Periodic Reporting for period 2 - In Transit (Strengthening the resilience of textile, aerospace, and construction SMEs to transition towards greener and more digital sectors with social and business innovation)
Berichtszeitraum: 2024-06-01 bis 2025-11-30
In Transit aims to strengthen the resilience of SMEs in the textile, aerospace, advanced manufacturing and construction sectors by promoting greener and more digital business models. This was achieved through a mixed support mechanism that includes individual assessment, lump sum grants, and coaching to ensure sustainability and consolidation.
European industries are undergoing significant transformations due to digitalization, automation, and the shift towards a knowledge-based economy. The rapid pace of technological change presents both opportunities and challenges for industries. Companies need to adopt new technologies to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and innovate their products and services.Industries must transition to greener operations, balancing economic growth with environmental stewardship while ensuring social inclusion and equitable growth is crucial for maintaining social stability and economic prosperity.
Overall Objectives
In Transit project aims to support European industries through their transitions by:
- Supporting the Objectives of the European Green Deal and EU SME Strategy, through innovative new business models.
- Facilitating the green, social and economic transition of SMEs as a path towards building a more resilient European industry.
- Fostering cross-regional and cross-sectoral links. Creating platforms for knowledge sharing and collaboration between industry stakeholders. In Transit has created an open online collaborative platform with 333 innovation actors from the four selected sectors. This platform serves as a space for sharing best practices and as a matchmaking system for new ideas in innovation and the circular economy, fostering new collaboration partnerships.
European industries are undergoing significant transformations due to digitalization, automation, and the shift towards a knowledge-based economy. The rapid pace of technological change presents both opportunities and challenges for industries. Companies need to adopt new technologies to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and innovate their products and services.Industries must transition to greener operations, balancing economic growth with environmental stewardship while ensuring social inclusion and equitable growth is crucial for maintaining social stability and economic prosperity.
Overall Objectives
In Transit project aims to support European industries through their transitions by:
- Supporting the Objectives of the European Green Deal and EU SME Strategy, through innovative new business models.
- Facilitating the green, social and economic transition of SMEs as a path towards building a more resilient European industry.
- Fostering cross-regional and cross-sectoral links. Creating platforms for knowledge sharing and collaboration between industry stakeholders. In Transit has created an open online collaborative platform with 333 innovation actors from the four selected sectors. This platform serves as a space for sharing best practices and as a matchmaking system for new ideas in innovation and the circular economy, fostering new collaboration partnerships.
In Transit project is structured as a pathway around four main activities: Incubate, Innovate, Develop and Scale-up. Each stage includes a series of events and initiatives designed to support industrial transitions and foster innovation.
Incubate was focused on providing foundational support and creating opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Under Incubate we organised 4 Clarifying Regional Workshops, 2 matchmaking events and 4 LEs. These workshops were designed to clarify regional needs and opportunities, setting the stage for effective collaboration and innovation.
Matchmaking Events:
- 1st Matchmaking in Barcelona (May 2023): An event that brought together various stakeholders to explore potential partnerships and collaborations.
- 2nd Matchmaking in Graz (May 2024): Another opportunity for networking and establishing connections between different industry players.
4 Learning Expeditions (LEs):
- Ljubljana, Slovenia (January 2024): it provided firsthand insights into regional industrial practices and innovation.
- Seville, Spain (February 2024): it aimed at fostering learning and collaboration through on-site visits and interactions with the aerospace and advance manufacturing industry.
- Barcelona, Spain (12–13 November, 2024), focused on advanced and smart textile materials.
- Athens, Greece (19–20 November, 2024), covered aerospace, construction, textile and advanced manufacturing sectors.
61 SMEs received travel vouchers to participate in the matchmaking events and LEs.
Innovate is dedicated to supporting SMEs through coaching and funding opportunities. We launched two calls receiving 141proposals and 100 SMEs were selected to participate in the programme. The selected SMEs benefited from coaching topics, with a mix of 10 group sessions and 9 individual coaching sessions. The services included assisted self-assessment, circular/digital diagnostics, coaching/training at strategic level, and support in preparing a Develop proposal. 23 of them succeed in the Develop calls, receiving bonuses for their participation.
