As of this month of May, the Miramar Palace becomes a reference centre for innovation in manufacturing at a European level with the help of EIT Manufacturing, which will coordinate its activities in Spain, France and Portugal from here.
EIT Manufacturing, an innovation community that is part of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, has installed one of its five headquarters in this historic place. Its objective is to make Europe a world benchmark for innovation in manufacturing and to encourage companies to adopt new technologies more quickly and efficiently. European companies, universities, technology centres and investors will meet here with the aim of creating an innovative ecosystem that drives a more competitive and sustainable manufacturing industry in Europe.
From this new headquarters, EIT Manufacturing West will coordinate the activity of EIT Manufacturing in Spain, France and Portugal. EIT Manufacturing West currently has a total of 15 partners, including the Basque entities: Aernnova, Mondragon Corporation, Manufacturing Alliance, ITP Aero and Tecnalia. In addition, more than 12 external companies are already participating in its activities. At the European level, EIT Manufacturing has four other locations in Germany, Sweden, Austria and Italy and with more than 65 partners, including universities, research centres and companies.
Antoni Pijoan, director of EIT Manufacturing West, explains that “having this headquarters in the Miramar Palace has great strategic value since it reinforces the image of Euskadi and gives visibility to its programmes and activities for the benefit of the local ecosystem.” EIT Manufacturing began operating from Donostia-San Sebastián at the end of 2019 and, that year, the Miramar Palace hosted the first edition of ‘MatchMaking’, a meeting of experts that had the participation of more than 200 professionals from all over Europe. EIT Manufacturing West is now approaching this new stage with challenges as ambitious as “increasing the number of participating companies and financed projects and, in general, contributing to the creation of a sustainable and competitive production fabric worldwide where people acquire skills and find opportunities, and where innovators can attract investors for their projects”, adds Pijoan.
Iker Goikoetxea, managing director of the Miramar Palace, stressed that “this is great news and represents a new impetus for the Palace to host the headquarters of EIT Manufacturing West, which is part of the largest European innovation community in the field of manufacturing and whose activities are directed around business creation, innovation and education.” Likewise, creating “an opportunity, by aligning the strategic positioning and potential of such a unique building, to maximize the multiplier effect of its activity in the socio-economic environment of Donostia, Gipuzkoa and Euskadi.” With this new addition, “this building is filled with a little more life, knowledge and activity”, which also houses the headquarters of Eusko Ikaskuntza or the UPV / EHU Summer Courses Foundation.
EIT Manufacturing, a consolidated initiative
The relocation of the EIT Manufacturing West headquarters coincides with the entity’s first anniversary operating from Donostia-San Sebastián. During this time, it has managed the participation of its partners in 36 projects that have meant a budget allocation of 10 million euros, of which approximately 3 million have had a direct impact on companies in the Basque Country.
The challenges that the network is currently facing are to favour the digitization of the industry and contribute to a more agile and flexible, environmentally and socially sustainable production. In this way, it will contribute to generating quality jobs, training students and attracting talented people, and creating “innovation ecosystems” in which companies, technology centres, universities and investors interact.
About EIT and EIT Manufacturing
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) strengthens Europe’s ability to innovate by driving solutions to pressing global challenges and fostering entrepreneurial talent to create sustainable growth and skilled jobs in Europe. EIT is an EU body that is an integral part of Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation. The Institute supports the development of dynamic pan-European partnerships – EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities – between leading companies, research centers and universities.
EIT Manufacturing is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. It is one of the eight innovation communities within the EIT. The others are EIT Climate – KIC, EIT Digital, EIT Food, EIT Health, EIT InnoEnergy, EIT Raw Materials and EIT Urban Mobility. The main objective of EIT Manufacturing is to bring together the main European players focused on manufacturing in innovation ecosystems that add unique value to European products, processes and services and that inspire the creation of a sustainable and competitive manufacturing industry globally. EIT Manufacturing brings together more than 65 organizations (universities, research institutes and companies) including, for example: Atos, Avio Aero, CEA – Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission, Chalmers University of Technology, Comau, Czech Technical University in Prague, ESI Group, Festo, Fives Group, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, INESC TEC, Jozef Stefan Institute, Magna, MONDRAGON, Politecnico di Milano, PRIMA, P&G, Sandvik Machining Solutions, TU Darmstadt, Voestalpine High Performance Metals, Volkswagen, Volvo Group, VTT & Whirlpool.
About EIT Manufacturing West
EIT Manufacturing West, SL is one of the five EIT Manufacturing Co-Location Centres (CLC). Located in Donostia-San Sebastián, CLC West serves three European countries: France, Portugal and Spain, the last two countries being part of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) initiative. EIT Manufacturing CLC West works closely with its 15 members drawn from industry, research and academia. These members include Arts et Métiers Paris Tech (HESAM University), Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Grenoble INP (Grenoble Alpes University); Technological Centres: CEA, CT-IPC, INESC-TEC, Tecnalia, Manufacturing Alliance; Industrial companies: Fives Group, ESI Group, Sonae, Aernnova, ITP Aero, and the industrial organizations Aerospace Valley and Mondragon Corporation. CLC West’s network of collaborators also includes: EMC2 (France), Mobinov and Produtech (Portugal), as well as Adegi, AFM and AIN in the closest environment, as well as the growing network of organizations that participate as partners in funded activities by EITM.
