EACN: The European Automotive Cluster Network organizes its first General Assembly

20 January 2021. The European Automotive Cluster Network (EACN) has been initiated in 2016 by nine clusters to strengthen collaboration between European automotive clusters and their members with a focus on industrial modernisation. EACN aims at helping strengthening the European automotive industry and contributing to make it greener, more digital and more resilient.

The partners successfully collaborated in the ESCP-S3 project “EACN for Joint Industrial Modernisation Investments”, that had been co-funded by the COSME programme of the European Union and ended in January 2021. In 2019 EACN opened to other automotive clusters. EACN clusters joined forces to support their members during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and to develop a joint vision for the European automotive industry.

With the end of the ESCP-S3 project, 17 European automotive clusters from 10 European countries decided to continue and to intensify their cooperation. A new organisation with a clear governance structure has been set up with a General Assembly, an Executive Board, a Secretary General and five operational working groups.

The first EACN General Assembly was held on 20 January 2021, with the attendance of all 17 clusters that had previously signed their commitment to this network. The network will be represented by the following elected members of the Executive Board:

• Bruno Grandjean, Deputy General Manager, Pôle Véhicule du Futur (France) as President
• Alberto Cominges, Cluster Manager, Galician Automotive Cluster CEAGA (Spain) as Vice-President
• Paul Butler, CEO, NEAA North East Automotive Alliance, (UK)
• ?ukasz Górecki, Cluster Manager, Silesia Automotive & Advanced Manufacturing (Poland)
• Fernando Machado, Cluster Manager, Automobile Cluster of Portugal MOBINOV (Portugal)
• Josep Nadal, Cluster Manager, CIAC Automotive Industry Cluster of Catalonia (Spain)

Partners decided to launch working groups and start collaboration on the topics Industrial modernisation/Industry 4.0/digital transformation, supply chain, skills and competences, clean, connected and autonomous vehicles, and mobility.

The 17 members of EACN are:

• Aria Haut-de-France, France
• Autoklastr, Czech Republic
• Automotive Cluster Bulgaria, Bulgaria
• CARA European Cluster for Mobility Solutions, France
• Clúster de la Indústria d’Automoció de Catalunya CIAC, Spain
• East Automotive Alliance, Poland
• Eskisehir Chamber of Industry Automotive Cluster, Turkey
• Galician Automotive Cluster CEAGA, Spain
• Mobinov, Portugal
• NextMove, France
• North East Automotive Alliance NEAA, United Kingdom
• PGM Polish Automotive Group, Poland
• Pôle Véhicule du Futur, France
• Serbian Automotive Cluster, Serbia
• Silesian Automotive & Advanced Manufacturing Cluster, Poland
• Ukrainian Automotive Cluster, Ukraine
• Valencian Automotive Cluster AVIA, Spain

The European Automotive Cluster Alliance is open for further members.

For further information:
Contact: info@eacn-initiative.eu
ESCP-S3 project website: www.eacn-initiative.eu