Develop aims to advance selected projects through targeted coaching and financial support. We launched two calls and 349 proposals were submitted, demonstrating strong interest and participation. 43 projects involving 61 SMEs were selected for funding. These companies received FSTP and coaching sessions to support their project development and go-to-market strategies through different coaching topics.
The Scale-up offers additional customised services for the new business models, leveraging additional funds and bridge with investors in the Final event . Capital raised by SMEs from private or public sources of 4,875M€
A total of 608 SMEs had directly benefited from the action and near 1200 indirectly.
Project activities and results have being intensively disseminated and communicated via the website (with 4,000 users) and social media (with 854 LinkedIn followers) by all partners, greatly contributing to the project's successful implementation.
Incubate was focused on providing foundational support and creating opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Under Incubate we organised 4 Clarifying Regional Workshops, 2 matchmaking events and 4 LEs. These workshops were designed to clarify regional needs and opportunities, setting the stage for effective collaboration and innovation.
Matchmaking Events:
- 1st Matchmaking in Barcelona (May 2023): An event that brought together various stakeholders to explore potential partnerships and collaborations.
- 2nd Matchmaking in Graz (May 2024): Another opportunity for networking and establishing connections between different industry players.
4 Learning Expeditions (LEs):
- Ljubljana, Slovenia (January 2024): it provided firsthand insights into regional industrial practices and innovation.
- Seville, Spain (February 2024): it aimed at fostering learning and collaboration through on-site visits and interactions with the aerospace and advance manufacturing industry.
- Barcelona, Spain (12–13 November, 2024), focused on advanced and smart textile materials.
- Athens, Greece (19–20 November, 2024), covered aerospace, construction, textile and advanced manufacturing sectors.
61 SMEs received travel vouchers to participate in the matchmaking events and LEs.
Innovate is dedicated to supporting SMEs through coaching and funding opportunities. We launched two calls receiving 141proposals and 100 SMEs were selected to participate in the programme. The selected SMEs benefited from coaching topics, with a mix of 10 group sessions and 9 individual coaching sessions. The services included assisted self-assessment, circular/digital diagnostics, coaching/training at strategic level, and support in preparing a Develop proposal. 23 of them succeed in the Develop calls, receiving bonuses for their participation.
Develop aims to advance selected projects through targeted coaching and financial support. We launched two calls and 349 proposals were submitted, demonstrating strong interest and participation. 43 projects involving 61 SMEs were selected for funding. These companies received FSTP and coaching sessions to support their project development and go-to-market strategies through different coaching topics.
The Scale-up offers additional customised services for the new business models, leveraging additional funds and bridge with investors in the Final event . Capital raised by SMEs from private or public sources of 4,875M€
A total of 608 SMEs had directly benefited from the action and near 1200 indirectly.
Project activities and results have being intensively disseminated and communicated via the website (with 4,000 users) and social media (with 854 LinkedIn followers) by all partners, greatly contributing to the project's successful implementation.
In Transit project is poised to deliver significant impacts across multiple dimensions, particularly in terms of economic growth, innovation, digital transformation, sustainability, and social inclusion in the textile, aerospace, construction and Advanced manufacturing sectors.
An analysis of 43 projects (with detailed data available for 39) funded through the DEVELOP calls highlights several strong trends and achievements:
- 65.1% of projects introduced new technologies, showing that European SMEs are actively embracing innovation to boost efficiency and remain competitive.
- 37.2% of projects focused on creating new value chains, reflecting a growing shift toward circular economy models and resource-efficient processes that align with the European Green Deal.
- 23.3% of projects developed new business models, helping SMEs explore alternative strategies to improve flexibility and resilience in changing markets.
- 18.6% of projects integrated artificial intelligence (AI), underlining the increasing importance of digital tools to enhance decision-making, efficiency, and sustainability.
An analysis of 43 projects (with detailed data available for 39) funded through the DEVELOP calls highlights several strong trends and achievements:
- 65.1% of projects introduced new technologies, showing that European SMEs are actively embracing innovation to boost efficiency and remain competitive.
- 37.2% of projects focused on creating new value chains, reflecting a growing shift toward circular economy models and resource-efficient processes that align with the European Green Deal.
- 23.3% of projects developed new business models, helping SMEs explore alternative strategies to improve flexibility and resilience in changing markets.
- 18.6% of projects integrated artificial intelligence (AI), underlining the increasing importance of digital tools to enhance decision-making, efficiency, and sustainability.