the competitiveness of the Union's industrial value chains and to secure a smart, inclusive and sustainable European growth. This is also in line with the priorities defined by the European Commission last year in its Programme for single market, competitiveness of enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises, and European statistics and repealing Regulation. Furthermore, the connections and partnering activities which will be carried out by the RECiPE4Mobility consortium will strengthen the links between the different European ecosystems directly involved from Bavaria (DE), Central Hungary (HU), Ile-de-France (FR), Normandie (FR), Norte (PT) and South Netherlands (NL), and their key innovation actors, such as SMEs, clusters networks, regional ecosystems, technology centres and other scaling-up support organisations. Our partnership truly considers cross-regional and cross-sectorial value-chains as the answers to the challenges reshaping the mobility industry.

Safe and green road vehicle (SAGE), FP7 http://www.sage-project.eu/home.html

Safe and Green Road Vehicles (SAGE) aims to strengthen regional capacity in research and innovation in accordance to the Europe 2020 strategy for sustainable growth. SAGE represents a network of regional research driven clusters with strong automotive industry that aims to prepare for and facilitate an increasing pace of innovation within the major European growth market for safe and green road vehicles for passengers and goods. “Green” translates as a focus on knowledge and solutions for radical reduction of CO2 emissions and energy use, and “safe” as a focus on active and intelligent solutions that substantially change the safety of the road transport system.