Welcome to the September edition of the ECCP newsletter! In this issue, we dive into the latest insights on global AI innovation, drawn from the recent EU-Canada ECCP Matchmaking event, and bring you highlights from the C2Lab in Strasbourg, where clusters explored new avenues for cluster development and collaboration. Plus, don’t miss the exciting updates on the Trend Universe—your go-to platform for staying ahead of industry trends and innovations.
On 10-12 September 2024, the EU-Canada ECCP Matchmaking event brought together 21 clusters and 4 SMEs from 14 EU countries in Montréal, Canada – a city recognised as North America’s AI hub. Building on previous successes, the second edition of the EU-Canada matchmaking series underlined the importance of AI and digitalisation in driving innovation and sustainability.
The event's matchmaking session proved exceptionally successful, with over 130 meetings held between EU clusters, SMEs, and their Canadian counterparts. Alongside this, the delegates visited local clusters, innovation hubs and the ALL IN Canada conference, providing EU participants with valuable insights into Canada’s AI landscape and how it supports the development and adoption of AI technologies across industries. Two expert panel discussions further enriched the event, covering topics such as Canada’s leadership in AI, the significance of nurturing and retaining top talent, and the pivotal role of EU-Canada cooperation in driving global AI innovation. The event also featured a pitching session, showcasing innovative projects and fostering deeper collaboration. Read the full article and explore the photo album here.
Last week, in partnership with the French Association of Pôles de Compétitivité (AFPC), the ECCP hosted the Cluster Collaboration Labs (C2Lab) in Strasbourg, France. The workshop-style event attracted more than 70 participants and provided a valuable platform to connect with new partners, discuss project ideas and kick-start collaborations, such as joint applications for European funding opportunities. Topics ranged from meta-clustering and interregional investments to mobility, health and construction. Participants also had the chance to pitch their project ideas and work in groups, tackling challenges and exploring collaborative solutions. More information about the workshop can be found here.
We are excited to announce the launch of our official Facebook profile. Facebook offers a new opportunity to engage with a broader and more diverse audience, connecting with the ECCP community even further!
Through Facebook, the ECCP will share industry updates, collaboration opportunities and valuable policy insights, ensuring that the platform’s global community can connect in ways that best suit their needs. By expanding our digital presence, we aim to foster more dynamic interactions and collaborations across regions. Follow the ECCP on Facebook to stay informed and engage in meaningful conversations. Follow us NOW!
Innovation Database now offers direct access to over 11,000 articles, featuring groundbreaking innovations from around the world. These articles are generated through interdisciplinary research and AI-driven crawling, then carefully vetted by an expert editorial team to ensure relevance and quality.
In addition, users can now benefit from enhanced filtering options, allowing them to refine searches by industry and access insights specifically tailored to their business or cluster organisation. Another key improvement is the ability to create personalised collections of innovations, enabling users to bookmark relevant insights and build their own library of cutting-edge information.Explore Trend Universe now!
Last day to apply! Call for Expressions of Interest: host a “Clusters meet Regions” event in your town
Building on the momentum of 16 successful workshops held since 2022, we invite you to apply to host a Clusters meet Regions event in 2025. These events are designed to bring together national and regional clusters, policymakers and industry leaders to foster collaboration, strengthen regional industrial ecosystems and support the green and digital twin transitions.
Clusters play a crucial role in regional economic development across Europe, acting as key drivers of economic transition. The ‘Clusters meet Regions’ initiative aims to promote the adoption of best practices where clusters actively contribute to regional economies and to enhance collaboration between clusters and regional stakeholders for industrial growth.
The call is targeted at stakeholders from clusters, regional development agencies and business network groups who are actively engaged or interested in driving the economic development of their regions. This call for expression of interest is open until the end of the year, however, the next cut-off to apply is today!
UPCOMING ECCP EVENTS
Are you a cluster manager looking to elevate your expertise and lead your cluster to new levels of success? Join the 4th Cluster Booster Academy – a five-day intensive training programme offering a unique opportunity to gain essential insights into advanced cluster management.
With a 100% satisfaction rate and 97% of previous participants recommending the programme, it’s a proven pathway to professional growth. The programme is designed to enhance your skills with cutting-edge strategies, equip your cluster to navigate the digital and green transitions and expand your network by connecting with peers across Europe. Don’t miss this chance to boost your cluster’s potential!
Join the upcoming Clusters meet Regions and matchmaking event in Chișinău, Moldova, to be held on 10-11 October, and discover how clusters serve as catalysts for inter-regional value chains and contribute to the development of regional policies. This event presents a unique opportunity to connect with key stakeholders from across Europe while gaining insights into Moldova’s vibrant business and technology landscape.
Themed “Clusters as Drivers of Inter-Regional Value Chains”, the event will feature engaging discussions on smart specialisation, industrial transition and entrepreneurship. Participants will explore Moldova’s dynamic cluster ecosystem, which boasts thriving sectors such as textiles, IT, agri-food and construction. With ample networking opportunities and the chance to explore new avenues for collaboration, this event is set to foster meaningful connections and drive regional economic growth.
