Since 2010 the cluster supports multidisciplinary research and technology development of its members and their partners. The cluster organization is managing, administering and inspecting projects, researchers perform the research and scientific tasks in projects and companies then bring new innovative products to the market. Given that Nanoprogress is an impartial component of the solution, from the new innovative processes or products benefit as many actors as possible. One of the most important tools for management of this highly sophisticated collaboration are personal meetings of steering committees. Our activities led to boosting of the Czech nanotechnology sector and achieving high-TRL innovations through application of this technology for example in mechanical industry and advanced manufacturing, energetics, biomedicine, pharmaceutical industry, textile industry and environmental industries.

Due to these activities, the following KPIs were achieved:

• More than 40 companies and excellent research centers supported
• More than 20 mil. € allocated (around 70% already invested) in unique research and development of the Czech nanotech sector and expansion of the technology base
• More than 300 researchers and specialists involved in the research until now
• More than 20 R&D and internationalization projects executed or under execution
• More than 300 research studies from nanotechnology sector created
• 9 world-wide unique equipment primarily for production of nanofibers developed
• 9 intellectual property protection owned by the cluster organization
• 3 shared facilities with unique technology for production and analysis of nanofibrous structures and composites established and running     

The main technological breakthroughs along the years were following:

• Development of the methodology for production of two-layer nanofibers (coaxial electrospinning) (2011)
• Building the first equipment for production of two-layer nanofibers under clean conditions class A (2012)
• Development of unique nanofibrous scaffolds for tissue engineering (2013)
• Development of skin covers and bone fillings used in regenerative medicine (2014)
• Discovery of the worldwide novelty – AC electrospinning technology (2015)
• Development of unique equipment for production of nanofibrous yarns and planar structures using AC electrospinning (2016)
• Development of new methods for creating magnetic nanofibers, nanofibrous composites with integrated dust and self-cleaning photocatalytic nanostructures (2018)

This best practice was included as a success story in the benchmarking of KET-cases for the visualisation of good practices that identify success factors and challenges/barriers for implementation (https://clusternanoroad.eu/documents/).

This benchmarking was a part of the ClusterNanoRoad initiatives and was presented to leading European, national and regional policy makers.

The above-mentioned cluster activities were supported by national programme “Development of Collaboration of Enterprises – Clusters”. The concept creation of this scheme and its implementation and shaping involved many actors from the regional and national ecosystems where the main were the following:

• Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic (MPO)
• Agency for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (API)
• Investment and Business Development Agency CzechInvest
• National Cluster Association CZ (NCA)

Thank you for making it happen.

Luboš Komárek, Chairman of the Board.