Innovation in Electronic Components and Systems (ECS): Xecs international matchmaking event hosted by Bpifrance

In a bid to foster innovation in the Electronic Components and Systems (ECS) sector, Bpifrance has hosted an international matchmaking Event on the 25th of September 2023. After 2 years of online meetings, the Electronic Components and Systems- ECS - community members were more than eager to meet again in person!

Design Sans Titre (19)

The event has invited SMEs, midcaps and labs to meet and collaborate with major corporations to address challenges in the ECS industry and its applications across diverse fields. 114 participants from 17 countries joined the event with high SME participation, who showcased their technical expertise during the dedicated session, and started building consortia to apply for the Xecs Call 3.

Promote innovation within the ECS sector as the main objective.

Xecs is a Eureka cluster that brings together public authorities and private enterprises in a collaborative effort to catalyze research, development, and innovation activities in the Electronic Components & Systems (ECS) value chain. It is managed by AENEAS, a not-for-profit industry association with members including large industries, SMEs, research institutes, and academia.

Xecs welcomes participation from entities of all sizes, including businesses, universities, and research organizations. Consortiums applying for Xecs funding must include at least two partners from two different countries, with one partner from a member country of Eureka and the other from an associated member country. These consortiums may include a mix of major corporations, SMEs, research institutes, universities, and user organizations. The Xecs project focus on technical innovation with a market-oriented approach. These projects are expected to have a maximum duration of three years.

One of the key incentives of Xecs is that it provides French project partners with the opportunity to get public financing from Bpifrance to support their collaborative R&D efforts. Also, Bpifrance offers advisory support regarding projects eligibility. French participants can benefit from two public financing programs: i-Demo which supports the financing of advanced industrial or pre-industrial innovation demonstrators and Innovation Aid for individual close to market R&D (up to €3 million).

The Xecs Matchmaking Event was an inspiring day for the ECS community!