SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster is a Milan-based non-profit association that coordinates a network of approximately 200 bioeconomy players and 170+ member organizations across industry, research, finance, and policy to advance circular bioeconomy innovation, education, and EU project participation in Italy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersMilano Marittima, Italy
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster does
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster (legal name: Cluster Spring; tax code 97684680156) is a private non-profit association founded in 2014 and headquartered at Cariplo Factory in Milan (Via Bergognone, 34, 20144 Milan, Italy). The cluster was officially established in 2016 and obtained legal recognition from the Prefecture of Milan in 2019. It serves as Italy's recognized component of the national steering cabin on Bioeconomy, coordinating a national and international network of approximately 200 bioeconomy players, with 170+ formal member organizations spanning large industrial enterprises (Novamont, NatureWorks Italy, SMAT Turin, Acquedotto Pugliese), SMEs, universities, public research bodies (CNR, ENEA), trade associations (Confagricoltura), regional clusters, consulting firms, and financial companies.
SPRING's offerings are not technology products but coordination, networking, research, and policy-dissemination services. These include the SPRING Bio-magazine (monthly publication with Italian and English editions), the Vademecum on Bioplastics educational resource, a Study Center coordinated by University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli that analyzes economic trends and develops policy proposals, annual events such as IFIB (International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy) and National Bioeconomy Day co-promoted with Assobiotec-Federchimica, an Education and Training Program, and participation as partner or coordinator in nine European research projects (Circonomy, Strongbionet, Biowise, Bioeconomy Giants, Copilot, Terrific, BioInSouth, Ribes, CircHive) under programs including the Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU).
The cluster operates a community-led, event-driven go-to-market. Revenue mechanics consist of recurring membership contributions from member organizations (no publicly disclosed pricing tiers) supplemented by European project co-financing. Governance is exercised through a Board of Directors including Catia Bastioli (President, representing Novamont) and representatives from member organizations, a Scientific Technical Committee, the Study Center, and three thematic committees covering Industrial Innovation, Research Organizations, and Dissemination and Territorial Development. A small core team of approximately 5 specialists (Director, Relationship and Networking, Technical and Scientific Coordination, EU Projects, Communication) executes the operations.
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster
- Legal name
- Cluster Spring
- Website
- https://clusterspring.it
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster is a Milan-based non-profit association that coordinates a network of approximately 200 bioeconomy players and 170+ member organizations across industry, research, finance, and policy to advance circular bioeconomy innovation, education, and EU project participation in Italy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bioeconomy Cluster Coordination Services
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Circularity Consulting & Program Management (EPR, Design-for-Circularity, LCA) (EUAIANAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH)
Keywords
Where SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milano Marittima
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership contributions: SPRING operates through membership contributions from its diverse network of members including large industrial players, SMEs, universities, research organizations, associations, clusters, consulting firms, and financial companies. The cluster encourages innovation projects and represents sector interests at institutions.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SPRING is a non-profit cluster organization that coordinates a national network of approximately 170-200 players across the Italian circular bioeconomy, including large industrial companies, SMEs, universities, public and private research bodies, trade associations, regional clusters, consulting firms, and financial companies. Its core offering is membership-based access to a multi-stakeholder coordination platform that delivers networking events, European project participation, policy representation, awareness campaigns (Bioeconomy Day), publications (SPRING Bio-magazine, Vademecum on Bioplastics), economic analysis (Study Center), and education/training programs.
Product overview
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster is a coordination and networking organization rather than a technology product company. Founded in 2014 and headquartered at Cariplo Factory in Milan, the cluster unites approximately 200 players including research centers, SMEs, large companies, trade associations, regional clusters, consulting firms and financial companies. The organization's offerings include publications (SPRING Bio-magazine, Vademecum on Bioplastics), European project participation, international networking services, a Study Center for economic analysis, annual events (IFIB Forum, Bioeconomy Day), and education/training programs. These services collectively support the transition toward a competitive, circular and sustainable bioeconomy in Europe.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SPRING Bio-magazine Monthly magazine delivering updates on developments in the bioeconomy world, published by SPRING Cluster for members and stakeholders to track circular bioeconomy news, initiatives, and project outcomes.
