The Ligurian Cluster for Marine/Maritime Technologies (DLTM) promotes research, innovation and education, boosting a continuous interaction and synergy between research organisations and enterprises. The cluster is actually involving about 120 enterprises – of which 82 SMEs – the University of Genoa, three major national public research bodies having research centers in Liguria (CNR, ENEA, INGV) dealing with maritime and marine research and technological development, and big enterprises (Fincantieri, LEONARDO, Intermarine, Termomeccanica) engaged in production and development of marine/maritime technologies in both software and hardware. The cluster also includes medium and big enterprises working in information technologies. DLTM, represents the Liguria regional excellences on specific technologies while operating at national and international level in naval technologies both for the defence and the civil sectors, shipbuilding and pleasure craft technologies and monitoring, remediation and security of the marine ecosystems. DLTM has the role to promote collaboration between maritime industry and marine science supporting research, innovation and education and new synergism between public and private organisations.

Toulon Var Technologies (TVT) is an association created in 1988 by public and private actors, dedicated to supporting innovative ecosystems in the Southern France Region of Var, with more than 600 members including regional and local institutions, R & D centers, SMEs and large companies working for innovation. Serving innovative businesses, startups and entrepreneurs, TVT supports innovation in all its dimensions: products, services, new technologies, uses and organizational approaches. TVT has 2 business units: TVT Innovation and Pole Mer Méditerranée. In 2018, TVT Innovation became the new metropolitan Economic Development Agency of Toulon Provence Méditerranée (TPM). Its mission aims to boost the strategic entrepreneurial ecosystem, support startups & innovative companies and host entrepreneurs. TVT is also a member of the regional consortium for the EDIH Move2Digital with SCS PMM/TVT/SF. TVT/System Factory is the Cluster Defence Division of TVT, dedicated to the acceleration of the innovation integration inside Defence sector. TVT/System Factory has a dedicated convention with French MoD called “GIMNOTE” that allow to propose SME’s innovation to be sponsored by DGA, procurement agency of French MoD, to enhance the use of new technologies.

Navigo was established in Viareggio in 2007 as a strategic support center for the leisure boat enterprises in different segments of their markets: yachting production, refitting services, tourism on the sea and port organization. Navigo with these aims has started a wide range of business services: Certification, Design, Training, Innovation, Financing, International promotion, Communication. The company has about 100 members and 320 associated as a center of innovation PENTA. Navigo is the point of reference of Tuscany regional public administration to coordinate the network of local agencies in order to improve the leisure boat industry’s competitiveness promoting its innovation opportunities and the coordinator of PENTA (Innovation Center for Tuscany Leisure boat and Naval Technology). Navigo is in close contact with all the universities and research centers in Tuscany. In particular, the company is able to turn on analysis, research and development skills inside the following centers: University of Pisa, University of Siena, University of Florence, the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa, ISTI CNR PISA.

The Blawer Cluster is a not-for-profit cluster organization grouping over 180 private businesses and 18 public partners, dedicated to the blue economy. The Blue Cluster is recognized by the Flemish government as a spearhead cluster. The Blue Cluster is focused on innovation trajectories to stimulate blue growth but acts also as a sector federation defending the stakes of a sustainable blue industry. It is an important networking organisation to bring together many companies that work (often partially) in a maritime context. By fully incorporating cutting-edge SMEs in the cluster organisation and the innovation projects, the Blue Cluster ensures that they can accelerate their growth. Besides its role in innovation, the cluster takes the lead in the development of a blue strategy for Flanders, and provides policy advice to the Flemish authorities to implement this strategy. Their thematic focus is on offshore renewable energy (bottom fixed and floating offshore wind, floating PV, offshore hydrogen production,…), clean and smart shipping, coastal defense with nature based solutions, marine aquaculture and blue biotech, sustainable coastal tourism and ocean health and waste solutions.

The Croatian Defense Industry Competitiveness Cluster HKKOI vision in the Croatian defense industry is to consistently boost and encourage the innovativeness of domestic science and production resources for defense and security, as well as to increase the share of research and development investments for the development of new defense and security products and services. During financial perspective 2014-2020, they have demonstrated their capacities and worthy projects and they have been recognized in several key strategic documents important for the development of the Republic of Croatia, such as Croatian Innovation Strategy 2014-2020, and Croatia Smart Specialization Strategies 2016-2020. One of their main goals is to serve as a constant platform for support and exchange of ideas between business entities dealing with defense-security production and scientific and state institutions in order to produce new products and services that address current and future security threats for society as a whole. It is also their goal to express a united standpoint of defense industry stakeholders in Croatia towards the relevant state institutions and policymakers on the issues of scientific research, technological development and modernization on the basis of their real capacities and interests of domestic industry stakeholders. Research and development collaboration and new innovative projects are key to achieving the technological progress of the overall industrial sector of the Republic of Croatia and they will especially encourage this type of investment and cooperation in the goal of strengthening the Croatian economy.