HempCluB Project

The Competent and Connected Clusters Unfold the Hemp Industry Potential for the European Bioeconomy (HempCluB) project is an EU COSME project coordinated by LGCA bringing together 7 clusters and association operating in the primary hemp production, bioeconomy, mechatronics and green chemistry sectors from Italy, Czech Republic, Romania, Austria and Portugal. HempCluB project works to unlock the potential of hemp by creating EU value chains for biobased applications and new business opportunities for primary producers and chemical companies. With its unique chemical properties, environmental benefits, high yield and wide range of applications, hemp is a valuable crop for the bioeconomy, contributing to achieving climate neutrality, although still representing a niche crop in Europe.

As a “European Strategic Cluster Partnership”, HempCluB promotes collaboration, synchronised strategies, and encourages innovative interregional investments to enhance cluster excellence. Through mutual learning and SMEs and other stakeholders’ mobility, HempCluB aims to unlock the biomass exploitation potential supporting the ClusterXchange scheme’s implementation.

 

Objectives

The specific objectives of the HempCluB partnership are:

  • Improve the management skills of cluster managers through a multidisciplinary training course that will involve at least 14 managers functional to achieving the Cluster Excellence Label certification for at least 4 clusters.
  • Strengthen cluster excellence capacity by improving the portfolio of business support services. At least 14 new services will be developed involving a minimum of 300 EU SMEs.
  • Facilitate B2B and C2C collaborative activities to strengthen interregional strategies for the bioeconomy, defining 20 new interregional cooperation projects and creating 2 value chains in the hemp sector.
  • Organisation of at least 80 ClusterXchange opportunities as short-term exchanges to enhance collaboration and networking activities between European organisations.
  • Promote internationalisation, technology and knowledge transfer through the activation of new opportunities for growth and capacity of excellence for clusters and their members.

 

ClusterXchange

ClusterXchange is a new pilot scheme to support short-term exchanges to better connect Europe’s industrial ecosystems. It facilitates transnational cooperation, peer learning, networking and innovation uptake between actors of different industrial clusters.

In this context, HempClub aims at implementing the ClusterXchange IT digital tool to connect different actors in the hemp-based value chain and favour exchanges of good practices and knowledge. The project will carry out at least 80 short term exchanges involving SMEs,  scale supports organizations, training providers, public authorities and big companies involved or interested in the hemp sector. Short-term exchanges are defined as temporary exchanges between a visiting and a host organization belonging to different COSME participating countries. Exchanges will include several activities such as on-the-job-training for visiting participants, sharing of information and experience between visiting organisation and host organisation, enhancing market access and identification of potential partners for new cluster organisations and other scaling-up support scaling-up support organisations, supporting the networking between clusters, supporting strategies and activities of the Partnership. Most of these exchanges will have a duration of five working days with a distance between the two involved organisations more than 200 kilometres. A lump sum will be provided to support accommodation and living costs during the exchange.

 

If you want to know more about the project and stay updated on upcoming scheduled Exchanges visit the website and follow us on social media:

If you are interested in taking part to ClusterXchange mobility scheme, contact us: hempclubeu@gmail.com

 

Details

  • Budget: 578.972,48 €
  • Grant: 426.976,00 €
  • Project duration: 24 months
  • Start date: 1st February 2022
  • Coordinating organisation: Lombardy Green Chemistry Association (IT)
  • Number of partners: 7, Lombardy Green Chemistry Association (IT), Czech Hemp Cluster (CZ), Federcanapa (IT), Asociatia Ind-agro-pol (RO), Produtech-associacao Para As Tecnologias De Producao Sustentavel (PT), Spring Sustainable Processes And Resources For Innovation And National Growth (IT), Standortagentur Tirol Gmbh (AT).

 

Co-funded by the COSME programme of the European Union

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