- Vademecum on Bioplastics Educational document compiling terms, concepts, and arguments on bioplastics topics, drawing from scientific and accredited sources to clarify controversial bioeconomy issues; includes accompanying PowerPoint summary presentations.
- European Projects Program Coordination of and participation as partner and/or coordinator in multiple European projects including Circonomy, Strongbionet, Biowise, Bioeconomy Giants, Copilot, Terrific, BioInSouth, Ribes, and CircHive, supporting international bioeconomy research and innovation initiatives.
- International Network Services Facilitation of international collaboration through Memorandums of Understanding with European and international clusters and partners, including EnviroVest (Greece), European Circular Bioeconomy Fund, BioIndustrial Innovation Canada, CLIB (Germany), Bioeconomy for Change (France), Irish Bioeconomy Foundation, and Greenwin (Belgium).
- Study Center Economic analysis service that studies trends from evolutionary and comparative perspectives to support R&D activities and develops economic policy proposals for circular bioeconomy growth; coordinated by the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli.
- IFIB - International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy Annual international forum bringing together key global players to discuss industrial biotechnology and bioeconomy developments, featuring B2B meetings organized with Innovhub-SSI and the EEN network, connecting Italian bioeconomy companies with financial and corporate investors worldwide.
- Bioeconomy Day National awareness campaign co-promoted with Assobiotec-Federchimica, aimed at raising awareness among citizens, businesses, and institutions about the strategic value of sustainable use of renewable biological resources.
- Education and Training Program Initiatives promoting acquisition of transversal skills in bioeconomy approaches, knowledge, and soft skills to foster widespread growth of circular bioeconomy culture across the educational system.
Quantifiable outcome
- Brings together approximately 200 players in the Bioeconomy
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- European Bioeconomy Clusters Alliance (14 clusters)flagshipSPRING is among initiators and signatories of an Alliance signed among 14 European national clusters to support and strengthen the Circular and Sustainable Bioeconomy in Europe. The three-year Memorandum aims to accelerate industrialization and commercialization of biobased ideas, stimulate innovation, competitiveness, and resilience through sharing know-how, establishing commercial relations, promoting human capital, and developing R&D projects.
- Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU)coreSPRING participates in consortia for European Projects within the CBE JU initiative. The CBE JU launched Call 2026 with 170.7 million euros for collaborative research and innovation projects. SPRING supports members in accessing these funding opportunities.
- European Cluster Collaboration PlatformcoreSPRING is enrolled in the European Cluster Collaboration Platform enabling constant connection with European and international stakeholders working in the Bioeconomy sector.
- BioBased Industries ConsortiumcoreSPRING is a full industry member of the European BioBased Industries Consortium in the SME Cluster category, enabling greater presence at European level and contribution to discussions on member interests.
- EnviroVest (Greek Cluster)minorInternational cooperation through Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen collaboration and synergies in circular bioeconomy sectors.
- BioIndustrial Innovation Canada (Canadian Cluster)minorInternational MoU for collaboration in biobased products and new industrial biotechnologies.
- CLIB - Cluster Industrielle Biotechnologie (German Cluster)minorInternational MoU with German biotechnology cluster for knowledge sharing and collaboration.
- Bioeconomy for Change (French Cluster)minorInternational MoU with French bioeconomy cluster for circular bioeconomy collaboration.
- Irish Bioeconomy FoundationminorInternational MoU with Irish cluster to strengthen bioeconomy knowledge and partnerships.
- Greenwin (Belgian Cluster)minorInternational MoU with Belgian cleantech innovation booster for biotechnology and bioeconomy collaboration.
- Assobiotec-FederchimicacoreSPRING co-promotes National Bioeconomy Day with Assobiotec-Federchimica, involving numerous partners including companies, research centers, associations, universities and institutions.
