The HempClub project, funded by the COSME Programme, brings together 7 clusters and association operating in the bioeconomy, advanced manufacturing and hemp production sectors to create interconnected and interregional supply chains between operators in primary production, agri-food processing and green chemistry by strengthening industrial symbiosis and sustainable and renewable business models in the hemp sector.
|
|
|
Why hemp?
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. Furthermore, hemp is a versatile biomass with many applications especially in the chemical sector for the production of insulators, biocomposites, textiles, and nutraceuticals.
|
|
|
The context
With a turnover of 2,2 trillion euros and a created value added up to 614 billion, bioeconomy represents a strategic economic orientation for the European Commission commitments from the COP21 (Paris Climate Conference) and its Green Deal. In 2017, the EU bioeconomy sector employed 17,5 million people which represents 8.9% of the total labor force. In a world facing major environmental threats, bioeconomy can support the transition to sustainable, environmentally friendly, and resource-friendly production and consumption models.
|
|
Our objectives
- Improve the management skills of cluster managers.
- Strengthen cluster excellence capacity by improving the portfolio of business support services.
- Facilitate B2B and C2C collaborative activities to strengthen interregional strategies for the bioeconomy
- 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.
|
|
Go green with hemp |
|
|
Meet our partners
The project, coordinated by Lombardy Green Chemistry Association, brings together 7 clusters and associations operating in the primary hemp production, bioeconomy, mechatronics, green chemistry from Italy, the Czech Republic, Romania, Austria and Portugal. |
|
|
Clusters united for EU bioeconomy development
- 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.
- ClusterXChange helps boost learning and innovation-oriented activities with the view to increase the competitiveness of European SMEs.
- 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 and belonging to a COSME participating country.
- 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.
- 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.
|
|
Website
Our brand-new website is available online at: http://hempclubproject.com
Discover more about our project, objectives and achievements and stay updated on HempClub news, events and exchange initiatives.
|
|
|
CXC opportunities organized by the Partnership
|
|
To know more about the exchange programme and register to the event click here.
|
|
|
|
Co-funded by the COSME programme of the European Union
|
|
|
|
