European Strategic Cluster Partnership for Advanced Smart Packaging
AdPack²

Summary and objectives

Summary

The purpose of this project is to foster cross-sectoral cooperation between the European clusters in the partnership and their SME  members, as well as to support their SME members in going international and positioning them in the advanced smart packaging global value chain.

This will be done through the establishment of an ESCP formed by 6 European clusters which bring together different competencies to apply a cross-sectoral approach for the development of the advanced smart packaging global value chain. In this regard, the partnership brings together clusters involved with the final product (packaging), the application market (food), cross-cutting technology clusters (nanotechnologies, microelectronics, software, telecommunications and plasma technologies) and new materials (plastics, polymers and biopolymers). The partnership clusters aim to cooperate in order to implement their joint internationalisation strategy towards defined target third countries (Canada, China and United States) and support AdPack2 SME members in establishing cooperation with relevant counterparts in the target countries.

Therefore, the project includes the following activities:

• Training and knowledge sharing actions to prepare SMEs to go international
• Activities fostering cooperation between partnership SMEs contributing to decrease sectoral boundaries
• Establishment of cooperation agreements with international business and research intermediaries in target countries
• Implementation of fact-finding and business internationalisation missions
• Establishment of ambassadors in target markets, to provide high added value services to AdPack2 SMEs
• Support the establishment of business partnership agreements to develop joint collaborative projects between the partnership SME members and business and other relevant stakeholders from third countries
• Developing the exit strategy in order to continue internationalization support activities after the project lifetime

​General purpose of AdPack²

The general purpose of AdPack² is to foster cross-sectoral cooperation between the European clusters in the partnership and their SME members, as well as to support their SME members in going international and positioning them in the advanced smart packaging global value chain. This will be done through the establishment of a European Strategic Cluster Partnership (ESCP) formed by 6 European clusters from sectors linked to the smart packaging value chain, that aim to cooperate in order to implement their joint internationalisation strategy towards defined target third countries (Canada, China and United States). This general purpose will be achieved through the following specific objectives.

Specific objectives of AdPack²

• Specific objective 1: To prepare AdPack² SMEs to go international through training and knowledge sharing actions
• Specific objective 2: To foster cooperation between partnership SME members; thus, contributing to decrease sectoral  boundaries
• Specific objective 3: To establish cooperation agreements with international business and research intermediaries in each target country
• Specific objective 4: To establish an internationalisation ambassador in each target country
• Specific objective 5: To support the establishment of business partnership agreements to develop joint collaborative  projects between the partnership SME members and business and other relevant stakeholders from third countries
• Specific objective 6: To develop a long-term exit strategy that ensures the sustainability of the internationalisation support services after the end of AdPack² project