The 7 selected projects fall under diverse sectors, such as agriculture and the agro-food industry, health economy, renewable energies, and sustainable construction with wood
This morning, the Euroregion presented the 7 projects it selected from the 24 candidates to the 2nd Call 2020 for the "Economy of Knowledge" area of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Basque Country-Navarre Euroregion . The call, with a 400,000 euros budget, seeks to bring together role-model companies from an economic subsidiary or activity sector that encompasses from the "University to the company" around a project which, through a Euroregional perspective, develops synergies and complementarities between partners located in the regions of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, and the Provincial Community of Navarre.
The winning projects were announced at a digital press conference, with the attendance of Mikel Antón, director of European Affairs for the Basque Government, Mathieu Bergé, Regional Minister for the Euroregion and Cross-Border Cooperation, and Izaskun Goñi, director general of Economic, Corporate, and Labour Policy for the Government of Navarre.
The winning projects will be carried out in different sectors: aerospace-aeronautics, agro-food, health economy, renewable energies, and sustainable construction.
In the "Advanced Manufacturing - Aerospace - Aeronautics" area, the Euroregion subsidies the project VALIDDANTENNESS, consisting of ANTERAL (NAF), NAITEC (NAF), LAAM (LAAM aerospace additive manufacturing) (NOA), Fundación Centro de Tecnologías Aeronáuticas (Aeronautical Technologies Centre Foundation) CTA (NAF), Hegan Basque Aerospace Cluster (EUS), and Microlan Aerospace (NAF). Subsidies with 68,700 euros, the projects seeks to explore and validate additive antenna-metal manufacturing techniques for space applications, specifically for small satellites.
In agriculture and agro-food industry, the winning project was AGROTIC HUB, led by the Agro-Food Cluster of Navarre, NAGRIFOOD (NAF), AGRI-SUD-OUEST (NOA) and the Asociación de Clústeres de Alimentación de Euskadi (EUS) (Association of Food Clusters of the Basque Country). Having won 52,212 euros, the project will work to support the digital transformation of agro-food companies in the 3 regions by creating a hub (connection centre) of cross-border resources to bring the best innovative solutions to companies, especially SMEs.
Regarding healthcare, the Euroregion will fund BILEBANK, from the Fundación para la Investigación Médica aplicada (Foundation for Applied Medical Research) - FIMA (NAF), Miguel Servet Foundation (NAF), IIS Biocruces (EUS), and Université Bordeaux (NOA), with 68,700 euros, and
VASADIN with 57,250 euros, presented by the Asociación Instituto Biodonostia (Biodonostia Institute Association) (EUS), NAVARRABIOMED-Miguel Servet Foundation (NAF), ALLIS - NA (NOA) AUTONOM’LAB.
BILEBANK'S objective is to establish a shared, functional biobank in the Euroregion with samples of human bile, a "bilebank" to refine the processes necessary for analysis of this liquid biopsy and to reinforce scientific and technological cooperation between partners. This is a pioneer project, since it is the first European initiative to develop an international biobank for systematic collection of human bile samples.
The VASADIN project seeks to define a healthcare model for the elderly that creates value and meets real needs and provides health results that are valued by this group of the population.
The renewable energies sector is represented by two projects: RENOVABLES, led by UPV-EHU ECLEDER (EUS), BCAM (EUS), ALERION TECHNOLOGIES (EUS), UPNA – ISC (NAF), CENER (NAF), NAITEC (NAF), CATEDRA TRENT
– Sciences Po Bordeaux (NOA), INRIA (NOA), IMB (NOA); and the project HIDRO-TTIPI, by Goiener S.Coop (EUS), Nafarkoop Energía S.Coop (NAF), I-ENER SAS (NOA).
The RENOVABLES project, with a 47,449 euro subsidy, seeks to promote strategic cooperation between socioeconomic players in the Euroregion to foment a blue economy around the Gulf of Biscay. The objective is to create a hub for high-level development and training within the scope of renewable ocean energies, to become a centralized, leading driving force in this field in the Euroregion.
Regarding the HIDRO-TTIPI project, subsidised with 672,287 euros, the purpose is to conduct a precise study on the region's water mills, and to identify the 6 most suitable cases for recovery or adaptation.
Finally, in the field of sustainable construction, the ERAKUSBIDEA project received 54,410 euros. The main aim of the project, piloted by Eraikune Asociación de Clústeres de la Construcción de Euskadi (Eraikune Association of Construction Clusters of the Basque Country) (EUS), Asociación de Empresarios de la Madera de Navarra (Association of Wood Businesspeople of Navarre) - ADEMAN (NAF) and Odéys (NOA), is to promote and raise awareness of sustainable construction with wood and other natural materials in the Euroregion.
Strategic Plan of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Basque Country-Navarre Euroregion 2021-2027
The Regional Minister for the Euroregion, Mathieu Bergé, took advantage of the occasion to announce that the Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Basque Country-Navarre Euroregion has begun work to draw up its new Strategic Plan for the 2021-2027 period, whose main objectives will include sustainability, digitisation, social cohesion, employment, and more. Its completion is expected by spring of 2021.
One of this plan's new developments is that the Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Basque Country-Navarre Euroregion seeks, in addition to providing the future strategy with a highly participatory element, to involve citizens more actively. To this end, it has prepared a survey, available on its website and open to citizens to collect their comments, reflections, and contributions on the region's future challenges and priorities.
Contact: presse@euroregion-naen.eu