CARE

Disclaimer: CARE has concluded.

CARE is a three-year European CSA project that fosters greener aviation and related research and development activities. Placing particular focus on SMEs and labs, this is achieved through cooperation between regional aerospace clusters and the adoption of a harmonised agenda approach.

In order to reach a sustainable degee of competitiveness, the European aviation industry - from OEMs to SMEs - must take on an increasingly ecological and innovative approach. Green technologies are key competitive advantages of all future air transport systems. For SMEs in the innovative and forward-looking green aerospace sector, a sufficient balance between today’s business growth requirements and tomorrow’s stakes must be found. Thus, as the backbone of the European economy, SMEs require special support and attention.

The European clusters are rooted in both the local and regional economy. They know exactly what their region requires and have an up-to-date view of their (regional) position within green aviation. The CARE methodologies allow for a comparison between cluster profiles and enable other clusters to join the CARE Meta Cluster.

An initial study identified major technological fields which bear potentially high impacts on the European aviation ecosystem and are thus of significant relevance to all participating regions and clusters. In order to gain an overview on the strengths and weaknesses of these technological fields in our regions, the CARE project conducted a comprehensive SWOT analysis.

Last but not least, the CARE project has defined a „Joint Action Plan „ that includes 21 concrete actions and aims to strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs and labs.

These actions are divided into:

1. Actions for excellence: includes directing SMEs to areas where they can develop skills and exploit them independently, thus fostering innovations with cutting-edge collaborations. This could, for example, involve the establishment of a CARE TECH Platform, a dedicated process designed to screen future H2020 calls and establish CARE think tanks called „TIGER groups“ .
2. Actions for efficiency: first and foremost involves a well-known coordination mechanism, the ERA –NET, some funding principles throughout the innovation chain as well as more ambitious initiatives on the exploitation of intellectual property, education on raw materials, the recycling of aircraft and regulations/standards.
3. Actions to increase European and international visibility: refers to coordination with complementary networks, increasing SME involvement in the major programmes of Clean Sky and SESAR, developing common and highly targeted actions with partner networks outside of Europe, the shared promotion in target countries and mentoring support for other clusters as well as a green airport label.

CARE looks forward to including and working together with regional governments, funding bodies, research laboratories and training institutions. We are open to include and cooperate with aviation related SMEs, larger companies, the European Commission, cluster associations and projects interested in our ideas and engaging in our activities.

Disclaimer: CARE has concluded.