AdPack ESCP partners created European meta-cluster

Submitted by Katherina Ulrich on 25 March 2019

Three years ago, five European clusters started to jointly work within the AdPack project to boost the European sector of advanced and smart packaging by combining their different expertise. This two-year Cluster Internationalisation project was founded by BalticNet-PlasmaTec from Germany, Nanoprogress from Czech Republic, InovCluster from Portugal, Packbridge from Sweden and Plastiwin from Belgium under the Cluster Internationalisation programme for SMEs under COSME framework programme (EU programme). This programme focuses on reinforcing international cluster cooperation and supporting the shaping of European Strategic Cluster Partnerships – Going International (ESCP-4i) to better support SMEs access to global value chains. The starting signal was the building of AdPack’s European Strategic Cluster Partnership (ESCP) at the beginning of the project.

Within the AdPack project a packaging-, food-, plastic, nano- and plasmatechnology clusters combined their competences in order to support the establishment of a sustainable partnership in the emerging industry of advanced packaging and beyond.

Now three years later, the AdPack project is in strand 2 and called AdPack² of the European Strategic Cluster Partnerships-Going International (ESCP-4i) and a legal structure was established. Four founding clusters (BalticNet-PlasmaTec, Nanoprogress, InovCluster, Plastiwin) registered the Ad-Pack European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG) in Prague, Czech Republic in December 2018. A European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG) is a type of legal entity of the European corporate law and it is designed to make it easier for companies in different countries to do business together or to form consortia to take part in EU programmes.

AdPack EEIG founding documentsAdPack EEIG founding members

AdPack EEIG founding documents                                                                         AdPack EEIG founding members

The vision of the Ad-Pack EEIG is to combine different experiences, know-how and value chains in order to boost business and innovation in the field of the advanced, smart packaging. The mission is to run a sustainable EEIG with high added value services for SMEs and innovation actors and engage them into long-term business and R&D cooperation with partners and consumers from Europe.

The aim of Ad-Pack’s EEIG is also to strengthen cooperation between clusters and their cluster members across Europe. Furthermore, a joint internationalisation strategy was developed to provide a global perspective and common goals and actions towards Europe. This strategy includes an implementation roadmap in order to intensify the internationalisation of cluster SME through the EEIG and to develop more competitive SMEs in Europe. Already three months after the registration of the EEIG, two new members, Packaging Cluster from Spain and Secured Communicating Solutions cluster from France joint this entity. Like so the newly born European ecosystem includes more than 1000 companies and innovation actors.

If you would like to join our EEIG or if you would like to get more information, komarek [at] ad-pack.eu (subject: AdPack%20EEIG) (contact us).

Share this Article