Antonio Novo, President of the Spanish Cluster Federation and Managing Director of the IDiA cluster, has been re-elected as President of the European Clusters Alliance (ECA). Kristina Sermuksnyte-Alesiuniene of the AgriFood Lithuania cluster is the new vice president, and Montse Daban of the Council of European BioRegions (CEBR) becomes a member of the board of directors.

The PENELOPE Project consortium met for the second project meeting in Yecla (Spain) on 21 and 22 September 2023. The European experiences on gender equality were analysed and combined with intensive research that led to the design of 18 tools for a gender mainstreaming approach. The AMUEBLA Cluster of Innovation for Furniture Manufacturers in the Region of Murcia hosted the meeting.

The programme advisory committee advises the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the project management agency VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH, which is responsible for programme management, on the strategic and operational implementation of the “go-cluster” programme. The three positions reserved for cluster managers, which rotate every two years, were recently filled. The programme support group is now starting with the new members.

With the recent signing of a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), “go-cluster” member Cluster Elektromobilitaet Sued-West strengthens the cooperation and networking of its members and partners from Baden-Wuerttemberg with stakeholders of the automotive ecosystem in Ontario, Canada. This will intensify the long-standing partnership and cooperation between the two regions and strengthen their leadership position in the international automotive and mobility sector.

Several Hamburg members of the “go-cluster” programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) presented themselves at the Citizens’ Festival in Hamburg on German Unity Day. Under the motto “Opening Horizons”, the “Cross-Cluster Space Hamburg” (CCS) organised the “Magic Future” exhibition, which impressively convinced visitors of the region’s innovation and future potential.

The technology magazine NEXT is a successful publication of Silicon Saxony, a member of the “go-cluster” programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). It provides information on trends and developments in the fields of microelectronics, software, skilled workers, smart systems as well as entrepreneurship, thus creating an in-depth understanding of the association's top issues – and the basis for new cooperations.

The “go-cluster” member CyberForum e. V., under the leadership of the FZI Research Center for Information Technology, supports small and medium-sized enterprises in combating cybercrime with the “Cyberwehr” project. Via a telephone hotline, SMEs throughout Baden-Wuerttemberg receive free initial advice on assessing an IT security incident and further support from cybersecurity experts in the event of an actual attack. The “Cyberwehr” project, which is unique in Germany, was chosen as ClusterERFOLG of the Year 2023 at this year’s “go-cluster” annual conference.

The “go-cluster”-members Energy Saxony and HZwo hosted the Clean Hydrogen Convention 2023 discussion platform, together with partners. The conference combined discussions, a trade show, B2B sessions and a networking event. About 500 international research institutions, experts and companies took part.

Approximately 1,200 people took part in the EU Industry Days 2023 – both on site in Málaga (Spain) and online. Once again, the EU Industry Days provided a platform for stakeholders to share their views with EU policymakers.

Together with six member companies, Silicon Saxony took part in the “Electronic Based Systems/Silicon Alps Region” business trip from 11 to 13 October 2023. The mission in Silicon Saxony’s partner network Silicon Alps brought together experts from various fields, including microelectronics, sensor technology, cybersecurity and power electronics.

This years’ European SME Week features several events highlighting the importance of SMEs for Europe’s economy. The SME Week will be held from 13 to 17 November 2023 in Bilbao, Basque Country (Spain). It is a pan-European campaign that aims to promote entrepreneurship in Europe.

At Manufacturing Day Ukraine on 30 November 2023, interested parties can meet representatives from industry, SMEs, start-ups, research, science and politics. The event, supported by the European Union, will take place in the Solomonovo Industrial Park in the Uzhgorod region of Ukraine.

The Bavarian Cluster Power Electronics organizes the third international networking event of the European Sustainable Energy Cluster partnership for Africa (ESECA). It takes place from 6 to 8 December 2023 in conjunction with Offgrid-Expo/Conference in Augsburg.