• They have devised everything from bottle reuse projects in the wine sector to the development of sustainable packaging for frozen products, as well as the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in industrial processes.

The Agency for Business Competitiveness (ACCIÓ) of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Ministerio d'Industria y Turismo have this year made available to the accredited clusters of their respective programs (Catalonia Clusters and Agrupaciones Empresariales Innoavdoras) a total of close to €13 million to promote innovation and competitiveness improvement projects by member companies of the accredited clusters. The aim of these aid programs is to strengthen the competitiveness of the business fabric.

On the part of the ACCIO program (Competitiveness Strengthening Initiatives, IRC), the subsidies are divided into two main lines, the first, "Competitive business strengthening", aimed at projects led by clusters with companies from all over the territory, and the second line, "Strengthening business competitiveness in nuclear zones", aimed at impacting the southern part of the country to diversify its economic fabric and create new development opportunities. On the other hand, on the part of the Ministry's program (Agrupaciones Empresariales Innoavdoras, AEI) the objective is to improve the competitiveness of SMEs, with a special emphasis on digital technology projects.

The calls for subsidies by ACCIÓ and the Ministry of Industry for 2024 represent a key opportunity for clusters and companies that wish to strengthen their competitiveness.

10 Projects with the collaboration of 64 entities, companies with 22 participating partners

The cluster has presented 10 innovative projects in collaboration with 64 entities, companies and 22 partners, with a strong focus on cross-sectoral collaboration. The projects cover sectors such as wine, meat, food, furniture and digital, demonstrating a clear commitment to sustainability, efficiency and technological innovation. With a total presented budget of 1.8 million euros, public aid of 1.3 million euros has been requested through the AEI funding lines of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, and the IRC of ACCIÓ.

Initiatives include everything from the reuse of bottles in the wine sector to the development of sustainable packaging for frozen products, as well as the application of artificial intelligence in industrial processes. It is expected that the resolution of the funding requests will be announced in the fall of 2024, with the implementation of the projects scheduled for the year 2025. This will allow the participating entities and companies to adopt new technologies and assess the impact of these innovations in their respective industries.

This initiative consolidates the cluster as a key player in the promotion of strategic projects that promote competitiveness, innovation and sustainability in various industrial sectors, reinforcing its leadership role in public-private collaboration and in the transformation of the business fabric.

Packaging Cluster promotes R+D+I projects at national and international level, promoting synergies and the creation of consortia with complementary companies and knowledge centers, offering comprehensive management of each project, with the aim of improving competitiveness.



The Packaging Cluster

The Packaging Cluster is a non-profit organization that was established in 2012 by several Catalan companies and that today brings together more than 140 active members among companies, knowledge centers and entities that represent the entire value chain of the packaging sector. packaging and packaging. The main objective of the entity is to help the competitive improvement of the companies that make it up, in order to solve the challenges of the current context, promote innovation and generate new business opportunities.