METASTARS

Disclaimer: METASTARS has concluded in early 2025.

METASTARS is a project designed to provide the most efficient services to boost the competitiveness of SMEs and to build a sustainable and representative network at European level. The project will offer SMEs financial support to develop innovative projects and to benefit from services to adapt to new technologies, to develop or strengthen their green and digital transition, their innovation potential, their internationalisation strategy towards Japan and Canada, and the upskilling of their work force. The main objectives are:

1. To provide a wide range of services to support innovation, to favour SMEs' resilience, to strengthen green and digital transportation and to increase business opportunities.
2. To strengthen and sustain the current European ASD (Aerospace and Defence) network by involving new stakeholders acting in cross-sectorial domains.
3. To develop joint activities to enhance the training and skills development of the ecosystem.

A Global Approach for a Strong Alliance

One of the key strategies employed by METASTARS is the mobilization of all existing networks to forge a robust alliance. By bringing together entities operating within the ASD ecosystems, industrial technologies, and innovation support for SMEs, both from the private and public sectors, METASTARS aims to fortify this critical economic domain. The project's approach includes organizing four workshops focused on topics of interest to the ASD players, thereby engaging SMEs across Europe and facilitating joint activities within clusters.

METASTARS will support the launch of two distinct calls for SMEs, each addressing specific objectives. The first call is dedicated to innovative projects at both low and high technology readiness levels. The second call is an open invitation for services, providing SMEs access to vital resources that align with the five key objectives of the Eurocluster: networking, innovation, adopting new processes and technologies, training, and internationalization. In addition, METASTARS prizes will be offered to SMEs in the context of European events. As a whole, 74 support actions will be provided to SMEs.

During the project's lifetime, METASTARS will implement a strategy to sustain the Alliance, its network, its management and its activities for clusters and SMEs.