Meet the partners

The INL International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, located in Braga (North of Portugal) was founded by the governments of Portugal and Spain under an international legal framework to perform interdisciplinary research, deploy and articulate nanotechnology for the benefit of society. INL aims to become the world-wide hub for nanotechnology addressing society’s grand challenges. The Research and Technology activities are focused on six clusters: Health, Food, Energy, Environment, ICT and Future Emerging Technologies, which complement each other and provide a base for interdisciplinary interactions between our research. The full-fledged nanotechnology laboratory enables leading research of the highest international standard.

G.A.C. Group is an international innovation consultancy firm aiming to supports its clients and partners following the slogan Innovation & Performance for Impact. It was established in 2002 and employs 200+ specialists, spread across its headquarters in Issy-les-Moulineaux / France and several offices in France, Germany, Romania, Brazil, Canada and Singapore.
The company employs its expertise on the topics of innovation, internationalisation, networks and platforms, financial performance & human resource performance, as well as economic studies (including innovation strategies, territorial innovation development, evaluation and impact assessment). G.A.C. specialists provide a 360° support to innovation and cover the whole expansion value chain, from ideation to industrialization, from IP advice to project management, R&D public funding and new market access, from internationalisation strategy development to innovation marketing. G.A.C. works with more than 2000 clients and partners of the entire quadruple helix, supporting inter-regional and international collaboration for innovation.

TAM is a multidisciplinary engineering firm which provides high-tech and turnkey solutions in the following domains: Industry 4.0 & Robotics, Space & Defence, Security & Transport, Energy & Bio-circular economy.
Since the company establishment in 1997, we have been designing and developing innovative mechanisms, power transmission systems and mechatronic devices, supporting our customers along all stages of the product design cycle: conception, multi-physics modelling and virtual prototyping, tools and subsystem design and specification, definition of production systems and cycles, reuse and recycling. Since 2010 we have enlarged our expertise to sensors and measuring techniques as well as IoT, High Performance Computing and Cloud to support our customers moving onto the emerging Industry 4.0 paradigm. In parallel we strengthened our knowledge on smart materials, bio-based solutions, life cycle assessment and complex value-chains/business modelling, while broadening our range of activities to other sectors beyond manufacturing and automation; these include construction and built environment, critical infrastructures, automotive, space and defence, renewable energy, agro-food and waste management. The enthusiasm and the cross-sectoral experience of the personnel is our main asset jointly with our patents portfolio and our 500+ network of satisfied clients and partners across EU and beyond.

The i2CAT Foundation is a non-profit research and innovation centre that promotes mission-driven knowledge to solve business challenges, co-create solutions with a transformative impact, empower citizens through open and participative digital social innovation with territorial capillarity, and promote pioneering and strategic initiatives. i2CAT wants to lead the challenge of designing the digital society of the future based on research and innovation in advanced digital technologies. Through talent generation and cooperation with the stakeholders of the local and international digital research and innovation ecosystem, i2CAT, with the commitment of its members, envisions Catalonia as a creative, empowered, and innovative society, where knowledge and digital technology are at the service of people. i2CAT’s activities span the areas of Research, playing a key role in the EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation; Strategic Projects, leading local initiatives that strengthen the digital policies of public administration, and Technology Transfer, fostering R&D collaboration with companies to develop innovative market-oriented solutions

APRE, is a no-profit research organization created in 1989 as a joint initiative of the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) and of some public and private bodies, to meet the growing demand for information on European research programmes. First reality of its kind, APRE’ mission is to support the scientific and industrial communities along the path to Europe and beyond, by providing information, training and assistance on the Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation of the European Commission.
APRE is at the heart of a network of more than 130 members from the academia to private sector, including: public and private research centres, universities, scientific parks, public administrations, trade associations, financial bodies, chambers of commerce, technological districts, enterprises APRE has a long-lasting experience in the EC Framework Programmes, which started with the Third Framework Programme (FP3). Since then and during its almost 30 years of activities APRE has been participating to more than 150 projects co-financed by the European Commission (DG Research, DG Education, DG HOME, DG GROWTH, DG CONNECT and DG Enterprise), mainly for supporting and coordinating research in Europe and beyond through policy recommendations, organization of events and performing trainings, with a strong focus on international cooperation and stakeholder engagement. In the Seventh Framework Programme and in Horizon 2020, APRE has been appointed, by the Italian Ministry of Research, host organization of the Italian National Contact Points for all the themes and sectors.

VTT is one of Europe’s leading research institutions. We are owned by the Finnish state. We advance the utilisation and commercialisation of research and technology in commerce and society. Through scientific and technological means, we turn large global challenges into sustainable growth for businesses and society. We bring together people, business, science and technology to solve the biggest challenges of our time. This is how we create sustainable growth, jobs and wellbeing and bring exponential hope.