Background

Selected under the call Joint Cluster Initiatives (Euroclusters) for Europe’s Recovery (SMP-COSME-2024-CLUSTER), 16 new Euroclusters mark an important milestone in advancing the EU’s ambition for a greener, more digital, and more resilient industrial future.

With a total budget of €42 million, these initiatives bring together clusters, SMEs, and research organisations from across Europe to strengthen value chains, accelerate industrial decarbonisation and the digital transition, and boost business competitiveness.

Starting in October 2025 and running for up to three years, the Euroclusters, funded through the Single Market Programme, represent 107 beneficiaries from 26 countries and span all 14 industrial ecosystems. A wider set of supporting actions, including training, internationalisation, and knowledge exchange, will complement the core work by helping small businesses expand their innovation potential and build new cross-border partnerships.

The 16 Euroclusters are organised into two strands: Strand 1, focused on net-zero technologies and critical raw materials, and Strand 2, focused on other strategic value chains.

To see the whole list of the new Euroclusters and know more about each of them, read the article.

Objectives

More than 30 million EUR will be channeled directly to SMEs through open calls organised by the consortia. This support will fund projects that: 

• foster innovation and the uptake of advanced technologies, 

• build capacity in strategic sectors, and 

• drive Europe’s transformation towards a sustainable, digital and resilient economy. 

Additional activities, including training, internationalisation and knowledge exchange will complement this main objective, helping small businesses expand their innovation potential and connect with new partners across borders.