The European project AS TRANSFER, led by Bilbao Ekintza, has been approved by the URBACT programme for transfer mechanisms (UTM) with a total budget of €502,825, 70% co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
The aim of this UTM call is to support the transfer of innovation from projects financed by the UIA (Urban Innovative Actions) initiative. On this occasion, five success stories of European cities, including Bilbao, will be discussed in order to transfer these cases to other cities immersed in similar processes.
The UIA initiative that will be transferred in the case of Bilbao is AS FABRIK, an initiative whose objective is to improve the competitiveness of local companies and the consolidation of Zorrotzaurre as an innovative ecosystem of reference in the field of advanced services, mainly the digital economy, for Industry 4.0. The experiences and learning acquired during the course of AS FABRIK will be transferred and shared with the European partner cities of the project: Tartu (ES), Timisoara (RO) and Bielsko-Biala (PL).
The programme has two dimensions of work; the transnational and the local dimension. The transnational level covers the exchange and learning activities between the 4 partner cities that make up the European network of this project, through 5 transnational meetings. On the local level, each of the partner cities will set up a Local Level Group (ULG) that will try to address the digitisation of industry from a local perspective and adapted to the circumstances of the city’s own situation. The progress of this experience will feed into the transnational discussion.
The deliverables of the project will consist of a final report of the European network and an Investment Plan for each of the cities that make up the AS TRANSFER network.
The project has a duration of 18 months, ending in September 2022.