The two-year COSME project EXCITE facilitated almost 100 ClusterXchanges in 15 business missions with SMEs, clusters and RTOs visiting different European ecosystems.

ClusterXchange is a new pilot project that promotes short-term exchange in order to better network industrial ecosystems in Europe. EXCITE enabled participating companies to familiarise themselves with new ecosystems, attend relevant local events and find new partners through B2B matchmaking - all with financial support.

With the project coming to an end, we are happy that we were able to help so many organisations discovering new ecosystems and partnerships thanks to EXCITE.

Let’s hear it from the participating companies (in chronological order):

2022

“Thanks to EXCITE, I had a great chance to discover the French microelectronics ecosystem and lay the ground for new business partnerships.“

Dr. Michael Arnold, CEO of PEER Group GmbH from Germany and participant of CXC mission to apc|m conference in Toulon, hosted by SCS cluster in March 2022. ---

>>Watch the video testimonial now!

“We are very happy to have participated in this mission. Because, we have been in touch with foreign clusters we are not used to connect with. The exchanges were very richful especially with the one from Saxony (Silicon Saxony). There are some possibilities we didn't imagine. This is why we are happy to participate to the next one occurring in Germany.”

Pierre Sigrist, CTO & Co-Founder of Epicnpoc from France and participant of CXC Smart Mobility Mission to Sophia-Antipolis, hosted by SCS cluster.

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>>Watch the video testimonial now!

“We are really happy to be here. [..] As a CEO of an SME, this is a great place to meet other companies, to meet other clusters. I got really inspired by the things that are happening here in Sophia Antipolis. I wasn't even aware of how much is happening here around smart mobility. [..] Very inspiring and I can advise other companies, other SMEs from other clusters to come to this region.”

Daniel Hekman, CEO & Co-Founder of Score Digital from Poland and participant of CXC Smart Mobility Mission to Sophia-Antipolis, hosted by SCS cluster.

2023

“I have been acquainted with new products and technologies presented by companies and startups and following the trends in mobile communications. I have had talks with representatives of organizations with the potential to develop further business opportunities and joint projects. I have established relationships with Spanish SMEs active in the field of IoT, with the potential to develop additional business opportunities. I gained a better understanding of the Spanish and European ecosystem that enables the penetration of IoT. I have learned information about EU funds supporting the future of deep technologies. I had 67 meetings during the event, 42 were relevant to my business and I am planning to sign an agreement with 2 of them”

Comicon Ltd from Bulgaria and participant of the CXC mission to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, facilitated by GAIA in February 2023. ---

“Thanks to EXCITE, MYX was a part of MWC23 and was represented by Dean Bezlov, who is head of business development and Teodor Genov – sales & business development. MYX was present for the full four days of the event, aiming to get as much benefit as possible out of it. There were a few goals for this year’s event: discovering trending innovations in the mobile world, researching new technologies that have potential use for our company and partnership opportunities, sneak peek at competition of course (which just confirmed for us that we are still a world leading company in our field) and most importantly the main focus was networking. We’ve managed to attend a number of different panels regarding the future of mobility, challenges of 5G rollout, digitalization, big data as well as support for innovations. MYX met with multiple existing partners which helped strengthen the relationship and opened the door for expanding business with them, potential clients that we started a good conversation with and laid out a solid foundation for new business, partners that will help expanding into new geographies, new and exciting technology companies that have the potential for collaboration in the future. Live meetings and presence at MWC definitely had a huge impact on the current and potential business relationships.”

MYX Robotics from Bulgaria and participant of the CXC mission to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, facilitated by GAIA in February 2023. ---

“The main benefits or Loren Networks from participation in EXCITE group exchange to Mobile World Capital were:

1. I had more than 60 meetings. Some of them were in the ICT domain, others in IoT, energy and last but not least for cooperation for EU project application.
2. We have seen the trends and novelties in the area of our operations. That led to new ideas.
3. I had several meetings to discuss Horizon Europe application, including with Frauenhoffer Institute.
4. The exhibitors’ talks were fruitful and with lots of potential. We managed to find alternative suppliers, to discuss partnership and resellers agreement.
5. The 4YFN startup event was extremely interesting. We talked with several startups and acquired from Telefonica Innovation Hub information about their innovation hub companies.”

Loren Networks from Bulgaria and participant of the CXC mission to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, facilitated by GAIA in February 2023.

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“Thanks to the mission offered by the SCS cluster, I was able to discover the microelectronics ecosystem in the Dresden region. I particularly enjoyed the visits to semiconductor factories, which gave me a real sense of the high levels of automation and cleanliness required in this sector. This mission has also enabled me to establish contacts with academics and industrialists from all over Europe with a view to future collaboration.”

M. André Bonnardot, CEO of EasyGan from France and participant of the CXC mission to Dresden, hosted by Silicon Saxony in June 2023. ---

„Generic Soft's participation at the Silicon Saxony conference was immensely beneficial. It allowed us to network with key industry players, gain insights into cutting-edge IT trends, and increase our company's visibility. The event stimulated growth, spurred innovative thinking in our team, and contributed to refining our strategies, helping us stay ahead in the competitive software industry. Engaging with an innovative community of tech enthusiasts, we dived deep into exciting new advancements, shared our unique perspectives, and learned much from the best in the industry.“

Stefan Vadev, Co-Founder & CTO of Generic Soft from Bulgaria and participant of the CXC mission to Dresden, hosted by Silicon Saxony in June 2023.

 

About EXCITE

EXCITE aims to strengthen cluster management and facilitate exchange and strategic partnership between cluster staff and cluster members by using the ClusterXchange system. ClusterXchange is a new pilot project to promote short-term exchanges to better connect industrial ecosystems in Europe. The project will focus on skills, processes and services related to digital transformation - both in terms of the cluster organisation itself and its members, to be able to support them in successfully accessing global markets.

Project Duration: 01.02.2022 – 31.01.2024

Project partners:

• Silicon Saxony (Project Coordinator)
• Cluster for Digital Transformation and Innovations
• Business Hive Vilnius Cluster
• GAIA.-Association of Knowledge and Applied Technologies industries in the Basque Country
• Mazovia Cluster ICT
• Pôle SCS