Bridge & Shift

📢 LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER! The automotive industry is transforming fast. Electrification, digitalisation, rising energy costs - the pressure is real. The funding to help? It's there. But most companies never tap into it. Not because they don't qualify. Because the EU funding landscape is overwhelming, the information is scattered, and nobody has time to decode it between running their actual business. We're changing that. On 14 October, we're launching the Bridge & Shift funding series with a free webinar that cuts through the noise: 🔹 Which EU programmes actually exist for automotive companies 🔹 Who they're designed for - from R&D to production upgrades 🔹 How the application process really works 🔹 What separates winning proposals from rejected ones Our speaker Ivan Filus (EIC NCP, EEN) has helped 50+ startups secure over €32 million in grants. He'll share what works - and what's a waste of your time. 📅 14 October 2026 🕙 10:00–12:00 CEST 💻 Online | Free of charge Whether you're a supplier, R&D manager, innovation lead, or SME planning your next investment - this one's for you. Register now 👇 https://lnkd.in/dtQApXGa #Automotive #EUFunding #Innovation #Electrification #AutomotiveIndustry #Grants #SME #BridgeAndShift --- Autoklastr | INOVATO | EIT Manufacturing | Wirtschaftsförderung Raum Heilbronn GmbH | MSIC - Moravskoslezské inovační centrum | Clúster de Automoción y Movilidad de Aragón

Competing regions? Not anymore. Five clusters, one strategy consolidated on three productive days in Zaragoza: the Bridge & Shift General Assembly 🚗⚙️ From 22 to 24 September, the Bridge & Shift consortium met in Zaragoza for its General Assembly. Our host was #CAAR - Clúster de Automoción y Movilidad de Aragón. CAAR's members include vehicle and component manufacturers, engineering firms, technology centres and universities. What we did together: 🔹 Current status of the project. We reviewed progress across the work packages and updated the overall work plan. This covered the regional innovation strategies, action plans and policy recommendations, and the joint project. 🔹 Learned from each other. We held joint learning sessions and interregional twinning. CAAR member companies Asai, Mecanus Innovacion and Circe shared success stories and talked about the challenges facing the sustainable mobility value chain. 🔹 Dived into interactive workshops. Together with AUREN, we explored interregional value chains. We also held a joint learning activity with CAAR and planned the next working group sessions on cluster development. 🔹 Looked ahead at the next steps for Bridge & Shift and future I3 calls. 🔹 Went behind the scenes of innovation. We visited ITA Technology Centre, the FERSA Innovation Center and LINAMAR's Zaragoza site, where they produce lightweight, high-precision aluminium components for more efficient vehicles. And the week ended with a celebration 🎉 CAAR presented the Bridge & Shift project at the 8ª Noche de Automoción y Movilidad gala, bringing our project to the heart of Aragon's automotive community. We left Zaragoza with a clear picture: five regions working well together, the remaining tasks planned and ready to go, and one shared goal. We want to leave a lasting mark on how automotive clusters across Europe develop and adapt, so that no region is left behind in the industry's transformation. A big thank you to CAAR for hosting us so warmly during an incredibly busy week, with plenty of excellent tapas along the way 🍷. Special thanks to David Romeral, Jorge V. and Victor De La Mata Martínez for organising everything and being with us all week. 🙏 Learn more about the cluster strategy on our website: https://lnkd.in/dtQApXGa #BridgeAndShift #Automotive #SustainableMobility #InterregionalInnovation --- Wirtschaftsförderung Raum Heilbronn GmbH, EIT Manufacturing, MSIC - Moravskoslezské inovační centrum, East Automotive Alliance / Stowarzyszenie Wschodni Sojusz Motoryzacyjny, INOVATO, Autoklastr, Clúster de Automoción y Movilidad de Aragón

The automotive industry is transforming fast. Electrification, digitalisation, rising energy costs - the pressure is real. The funding to help? It's there. But most companies never tap into it. Not because they don't qualify. Because the EU funding landscape is overwhelming, the information is scattered, and nobody has time to decode it between running their actual business. We're changing that. On 14 October, we're launching the Bridge & Shift funding series with a free webinar that cuts through the noise: 🔹 Which EU programmes actually exist for automotive companies 🔹 Who they're designed for - from R&D to production upgrades 🔹 How the application process really works 🔹 What separates winning proposals from rejected ones Our speaker Ivan Filus (EIC NCP, EEN) has helped 50+ startups secure over €32 million in grants. He'll share what works - and what's a waste of your time. 📅 14 October 2026 🕙 10:00–12:00 CEST 💻 Online | Free of charge Whether you're a supplier, R&D manager, innovation lead, or SME planning your next investment - this one's for you. Register now 👇 https://lnkd.in/dtQApXGa #Automotive #EUFunding #Innovation #Electrification #AutomotiveIndustry #Grants #SME #BridgeAndShift --- Autoklastr | INOVATO | EIT Manufacturing | Wirtschaftsförderung Raum Heilbronn GmbH | MSIC - Moravskoslezské inovační centrum | Clúster de Automoción y Movilidad de Aragón

