From Wallonia to Europe, these SMEs are at the forefront of European green manufacturing

Two calls:

1. GREENADOPT aims to facilitate the adoption of green and smart solutions by European industry. The ambition of the 10 collaborative projects selected (between a solution provider and an industry) is to promote the implementation of a new green technology, service, product or business production process in a real operational environment. 
    
2. GREENINNOV aims to support the development of technological solutions by SME tech providers or industrial SMEs themselves. The ambition of the eight selected projects, either individual or interregional partnerships, is to finalise a prototype technological solution enabling European industry to be more environmentally friendly and sustainable.  

Thanks to these calls, six SMEs from our ecosystem (five from Wallonia and one from France) have secured funding of between €20,000 and €60,000 to develop a solution for industry with a view to promoting process and usage optimisation or circular design. The projects have been launched and will be implemented until autumn 2024.  

3 GREENADOPT projects

• FADDTORY (BE), in collaboration with CREATE IT REAL (DK): the REPREX project combines the principles of the circular economy and 3D printing to revolutionise orthopaedic healthcare. REPREX aims to replace non-renewable raw materials with recycled materials and to produce orthopaedic parts in a more economical and sustainable way through a closed-loop approach (manufacture, deliver, recover and recycle). 
   
• QUANDYGA ENGINEERING (BE), in collaboration with NUWIËL (DE): the DiCyTrailerS project is developing a multi-body digital simulator to help create and evaluate a new design for reliable electric-powered bicycle trailers that meet quality, safety and maintenance criteria.  
   
• TALKME (FR), in collaboration with EUROPACK (BG): the GREENTMEUROPACK project aims to help EUROPACK, a rotogravure printing company, to continue producing printed paper bags for foodstuffs using a more environmentally friendly industrial process that limits energy and raw material consumption. This project was born out of a meeting between TALKME and EUROPACK in Varna, Bulgaria, as part of another Euroclusters project (DREAM Eurocluster) and, thanks to GEMSTONE, the two partners will take another step forward in the challenges of the green transition.  

3 GREENINNOV projects

• LASEA (BE): the GREEN project uses micro-cutting of metal sheets to manufacture battery collectors for mobility, opting for the USP laser for its precision. This approach eliminates defects caused by standard mechanical tools and aims to achieve a high level of technological readiness (TRL) to produce a new automated machine. 
   
• PEPITE (BE) in collaboration with 2VALORIS (BE): the DATCEE project aims to develop ‘digital asset model for energy efficiency in cogeneration’ software to reduce raw material consumption and pollution, encourage its adoption by as many cogeneration operators as possible, and identify the cogeneration units to be adopted. 
   
• BLINQY (BE) in collaboration with DRACULA TECHNOLOGIES (FR): the ABE project aims to develop a Bluetooth Low Energy sensor, complying with the principles of circular design, equipped with a graphic display, environmental sensors (CO₂, temperature, humidity) and powered by light converted into energy using organic photovoltaic cells. The project aims to optimise product life and energy efficiency by avoiding the use of disposable batteries.