SUSTAIN Eurocluster Webinar Illuminates EU Funding Pathways for Clusters

Today, the SUSTAIN Eurocluster project consortium hosted an enlightening webinar, focusing on the diverse funding opportunities offered by the European Union to clusters. The event aimed to equip clusters with the knowledge and tools needed to harness EU funds, thereby driving innovation and promoting sustainable development.

The webinar kicked off with a detailed session led by Gabriela Espinosa Porragas, Business Developer at the Energy Research Institute of Catalonia Foundation (IREC). Gabriela provided a thorough introduction to Horizon Europe, the EU’s key funding program for research and innovation. She outlined specific funding opportunities available for clusters, emphasizing how these funds can be pivotal in fostering groundbreaking projects.

Gabriela also delved into the LIFE programs, which support environmental and climate action initiatives. She offered practical guidance on the application process, sharing best practices and recommendations to help clusters maximize their chances of securing funding.

The second half of the webinar featured an engaging presentation by Montse Centellas, an international consultant INDESCAT. Montse introduced the INSHAPE project, a transformative initiative aimed at fostering European interregional innovation in sport and healthy lifestyles. The project seeks to establish a European innovation center dedicated to accelerating investments in SMEs within the sports sector.

Montse highlighted the project’s specific objectives, which include:

• Investing in flagship SMEs to support their market entry.
• Identifying and involving over twenty SMEs through a cascade financing scheme.
• Strengthening the digitization of SMEs to facilitate interregional innovation.
• Developing inter-regional innovation hubs in sports and technology, with the ultimate goal of making the INSHAPE hub a self-sustaining European competence center.

The INSHAPE project is a collaborative effort involving twenty entities from the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Hungary, and Spain, including notable partners such as Stichting Sports and Technology and the Catalan Association of the Sports Industry Cluster (INDESCAT). The webinar also shed light on the I3 Instrument work programme, designed to promote innovation through smart specialization and interregional collaboration. This program is structured into two main strands:

• Strand 1: Provides financial and advisory support for mature partnerships, helping them accelerate the market uptake and scale-up of innovative solutions.
• Strand 2a: Focuses on enhancing the capacity of regional innovation ecosystems in less developed regions, enabling them to participate in global value chains and form partnerships with other regions.

Today’s webinar successfully highlighted the breadth and depth of EU funding opportunities available to clusters. By focusing on programs like Horizon Europe and the I3 Instrument, the event underscored the importance of interregional collaboration and innovation in driving sustainable development. The INSHAPE project was showcased as a shining example of how targeted investments can stimulate growth in the sports and health sectors, ultimately promoting healthier, more active lifestyles across Europe.