🚀 Strengthening how European automotive clusters operate Over the past two weeks, our B&S working group brought cluster managers together across four sessions talking about future opportunities of cluster management: 🔹 CRM tools and data ownership, 🔹AI-driven automation, 🔹developing stronger service portfolios 🔹and measuring real impact for members and regions. Across every session, one thread stood out: our clusters are moving from ad hoc tools and individual habits toward shared, data-driven ways of working, while staying mindful of GDPR, cost and what genuinely adds value for members. Thank you to everyone who joined, shared openly and helped shape what comes next. Onward to the General Assembly! Want to know more about our project? Visit our website 👇 https://lnkd.in/e467Pemv #ClusterManagement #DigitalTransformation #CRM #AI #Innovation --- Autoklastr | INOVATO | EIT Manufacturing | Wirtschaftsförderung Raum Heilbronn GmbH | MSIC - Moravskoslezské inovační centrum | Clúster de Automoción y Movilidad de Aragón

🚗⚡ What's actually moving across Europe's automotive regions right now? We just launched something to help answer that: the Bridge & Shift Technology Radar. Europe's shift from combustion to electric isn't happening evenly. Some regions are years ahead on infrastructure, talent and investment. Others are racing to catch up — and that gap is exactly what Bridge & Shift was set up to close. The regions behind this project — Aragón (Spain), Heilbronn/Stuttgart (Germany), Ostrava (Czechia), Nitra (Slovakia) and Rzeszów (Poland) — together build a huge share of Europe's cars. What happens in these places over the next few years will shape whether Europe's automotive industry leads the transition to e-mobility, or spends the next decade catching up to it. The Bridge & Shift Technology Radar is our attempt to make that shift visible — mapping the trends, technologies and shifts that regional clusters, SMEs and policymakers actually need to be tracking, in one place instead of scattered across a dozen reports. It's built for people making real decisions about regional strategy, innovation funding and industrial transformation — not for a shelf. 👉 Take a look: https://lnkd.in/dg89t2MD #AutomotiveIndustry #EVTransition #RegionalInnovation #SmartSpecialisation #EUfunded #Mobility #BridgeAndShift --- Autoklastr | INOVATO | EIT Manufacturing | Wirtschaftsförderung Raum Heilbronn GmbH | MSIC - Moravskoslezské inovační centrum | Clúster de Automoción y Movilidad de Aragón

🚗⚡ Our project website is live — and so is a real opportunity for Europe's automotive regions. We're delighted to present you the freshly launched Bridge & Shift project website, an EU-funded project connecting five of Europe's most important automotive regions to turn the electric mobility shift into a shared opportunity. Aragón (Spain), Heilbronn (Germany), Ostrava (Czechia), Nitra (Slovakia) and Rzeszów (Poland) — together, these regions build close to two-thirds of Europe's passenger cars. That's a lot of talent, engineering know-how, and industrial capacity in one network. Bridge & Shift exists to put it to work for everyone involved. The idea is simple: pair regions with deep transformation experience with regions full of momentum and growth potential, and let them learn from each other. Twinning visits, shared roadmaps, hands-on support for SMEs, and matchmaking across the value chain — all designed to help every region move up, faster, together. Head to the new site to explore: 🔹 What Bridge & Shift is building 🔹 The regions and partners driving it 🔹 How to get involved as the project unfolds This is just the starting point. A lot of good work — and good news — is on its way over the whole project period. Take a look and stay tuned 👇 https://lnkd.in/dtQApXGa #AutomotiveIndustry #EVTransition #RegionalInnovation #Europe #Cohesion --- Autoklastr | INOVATO | EIT Manufacturing | Wirtschaftsförderung Raum Heilbronn GmbH | MSIC - Moravskoslezské inovační centrum | Clúster de Automoción y Movilidad de Aragón

