Clust-ER Innovate

What Clust-ER Innovate does

Clust-ER Innovate (Associazione Clust-ER Innovazione nei Servizi) is a non-profit innovation cluster founded in 2019 in Bologna, Italy, that convenes companies, universities, research labs, and training institutions around ICT and service innovation in the Emilia-Romagna region. Its core operating model is built on six Value Chains (SCABIS for scalable big data infrastructure, ER-IoT for IoT service platforms, CySEC for cybersecurity, Intell_ITS for intelligent IT services and cognitive computing, Log-ER for goods logistics, and DigEth for digital ethics) plus several Working Groups (Digital Talents, Aerospace Downstream, Digital Heritage, Critical Infrastructures, Cyber Security, Logistics 4.0), each led jointly by academic and industry co-chairs. The organization also operates the O2I Living Lab, certified in 2025 by the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), which explores future scenarios for AI and GenAI application.

Name

Clust-ER Innovate

Legal name

Associazione Clust-ER Innovazione nei Servizi

Website

https://innovate.clust-er.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Clust-ER Innovate is a Bologna-based non-profit innovation cluster that convenes companies, universities, and research labs in Emilia-Romagna around six ICT value chains, working groups, and the ENoLL-certified O2I Living Lab, funded by European regional development funds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Cluster Management

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Enablement & Adoption Services (Change Management, Adoption, Champions) (BPAEANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE), AI Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Platforms (HDAAAMAA)

Keywords

• Innovation cluster services
• Open innovation platform
• ICT research collaboration
• Digital transformation services
• Technology cluster management

Headquarters

HQ city

Bologna

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. European Regional Funding: Clust-ER Innovate is financed by European Funds of the Emilia-Romagna Region – Pr FESR 2021-2027. The organization does not generate commercial revenue but operates as a non-profit association supported entirely by public regional and European funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Clust-ER Innovate is a non-profit innovation cluster that brings together companies, research centers, and training institutions in Emilia-Romagna to drive digital transformation and ICT-enabled service innovation. It delivers this through six Value Chains (SCABIS, ER-IoT, CySEC, Intell_ITS, Log-ER, DigEth), working groups, joint projects, and the ENoLL-certified O2I Living Lab, all funded by European Regional Development Funds (Pr FESR 2021-2027).

Product overview

Clust-ER Innovate is an innovation cluster organization (not a traditional product company) that facilitates collaboration among companies, research centers, and training institutions in the Emilia-Romagna region. The organization operates through six Value Chains (SCABIS, ER-IoT, CySEC, LOGER, DigEth, Intell_ITS) that function as knowledge academies on frontier technologies. It also offers the O2I Living Lab - a multidisciplinary innovation space certified by ENoLL that explores AI and GenAI applications. Additional services include the Skills Intelligence tool for labor market analysis. The cluster focuses on digital transformation, service innovation, and ICT research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• O2I Living Lab: Open To Innovate Living Lab - A multidisciplinary playground created within Clust-ER Innovate in collaboration with the Department of Economics and Management of the University of Ferrara, focusing on AI and GenAI future scenarios and forecasting capabilities

Products and services

• O2I Living Lab (Open To Innovate) Multidisciplinary innovation space created in collaboration with the Department of Economics and Management of the University of Ferrara, exploring future scenarios for AI and GenAI applications with a focus on ethics and sustainability. ENoLL certified living lab with access to 480+ member network globally.
• Skills Intelligence Interactive tool showing data on skills and professional profiles sought by companies in Emilia-Romagna, aimed at training and higher education operators to align curricula with regional labour market needs.
• Clust-ER Innovate Cluster Membership Membership-based participation in the regional innovation cluster, providing privileged access to opportunities, contribution to regional development strategy, sectoral news, networking capabilities, and innovation ecosystem engagement for companies, universities, and research centres.

