Clust-ER Innovate
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersBologna, Italy
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
Clust-ER Innovate firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Clust-ER Innovate industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Clust-ER Innovate is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bologna
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Clust-ER Innovate business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- 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
Clust-ER Innovate product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Clust-ER Innovate
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Clust-ER Innovate technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature7 records
Clust-ER Innovate partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ENoLL (European Network of Living Labs)coreENoLL 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 FuturominorPartnership 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)corePartner 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)corePartner in RESIST0 project. AIRI contributes AI research and innovation expertise for digital twins and Industry 5.0 applications.
- MechLav Industrial Research Laboratory (Tecnopolo Ferrara)minorPartner in RESIST0 project, contributing industrial research capabilities from the Ferrara Technopole.
- T3 LAB (Technology Transfer Consortium - Università di Bologna)corePartner 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)corePartner in CRI4.0 project and DISSEM project, contributing safety and risk prevention research expertise.
- Clust-ER Meccatronica e MotoristicacoreCollaborating 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 WellnessminorPartner in DronCare project for drone delivery of medicines in healthcare.
- Clust-ER BuildminorPartner in pilot project on goods logistics transformation for Union of Romagna Faentina.
- Clust-ER TourismminorPartner in Metaheritage project for digital innovation in cultural heritage, integrating tourism sector perspectives.
- ART-ER (Attrattività Ricerca Territorio)coreART-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)minorPartner in Metaheritage project, contributing Portuguese academic expertise in cultural heritage and innovation.
- European Historic HousesminorPartner in Metaheritage project for cultural heritage digital innovation.
- Time Machine OrganisationminorPartner in Metaheritage project for digital heritage and virtual worlds integration.
- University of Ferrara - Department of Economics and ManagementcoreCollaboration 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
Clust-ER Innovate competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional 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
Clust-ER Innovate social profiles
Digital presenceClust-ER Innovate compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Clust-ER Innovate financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Clust-ER Innovate leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Clust-ER Innovate funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Clust-ER Innovate M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Clust-ER Innovate
What does Clust-ER Innovate do?
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).
Is Clust-ER Innovate a public or private company?
Clust-ER Innovate is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Clust-ER Innovate founded?
Clust-ER Innovate was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Clust-ER Innovate based?
Clust-ER Innovate is headquartered in Bologna, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Clust-ER Innovate make money?
One revenue line is on record: european Regional Funding.
Who are Clust-ER Innovate's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Fondazione Torino Wireless and Pole SCS (Secure Communicating Solutions). Broad incumbents are Digital Catapult and EIT Digital. Direct peers are Clust-ER Tourism and Culture, Clust-ER Build, CINI - Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per l'Informatica, Clust-ER Meccatronica e Motoristica and Clust-ER Health and Wellness. ART-ER (Attrattività Ricerca Territorio) is listed as an others.
Does Clust-ER Innovate have an API?
No public API is recorded for Clust-ER Innovate.
What industry is Clust-ER Innovate in?
Clust-ER Innovate's product category is Innovation Cluster Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEANAC, Technical Enablement & Adoption Services (Change Management, Adoption, Champions), with a secondary code of EDAHAEAE, Applied Research & Innovation Universities. Its NAICS code is 5416 and its SIC code is 8742.