Save the date for the final Clusters meet Regions workshop of 2024, taking place in Charleroi, Belgium, on 27-28 November. Titled “Driving the Regional Economic Revival in Europe“, the event will focus on innovation ecosystems in life sciences, cleantech and advanced manufacturing for regional development.
Join industry leaders and policymakers to foster stronger collaboration in the implementation of regional and national economic development policies. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of Europe’s economic transformation! Registration will open soon!
Call for Applications: 4th Cluster Booster Academy
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Are you a cluster manager looking to elevate your expertise and lead your cluster to new levels of success? Join the 4th Cluster Booster Academy – a five-day intensive training programme offering a unique opportunity to gain essential insights into advanced cluster management.
With a 100% satisfaction rate and 97% of previous participants recommending the programme, it’s a proven pathway to professional growth. The programme is designed to enhance your skills with cutting-edge strategies, equip your cluster to navigate the digital and green transitions and expand your network by connecting with peers across Europe. Don’t miss this chance to boost your cluster’s potential!
Apply Now: Clusters meet Regions event in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova
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Join the upcoming Clusters meet Regions and matchmaking event in Chișinău, Moldova, to be held on 10-11 October, and discover how clusters serve as catalysts for inter-regional value chains and contribute to the development of regional policies. This event presents a unique opportunity to connect with key stakeholders from across Europe while gaining insights into Moldova’s vibrant business and technology landscape.
Themed “Clusters as Drivers of Inter-Regional Value Chains”, the event will feature engaging discussions on smart specialisation, industrial transition and entrepreneurship. Participants will explore Moldova’s dynamic cluster ecosystem, which boasts thriving sectors such as textiles, IT, agri-food and construction. With ample networking opportunities and the chance to explore new avenues for collaboration, this event is set to foster meaningful connections and drive regional economic growth.
Save the Date: Clusters meet Regions event in Charleroi, Belgium
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Save the date for the final Clusters meet Regions workshop of 2024, taking place in Charleroi, Belgium, on 27-28 November. Titled “Driving the Regional Economic Revival in Europe“, the event will focus on innovation ecosystems in life sciences, cleantech and advanced manufacturing for regional development.
Join industry leaders and policymakers to foster stronger collaboration in the implementation of regional and national economic development policies. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of Europe’s economic transformation! Registration will open soon!
EU Clusters Talks provide a space for exchanging ideas and participating in debates about issues significant to the EU cluster and wider industrial community. Sign up for upcoming talks, taking place between 8:30 - 9:45 every second Wednesday:
The ECCP Trend Universe is an AI-based tool designed to help you forecast future trends and discover innovations within ecosystems pertinent to you and your cluster members.
The Air2Chem project team is pioneering an innovative process that integrates Direct Air Capture technology with electrolytic conversion, providing a sustainable and location-independent source of carbon dioxide for the chemical industry. This cutting-edge approach aims to revolutionize how the industry accesses and utilizes CO₂, advancing efforts toward greener, more efficient industrial processes.
Discover daily innovation updates such as this on the innovation compass in the Trend Universe.
ECCP DROP-IN SESSIONS
These interactive online sessions provide valuable support to ECCP users, helping them maximise their experience on the platform. Held every Thursday morning, the sessions offer live guidance from the ECCP team on navigating the platform, finding partners, attending events, and more. Don’t miss out on this chance to make the most of the ECCP resources: register now!
Have you recently taken an initiative to transform or to help transform the chemical industry to become a greener, climate-friendlier and more digital industry? Or are you about to launch such an initiative? Share your experience and let the world know what you are achieving!
As the euWater4i-SD project wraps up after three successful years, the team is excited to share its key outcomes and achievements with the release of a video highlighting the project’s pivotal actions and successes in fostering innovation and international growth for water-smart SMEs. This marks the conclusion of an inspiring journey, and they are proud of all that has been accomplished. More on the ECCP.
Since September 2021, the F2F Health Matters project has targeted European SMEs specialised in healthy food, sustainable bio-solutions and bio-based techno-functional ingredients that are willing to internationalise their expertise and products in new and overseas markets.
During the years, the five clusters in the project consortium have closely collaborated to reach that main goal. In this sense, they have also provided financial support for SMEs to further develop their skills for the third countries targeted by the project: Canada, Japan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Read more.
The Polish Clusters Association invites you to explore their new YouTube playlist: "Guide to the World of Clusters." This collection of videos offers valuable insights into the role and significance of clusters across various economic sectors. It's a fantastic opportunity to deepen your understanding and discover how key initiatives are driving innovation and growth. Visit the channel, subscribe and stay tuned for the latest episodes!
The Euroclusters initiatives are offering a range of opportunities in the coming months. Explore what they can give to you or your company in terms of support for internationalisation, training or even coaching/mentoring services. If you’d like to engage, learn and network within the Euroclusters community, then join the LinkedIn community discussion group!
With Ukraine’s integration into the Single Market a key EU priority, supporting collaboration and partnerships between EU and Ukrainian businesses is vital. Establishing deep business relationships is essential to promote regional economic growth and development, bringing together people, companies and cluster organisations.
Learn more about the ECCP’s current actions to support Ukraine and how you can get involved.
European Cluster Collaboration Platform
Strengthening the European economy through collaboration
