AEI TÈXTILS is the Catalan cluster of advanced textile materials with a nonprofit association structure, formed by companies in the value chain of the advanced textile materials sector in Catalonia and other organizations supporting innovation.

Its mission is to promote innovation with the aim of improving the competitiveness of its members, as well as cooperation, complementarity and communication among them. It works in 4 strategic lines: Innovation to promote technological innovation and new business models as a driver of growth and competitiveness of SMEs in the sector while facilitating cooperations among partners and with other innovative systems. Internationalization of the cluster’s innovative SMEs, facilitating their access to international markets and global value chains through the establishment of technological and commercial partnerships. Skills to accelerate strategic and technological capabilities and attract talent to drive innovation and resilient growth in the sector. And, business development to position the Catalan sector at the forefront of innovation, increasing the visibility of partners and boosting the high added value of their products at a global level through strategic communication. In addition, the cluster has 4 transversal axes: sustainability, digitalization, network & multisectoral. 

Corallia is a think tank, incubator, entrepreneurship accelerator, and multi-cluster facilitator established in 2005 as a Unit of the Athena Research Centre with a vision “to underpin a European ecosystem with the right framework conditions to allow sciences, innovation, and entrepreneurship to flourish” and has played a key role in the development of the European startup ecosystem. Corallia has supported up to date more than 500 innovative enterprises, of all sizes, to grow internationally, of which more than 300 new startups. More than 10.000 people and organisations have directly benefited from our activities, including would-be-entrepreneurs, startups, SMEs, large corporations, pupils and students, while the indirect beneficiaries exceed 100.000 civilians and organisations.

Main achievements up to date: the foundation of 3 hi-tech Clusters with more than 175 members, the si-Cluster (Space Technologies and Applications Cluster); the mi-Cluster (Nano/Microelectronics-based Systems and Applications Cluster); and the gi-Cluster(Gaming and Creative Technologies & Applications Cluster); the establishment of ESA BIC Greece in cooperation with ESA and the Ministry of Digital Governance; the establishment of the most prominent business accelerator in South-East Europe, the egg (enter-grow-go), in cooperation with Eurobank (30+ startups/ year); the delivery of the hugest youth entrepreneurship programme in Greece, STARTAB (Start A Business), in cooperation with Prince’s Trust International (200+ new entrepreneurs-to-be/ year); the operation of the Innovation Hub of Athens (Corallia has previously established two other innohubs, one in Athens, and one in Patras, and has been awarded with the EBN EU|BIC certificate in 2014); the participation in many EC-funded projects aiming to develop new value chains and the organisation of major hackathons with many success stories.

Science Park Graz (SPG) is the reference Business Incubator of the Austrian public incubator start- up network (AplusB) and the manager of ESA Space Solutions Centre Austria, which hosts ESA Business Incubation Centre Austria (ESA BIC Austria). Since 2002, SPG is the driving force of the development of successful start- ups from the academic world. SPG is furthermore a key partner for more than 300 start-ups and entrepreneurial projects in Graz, Styria and in Southeast Europe, providing coaching, access to business and technical networks, funding and office accommodation. SPG also nurtures strong connections to various national organizations and agencies within the start-up ecosystem in Austria that are beneficial to the development and establishment of the start-ups we support.

Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) is a public scientific-technological university which trains engineers, architects and industrial designers.

The University has always focused on the quality and innovation of its teaching and research, developing a fruitful relationship with business and productive world by means of experimental research and technological transfer.

The alliance with the industrial world, in many cases favored by Fondazione Politecnico and by consortiums to which Politecnico belong, allows the university to follow the vocation of the territories in which it operates and to be a stimulus for their development.

Politecnico takes part in several research, sites and training projects collaborating with the most qualified European universities. Politecnico’s contribution is increasingly being extended to other countries: from North America to Southeast Asia to Eastern Europe. Today the drive to internationalization sees Politecnico Milano taking part into the European and world network of leading technical universities and it offers several exchange and double degree opportunities and a wide range of degree programmes entirely taught in English.

Construction Cluster of Slovenia (CCS) is an active participant in EU research and development projects, skills development project and technology transfer projects. CSS started as a construction cluster and through transformation developed services which could help organizations in each sector. CCS offers workshops for Business model innovation, which is a new competitive advantage (including for Circular Economy and commercialization of Innovation).