Interview with Patricia Solá, EACN Project assistant and Head of International Expansion and Business Development at Galician Automotive Cluster (CEAGA).

1.   What is your role in the EACN project? 

CEAGA is the leader of the communication and dissemination work package and as such is responsible for giving visibility to the EACN initiative, trying to achieve the greatest possible impact on our target audience and their involvement at the project activities.

It is very important to raise awareness about the Industry 4.0 challenges and the need for industrial modernisation, especially among SMEs, in order to assure their surveillance in this highly competitive market.

2.   Which tools are you using to promote the EACN Initiative?

We are using different channels:

• We have a specific website for the EACN initiative, with general information about the project.
• We created our own profile at the European Cluster Collaboration Platform, to be in close contact with the clusters’ community and give them the opportunity to join our partnership in case of interest.
• And of course, we are also present on social networks like Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, to reach a greater level of audience.

On the other hand, all the partners must also contribute to the promotion and dissemination of the project, sharing or publishing their own articles on their websites and social networks, participating at events, etc.

3.   What is the balance in terms of communication and dissemination since the beginning of the project?

From October 2018 to mid-April 2020 (last data registered so far) we reached more than 300 communicative impacts. We have published more than 60 news on the EACN website and the ECCP platform and we have made more than 150 updates on social networks. With all this we have been able to increase the visibility of the project.

• The EACN webpage received around 120 visits per month on average. 
• With respect to social networks, we achieved 64,600 impressions on Twitter, more than 1000 views on YouTube and over 4,500 impressions on Instagram.

This important effort in terms of communication has favoured the joining of new clusters to the EACN partnership, becoming today an automotive network of reference for the European Commission, what gives us a privilege position to take part or influence future policy decisions.  

4.   Which other activities are planned to be carried out in the future?

The last period of the project will be quite intense in terms of communication and dissemination activities. The following events are planned:

• Information seminars: organized at regional level by each one of the consortium partners to inform their cluster members about the EACN initiative and encourage other SMEs to collaborate with foreign companies beyond the end of the project. 
• A high-level final conference: aimed to promote the outcomes of the project, present the EACN Partnership Agenda and discuss cooperation opportunities. Any player in the automotive ecosystem will be welcomed to participate in this final  event, including not only companies, technology centres, universities, and R&D organizations, but also other clusters, partnerships or networks, regional and national authorities and the European Commission as a special guest.  
• Best practices rewarding: the idea is launching a call to identify success stories related with any of the 4 topics of the EACN initiative. The most interesting ones will be selected and rewarded in the framework of the final event.

5.   How do you value your involvement in the EACN Initiative?

Very positively. With regards to companies, facing their change process towards industrial modernisation turns easier if they do it in a more collaborative way with other companies. On the other hand, it can also be a very good opportunity for them to increase their business at international level. 

In terms of CEAGA, our involvement in this project has enabled us to be in close contact with other automotive clusters, in order to share best practices and identify future collaboration opportunities.