These events aim to connect
SMEs from different European regions to share their needs and problems
(previously presented in the way of project concepts), identify common points
and serve as a starting point for the promotion of potential joint
collaborative projects. The first of these events, focused on robotics and
artificial intelligence, was organized by CIAC (Clúster de la Indústria de l'Automoció de Catalunya), with the participation of more
than 20 representatives coming both from the consortium partners (ACB, CIAC,
PVF, CEAGA, AC Serbia and SA&AM), and regional SMEs involved in this
European project.
The first day of the event started with a visit
to Erni Consulting España, to show their innovation projects in the area of
collaborative robotics and artificial intelligence. Then, the group had the
opportunity to attend a presentation on artificial intelligence by the Computer
Vision Centre. But one of the most interesting points in the agenda was
undoubtedly the organization of a workshop on project concepts. The aim of this
dynamic, moderated by Pol Hortal from First Venturing, expert in corporate
innovation strategies, was to work in groups to go deeper into five specific
project ideas, with the presence of their leading companies and other SMEs,
identifying risks, challenges as well as the possible roadmap to implement the
technological solution required.
The second day of the event took place at the Nissan Brand Centre, where this OEM could talk about its collaboration with Gestamp, Snop, Faurecia, Tecnomatrix and Eurecat in terms of quality control and data exchange. Presentations about big data, blockchain and 3d printing were made. At the end of these speeches, the cluster representatives and the SMEs involved in the EACN project worked together again trying to look for synergies among the project concepts presented the day before. As a result of that, two big joint collaborative projects arose, and the companies involved in each of these groups had to define the main actions in common to be carried out.
In the following months, two other matchmaking events will be organized: one in Poland, focused on process virtualisation and another one in Mulhouse, in the field of elasticity.