- Innovhub-SSIcoreSPRING collaborates with Innovhub-SSI for organizing B2B meetings at events like IFIB, connecting startups, companies, universities and research centers through EEN network.
- Italian Trade Agency (ITA)coreCollaboration with Italian Trade Agency for IFIB event to connect Italian bioeconomy companies with financial and corporate investors from around the world.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- EnviroVest: Greek bioeconomy/environmental cluster. Comparable as a national bioeconomy cluster with similar mission; SPRING has an international MoU with EnviroVest for collaboration.
- CLIB - Cluster Industrielle Biotechnologie: German cluster organization for industrial biotechnology and bioeconomy. Directly comparable as a national/regional bioeconomy cluster with similar convening, project coordination, and policy advocacy roles; SPRING holds an MoU with CLIB for collaboration.
- Bioeconomy for Change: French bioeconomy cluster organizing industry, research, and policy stakeholders. Comparable as a national circular bioeconomy cluster with similar member-driven model; SPRING has an active MoU with Bioeconomy for Change.
- Innovhub-SSI: Italian innovation hub operated by the Milan Chamber of Commerce. Comparable as a stakeholder convener for innovation; SPRING partners with Innovhub-SSI for B2B meetings at IFIB and other events.
- Greenwin: Belgian cleantech and bioeconomy innovation cluster. Comparable as a national cluster aggregating SMEs, corporates, and research actors; SPRING maintains a collaboration MoU with Greenwin.
- Irish Bioeconomy Foundation: Ireland's national bioeconomy coordination body. Comparable national-level bioeconomy cluster with stakeholder convening role; SPRING holds an MoU with the foundation.
Broad incumbents
- Assobiotec-Federchimica: Italian association for biotechnology companies within Federchimica. Comparable as an Italian sector association with policy advocacy and event co-organization; co-promotes National Bioeconomy Day with SPRING.
- BioBased Industries Consortium (BIC) / CBE JU: European-level industry consortium that partners with the EU in the Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU). SPRING is a full industry member; comparable as a bioeconomy convening and funding-aggregation entity, but operating at pan-European scale.
Regional players
- BioIndustrial Innovation Canada: Canadian bioeconomy/bioproducts cluster. Comparable as a national bioeconomy cluster; operates in North America rather than competing with SPRING in Europe. SPRING has an MoU for transatlantic bioeconomy collaboration.
Others
- European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF): European venture capital fund focused on growth-stage bioeconomy and biotech companies. SPRING lists ECBF as a member and partner, making it an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct cluster competitor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster social profiles
Digital presenceSPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster 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 SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster
What does SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster do?
SPRING is a non-profit cluster organization that coordinates a national network of approximately 170-200 players across the Italian circular bioeconomy, including large industrial companies, SMEs, universities, public and private research bodies, trade associations, regional clusters, consulting firms, and financial companies. Its core offering is membership-based access to a multi-stakeholder coordination platform that delivers networking events, European project participation, policy representation, awareness campaigns (Bioeconomy Day), publications (SPRING Bio-magazine, Vademecum on Bioplastics), economic analysis (Study Center), and education/training programs.
Is SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster a public or private company?
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster founded?
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster based?
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster is headquartered in Milano Marittima, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership contributions.
Who are SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are EnviroVest, CLIB - Cluster Industrielle Biotechnologie, Bioeconomy for Change, Innovhub-SSI, Greenwin and Irish Bioeconomy Foundation. Broad incumbents are Assobiotec-Federchimica and BioBased Industries Consortium (BIC) / CBE JU. BioIndustrial Innovation Canada is listed as a regional player. European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF) is listed as an others.
Does SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster have an API?
No public API is recorded for SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster.
What industry is SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster in?
SPRING - Italian Circular Bioeconomy Cluster's product category is Bioeconomy Cluster Coordination Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIANAH, Circularity Consulting & Program Management (EPR, Design-for-Circularity, LCA), with a secondary code of BPAGAGAH, Environmental Education & Outreach. Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.