On 20 February 2018, the members of the Luxembourg Materials & Manufacturing Cluster gathered at the Chamber of Commerce for their yearly General Assembly. An opportunity to take stock of the activities and achievements in 2017 and discuss the objectives for 2018, which in particular are oriented towards collaboration and cross-sector projects, business development and the establishment of a national composite industry association.
When presenting the main activities of the cluster in 2017, Cluster Manager Caroline Muller underlined the importance of intensifying collaboration and networking between members. More than 100 individual meetings with companies took place and a 360° assessment of their needs was undertaken to get a better understanding of how the cluster could be of benefit and detect opportunities for R&D and business cooperation.
The cluster gained 11 new members in 2017 and counted 75 active member organisations. Dr Muller presented the work done to stimulate business development and progress with flagship projects including the National Composite Initiative and the Additive Manufacturing technology platform. She also highlighted the wide range of marketing and communication activities undertaken during the year, notably cluster workshops and events that attracted over 200 participants.
Flagship projects
The National Composite Centre – Luxembourg (NCC-L) will remain a key flagship project in 2018, notably through the creation of an industry association and the active involvement of the cluster and several of its members in the centre’s Industry Advisory Group. Dr Muller also presented the next steps for the Additive Manufacturing Initiative. In addition, the cluster will contribute to several cross-sector projects implemented together with other clusters and seek new partnerships with business partners and research centres in the Greater Region. The facilitation of member networking will continue, and the cluster will play an active role at numerous national and international events.
New opportunities
Professor Jens Kreisel of the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology presented the latest updates regarding the NCC-L, in particular regarding new research equipment acquired by the centre. He was followed by Dr Andreea Monnat of the National Research Fund (FNR), who presented funding made available to Luxembourg industry by the FNR in order to foster innovation through research. The event was closed by Cluster President Dr Georges Thielen, who invited members to express their interest to join the new Cluster Advisory Board that will from 2018 support the implementation of the cluster’s activities.
