SMARTENERGY COSME Cluster Excellence Project
: ArchEnerg Cluster, Cleantech and energy Innovation Cluster (IT), Environment Park (IT – coordinator), Flux50 (BE), Minalogic (FR), TENERRDIS (FR), and TWEED (BE).
- Funded by European Cluster Excellence Program
: € 433,000
: € 293,000
The SMARTENERGY project has brought together six European clusters that, through the European ClusterXChange program, promote cooperation and exchange between companies, research institutions, and technology transfer centres.
The general objectives of the project are:
- Increase the enterprise support capacity of the participating clusters.
- Mobilise the ecosystems of the participating clusters.
- Scale up technology innovation for our and other SMEs, clusters, and organisations (in the EU).
- Strengthen the strategy of each cluster.
- Develop a common strategy for new collaborations.
- Facilitate exchanges with our regional authorities.
Programme Output
The ClusterXChange programme has established co-financed exchanges of at least three days in Belgium, France, Hungary, and Italy. During the COVID period, the consortium organised six webinars on energy transition topics. Flux50 and cluster TWEED focused on energy communities. The series attracted more than 250 participants from seven different countries.
Companies appreciated the cross-sector approach to energy and digital technologies proposed by SMARTENERGY through the ClusterXChange program. Today, a wide variety of specialisations are needed to address the complexity of energy transition, which is something an isolated company may not always be able to manage successfully on its own.
Intercluster strategy: towards cross-pollution for the digitalisation of energy transition.
The individual cluster strategies and enquiries from our partners’ ecosystems were the basis for an intercluster strategy to test the potential of innovative cross-sectional digital energy technologies in various areas.
The project shows how digital technologies can facilitate the objectives of both the digital transition and the energy transition that Europe is pursuing within the new Fit for 55 package.
Instead of the joint strategy becoming the pillar for the establishment of a new EU cluster alliance for energy transition as originally planned, we decided to strengthen the existing networks already active at the European level, such as the International Cleantech Network, of which Flux50 is a member.
This strategy has already served as the basis for new EU project proposals.