⚡🚗 Europe's EV market is accelerating – and so is the need to transform our automotive supply chains. 📈 The numbers speak for themselves: • 1.2 million battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were registered across Europe in the first half of 2026 - up nearly 34% year-on-year. • 275,060 new BEVs were registered in June alone, representing a 39.5% increase compared to June 2025. • France, Spain, Slovenia and Czechia all achieved record BEV sales and market shares, highlighting that momentum is spreading across Europe - not just in traditional automotive hubs. But behind these impressive figures lies an even bigger story. As EV adoption accelerates, entire supply chains are being reconfigured. New suppliers, battery ecosystems, digital technologies and circular value chains are becoming critical to Europe's industrial competitiveness. Success will increasingly depend on how quickly regions can adapt, collaborate and build resilient industrial ecosystems. This is where automotive clusters have a pivotal role to play. By bringing together manufacturers, suppliers, SMEs, research organisations, universities and public authorities, autoclusters help regions develop the capabilities needed for the electric mobility transition. They enable innovation, strengthen regional supply chains, support workforce transformation and ensure that industrial value creation remains in Europe. At Bridge and Shift, we believe Europe's competitiveness won't be secured by individual companies alone - it will be built through strong regional ecosystems and cross-border collaboration that transform today's market growth into tomorrow's industrial leadership. The transition is happening now. The opportunity is not only to build more electric vehicles - but to build stronger European supply chains, more competitive regions and a more resilient automotive industry. 📊 Sources: • E-Mobility Europe: https://lnkd.in/egXp_qpA • New AutoMotive: https://lnkd.in/eSNTEwcv • FIER Automotive: https://lnkd.in/ebYHHEe8 #BridgeAndShift #SupplyChains #AutomotiveClusters #EV #ElectricMobility #AutomotiveIndustry #Innovation #InterregionalCooperation --- Autoklastr | INOVATO | EIT Manufacturing | Wirtschaftsförderung Raum Heilbronn GmbH | MSIC - Moravskoslezské inovační centrum | Clúster de Automoción y Movilidad de Aragón AI generated image has been used.

Bridge & Shift Stakeholder Workshop 2026   On June 23 we hosted a Bridge & Shift Stakeholder Workshop, bringing together 30 industry representatives from across Europe to identify challenges, align on priorities, and shape the future of the automotive and mobility sector 🚗 During the workshop, participants from Poland, Spain, Austria, Slovakia, Czechia and Germany: 🔹 Voted on the top challenges the automotive and mobility sector are currently facing 🔹 Mapped out company needs and identified concrete regional support measures 🔹 Discussed the expected effects of proposed activities on businesses across two regional groups   This workshop is a key step in ensuring that Bridge & Shift delivers targeted, impactful support to regions navigating the transformation of the automotive sector. #Automotive #Mobility #Innovation #Skills #Collaboration #I3Instrument #EUFunded #Bridge&Shift

On 6–7 May 2026, Bridge & Shift was present at the all about automation Heilbronn 2026, which focuses on industrial automation solutions, practical technologies for manufacturing, and networking between technology providers and industrial users in the region. The event allowed for a direct exchange with visitors and regional SMEs, highlighting how collaboration, skills development, and strong innovation networks can support companies in navigating industrial change. It provided an excellent opportunity to connect with regional stakeholders, exchange perspectives on current industrial challenges, and create new impulses for cooperation and innovation. Strong networks are key to industrial transformation. Personal exchanges at events like this plays a significant role in strengthening them, as regional companies become connected to the project and contribute new ideas and impulses. With the flyer being prominently displayed at the Wirtschaftsförderung Raum Heilbronn GmbH booth, it allowed for the introduction of one-on-one discussions with attendees. 🤝 #BridgeAndShift #IndustrialTransformation #Innovation #SMEs #Automation #InterregionalInnovation #I3Instrument #EUInnovation

We’re excited to share that Bridge & Shift will be showcased at Manufacturing Day 2026 in Vienna this May. 🚀 Being part of Manufacturing Day 2026 is a great opportunity to highlight how skills, talent, and collaboration play a central role in turning innovation into real industrial impact. As this year’s theme “Invest to scale” suggests, scaling isn’t only about capital and infrastructure; it’s also about people and the right competencies. We’re looking forward to sharing our work, exchanging ideas, and connecting with others shaping the future of industry. 🤝 Manufacturing Day #BridgeAndShift #SkillsDevelopment #DigitalTransition #GreenTransition #LifelongLearning #EUfunded #I3Instrument