ICT Cluster

Project name

Smart Factory Hub - Improving RD and business policy conditions for transnational cooperation in the manufacturing industry 

 

Manufacturing industry represents a generator of R&D, innovation, growth and employment. Based on increasing pressure on manufacturers (increased production capacity in low-cost economies and increased level of sophistication of supply chains in high-cost economies), the manufacturers need to embrace novel technologies, principles and approaches. In other words, manufacturers need to digitize their production, while taking into consideration also improvement in processes and human resource management.

SMART FACTORY HUB (SFH) main objective is to improve framework conditions for innovation in the area of smart factory/Smart Manufacturing, based on Research and Innovation Smart Specialization Strategy (RIS3) centred model. The project is financed under Danube Interreg Programme. 

In order to follow project’s objective, we will be oriented to find novel solutions in the following 3 domains:

• applying novel technologies,
• applying effective production process and
• applying effective human resource management systems

Project main outputs are following:

• 1 common transnational Research and Innovation Smart Specialization Strategy - RIS3 centred Smart Factory Model with Action Plan and
• 2 testing schemes - pilot implementation of innovative supply-driven (TransferLab) and demand-driven (PolicyLab) actions based on knowledge platform, cooperation profile matrix and learning hub for technology alliances.

Green Ict deVElopment 

Green Ict development (GIVE) has started on 01.12.2017 and it is with duration of 24 months. General project objective is to build up strategic cluster partnership in the field of smart green technologies among the three vital industries - automotive, renewable energy and ICT. The smart green technologies encompass all industrial and human activities which generate positive impact to the environment applying Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Today, traditional manufacturing industries as automotive and renewable energy should find smart solutions to answer to global environmental challenge they face by applying ICT.

GIVE partnership is very challenging because it has eight partners from six different countries, two different European regions and three vital industries.

The specific objectives of the GIVE project are:

• to create a favorable framework for establishing a sustainable cross-industry strategic cluster partnership across Europe among three vital industries- ICT, automotive and renewable energy by implementation of partnership building and collaboration activities.
• to build up sustainable strategic cluster partnership based on development of GIVE internationalization strategy and implementation roadmap .
• to promote GIVE partnership and increase online promotion of GIVE partners by implementation of identity shaping,communication, promotion and online media activities.

The GIVE strategic cluster partnership aims to create sustainable cross-industry, cross-cluster and cross – regional collaboration focusing on development of new value chain in the field of green smart technologies focusing on automotive and transport sectors and on the support of SMEs internationalization on the third markets.

The project idea is to establish sustainable long-term framework for value-added partnership among ICT as a backbone of green smart technologies in the automotive, transport and green technologies sectors.

The GIVE partnership will  achieve its goals applying the following approaches:

• cross – cluster driven approach creating framework conditions for fostering GIVE partnership collaboration based on identification of common goals, common social media performance, common visual identity , organization of common events  and common working groups ;
• cross – industry driven approach identifying the common industrial niches for collaboration  in the field of green smart technologies;
• strategy - driven approach fostering collaboration planning activities for increase SMEs collaboration and internationalization on common targeted third markets.  

​Expected results after project implemenation are: 

• Developing a GIVE internationalization strategy including GIVE strategic cluster partnership agreement, GIVE internasionalization strategy plan, GIVE implemenation roadmap, GIVE draft financial plan. 
• Build up strong cross-border cluster cooperation based on developing commercially valuable and trustworthy relations among GIVE partners;  
• Developing a common marketing, communication and branding strategy and visual identity; 
• Identified targeted third markets of common interest outside Europe;
• Foster complementarities among ICT, Automotive and Green technology sectors;
•  Create common knowledge base for internationalization and marketing in cluster managers and SMEs members; 
• Establishing strong links among  GIVE partners and SMEs;
• Initiate local awareness and dialogue on cross-clusters and cross-industry collaboration and SME internationalization in the field of smart green technologies, automotive and ICT 
• Market Intelligence Report including intelligence gathering, assessment of market trends and opportunities in conjunction with the consortium capabilities and needs. The document will include recommendations on:  Internationalization readiness of cluster managers and SMEs,  GIVE areas of cooperation and complementarity among partners( technological, business, R&D, innovation), Target markets outside Europe  ; ​

GIVE ESCP consist of 8 partners from 6 European countries:5 ICT Clusters: ICT Cluster Bulgaria, Albanian Information and Technology Association, Cluj IT Cluster, Chamber of Commerce for Information and Communication Technologies – Skopje, ICT Cluster Central Serbia;2 Automotive Clusters: Automotive Cluster Bulgaria and Automotive Cluster Serbia1 Green Technology Cluster from Latvia: Green-Tech Latvia 

The partnership development is coordinated by ICT Cluster Bulgaria and financially supported by COSME programme of the EC. The project preparation was supported by REG USAID Project.

Danube ICT Clusters' Cooperation for smart and inclusive growth - DANUBE ICT

The project Danube ICT Clusters' Cooperation for Smart and Inclusive Growth - DANUBE ICT leaded by ICT Cluster have started on 1 December 2015. The project is financed by the DANUBE START program, supported by the EC and City of Vienna. 

The project duration is six months and its main objective is to create sustainable, strategic trans-national partnership among ICT Clusters from the Balkans and the Danube region by establishing a common strategy for cross - cluster and cross-industrial cooperation in a favor of SMEs.

Partners in the project are: Foundation ICT Cluster, Cluj IT Cluster, Vojvodina ICT Cluster, and Montenegrin IT Cluster. All members of the Balkan and Black Sea ICT Clusters Network will be actively engaged in the process of successful project implementation.

Ventures - Erasmus of Younge Entreprenurs 

From 2010 till now, ICT Cluster is partcicpating as an Intermediary Organization (IO), in different partnerships under the program Erasmus for Younge Entreprenures. 

The projects is an European exchange program aiming to help new entrepreneurs to acquire relevant skills for managing a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) by spending time working in another EU country with an experienced entrepreneur in his or her company. The program is financed by the European Commission and COSME and operates across the EU with the help of more than 100 local, regional or national intermediary organisations/IOs/ competent in business support.

The program establishes business to business relationships. New entrepreneurs from one ЕEuropean country travel and stay to host entrepreneur to another EU country and get daily entrepreneurial knowledge and experience with him/her in the period of 1 to 6 months.

The matching of the new entrepreneurs with the host entrepreneurs is carried out with the help of the intermediary organisations (IOs).

I3E - Promoting innovations in the Industrial Informatics and Embeded Systems Sector through Networking 

The main project objective of I3E project was the promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship in the SEE area, placing emphasis on advanced products and services associated with the sectors of industrial informatics and embedded systems. The project is in-line with the area of intervention 1.1 since it is primarily developed a technology and innovation network of research / academic institutions as well as enterprises and facilitators of innovation in the area related to the aforementioned sectors.  The I3E Project is financed by South-East Transnational Cooperation Program of EU and co-financed by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Work  of Bulgaria.

The project resutls: 

• Development of the transnational Strategic Research Agenda that will help align research activities in the industrial informatics and embedded systems sectors towards common goals applicable in the SEE area. The involvement of the public administration in the aforementioned community aiming at the adoption of the SRA at the Structural Fund management level. 
• A methodology guideline for innovation that will be elaborated taking into account the wiki input and analyzing the applicability of the selected best practices in the SEE area.