Quantifiable outcome

• Regional Law 2/2023 on Talent Attraction approved by Emilia-Romagna Region (February 2023)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ENoLL (European Network of Living Labs)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ENoLL is a non-profit international association that promotes and enhances user-driven innovation ecosystems (living labs) globally. Clust-ER Innovate's Living Lab O2I has been certified by ENoLL, providing access to a network of 480+ living lab members worldwide.
• Fondazione Italiana Studi di FuturominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership for Future Studies and Strategic Foresight. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on January 30 to collaborate on future studies and foresight methodologies for innovation planning.
• CIRI-ICT (Centro Interdipartimentale per la Ricerca Industriale - Università di Bologna)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in RESIST0 project for Digital Twins-enabled platform for Industry 5.0. CIRI-ICT contributes industrial research expertise for resilient and sustainable production systems.
• AIRI (Artificial Intelligence Research and Innovation Center - Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in RESIST0 project. AIRI contributes AI research and innovation expertise for digital twins and Industry 5.0 applications.
• MechLav Industrial Research Laboratory (Tecnopolo Ferrara)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in RESIST0 project, contributing industrial research capabilities from the Ferrara Technopole.
• T3 LAB (Technology Transfer Consortium - Università di Bologna)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in CRI4.0 Cyber Range for Industrial Security project, providing technology transfer expertise for cybersecurity training solutions.
• CRIS (Centro di Ricerca Interdipartimentale sulla Sicurezza - Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in CRI4.0 project and DISSEM project, contributing safety and risk prevention research expertise.
• Clust-ER Meccatronica e MotoristicacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaborating cluster in ADVANC-ER project for AI adoption in advanced mechanics and motorsport sector. Also partner in DronCare and Lab Move-UP projects.
• Clust-ER Health and WellnessminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in DronCare project for drone delivery of medicines in healthcare.
• Clust-ER BuildminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in pilot project on goods logistics transformation for Union of Romagna Faentina.
• Clust-ER TourismminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in Metaheritage project for digital innovation in cultural heritage, integrating tourism sector perspectives.
• ART-ER (Attrattività Ricerca Territorio)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019ART-ER is the Emilia-Romagna consortium for innovation and technology transfer that coordinates the regional innovation ecosystem including all Clust-ERs. Clust-ER Innovate is part of this ecosystem along with Technopoles and the High Technology Network laboratories.
• European University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (Portugal)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Metaheritage project, contributing Portuguese academic expertise in cultural heritage and innovation.
• European Historic HousesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Metaheritage project for cultural heritage digital innovation.
• Time Machine OrganisationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Metaheritage project for digital heritage and virtual worlds integration.
• University of Ferrara - Department of Economics and ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for the O2I Living Lab, providing academic expertise in economics and future studies for innovation scenarios.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Fondazione Torino Wireless: Italian non-profit innovation cluster based in Piedmont, supporting digital and ICT innovation for SMEs, startups, and research centers. Comparable in mission (open innovation cluster for digital services), though it operates in a different Italian region.
• Pole SCS (Secure Communicating Solutions): French competitiveness cluster focused on secure digital communications, IoT, cybersecurity, and AI, organized as a public-private innovation cluster with member companies and research labs. Highly comparable in structure (cluster organization, EU funding, ICT/cybersecurity focus) but operating in France rather than Italy.

Broad incumbents

• Digital Catapult: UK innovation centre for advanced digital technology adoption, running accelerator programs, living labs, and applied research collaborations. Comparable as a publicly-backed digital innovation facilitator with living-lab methodology, though at significantly larger scale and UK-based.
• EIT Digital: Pan-European Knowledge Innovation Community under EIT focused on deep tech digital transformation, with multiple co-location centers across Europe. Comparable in its emphasis on digital transformation, ICT value chains, and EU-funded programs, but operates at a much larger pan-European scale.

Direct peers

• Clust-ER Tourism and Culture: Sister cluster in the same ART-ER-coordinated network that targets tourism and cultural innovation. It partners with Clust-ER Innovate on the Metaheritage project, making it a structurally identical peer operating under the same Clust-ER framework.
• Clust-ER Build: Sister cluster in the Emilia-Romagna Clust-ER network focusing on construction and sustainable building innovation. It co-pilots the goods-logistics project with Clust-ER Innovate, demonstrating identical operating model and shared ecosystem positioning.
• CINI - Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per l'Informatica: Italian national consortium of public universities for computer science research, coordinating academic-industry ICT collaboration nationally. Comparable as a publicly-funded innovation consortium with university-led governance and applied ICT research focus, but at the national level rather than regional.
• Clust-ER Meccatronica e Motoristica: Sister regional innovation cluster within the same Emilia-Romagna Clust-ER network coordinated by ART-ER. It operates the same cluster model (value chains, working groups, EU project participation) but in the mechatronics and motorsport sectors, making it structurally and operationally analogous to Clust-ER Innovate.
• Clust-ER Health and Wellness: Another Emilia-Romagna regional cluster using the identical Clust-ER framework coordinated by ART-ER, focused on life sciences and health innovation. It is a direct collaborator of Clust-ER Innovate on the DronCare project, evidencing deep structural and operational comparability.

Others

• ART-ER (Attrattività Ricerca Territorio): Parent consortium that coordinates the regional innovation ecosystem of which Clust-ER Innovate is part. While not a competing cluster, ART-ER provides governance, funding coordination, and shared services (notably Lucia Mazzoni and Maria Rosa Petazzoni) that shape Clust-ER Innovate's operating context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYR9CpO6bplVaGo_eJV8_jw/featured
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clust-er-innovate

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clust-ER Innovate