GCE Subsea EU Partner Network Expands

In the context of developing collaborative partnerships to promote value chain innovation, GCE Subsea took part in the fifth EU Cluster Matchmaking Conference in Stuttgart in September.

175 European clusters took part in the two-day conference which this year focused on networking and new tools for cluster internationalisation. GCE Subsea has initiated new partnerships with clusters within ICT, renewables and materials.

Cluster-to-cluster collaboration is one of the top priorities in of the EU’s strategy to promote market- creating innovation through connecting industries that haves never previously connected. In this context GCE Subsea discussed possible collaboration within:

• Using subsea competence to build the emerging ocean industries in offshore renewables, subsea mining and aquaculture together with OffshoreEnergy.dk and CyberForum, a German ICT cluster; this will materialise in a joint application in April 2018 to win cluster funding for our partner SMEs – the consortium will also include Scottish Enterprise and the Flemish Maritime Cluster.
• Digital business models and Industry 4.0 projects with the German Zentrum Digitalisering Bayern cluster and the French Cap Digital cluster.
• Material technology, Industry 4.0 and new value chain projects with the Dansk Materiale Netværk, the Spanish MetaIndustry4, the Swiss CC Schweiz and the Polish Metal Processing cluster; we also discussed smart materials in the context of the circular economy with the French textiles cluster Techtera who has managed to make progress with recycling carbon fibres.

Should these discussions further develop into value creating project proposals, the next step will be joint EU project proposals under the H2020 programme. This would be in the course of 2018 and 2019, and is the most heavily funded EU innovation programme ever.

If your SME wants to discuss project ideas and funding needs our EU Advisor, Poppy Kalesi is available for assistance to all GCE Subsea partners and members.