Co-funded by the regional development programme Interreg SUDOE 2021-2027 with 1,865,807.42 euros, SCAIRA will be deployed in several regions of Spain, France and Portugal.
Thanks to this comprehensive advisory programme, at least 45 green business projects linked to the aerospace and automotive sectors are expected to crystallise.
From technological advances to new sustainable policies and practices, innovation offers solutions that can mitigate the effects of climate change and help communities adapt to its effects. The SCAIRA project, co-funded by the Interreg SUDOE 2021-2027 regional development programme with 1,865,807.42 euros, is getting underway to mentor entrepreneurs in the creation and acceleration of start-ups in rural areas of the SUDOE space within the aerospace and automotive sector.
The SCAIRA initiative, which will run until the end of 2026 and is driven by a consortium of twelve main entities and eighteen associated entities from Spain, Portugal and France, will be developed by five incubators, two of which are equipped with research infrastructures. Entrepreneurs will be able to apply through three calls, from which at least 45 business projects are expected to crystallise. In addition, five clusters from the partners’ regional ecosystems will identify industrial, territorial and environmental challenges.
Rural areas in southern Europe have suffered an increase in depopulation and deindustrialisation
SCAIRA team
In recent years, rural areas in southern Europe have suffered an increase in depopulation and deindustrialisation, with a population decrease of 0.1% per year (Eurostat, 2023), which has led to an increase in the population of large cities of 0.4% per year (Eurostat, 2023) and a negative impact on the countryside. At the same time, the industrial production sector has to reinvent itself to become more resilient, more sustainable and more attractive to new generations. The SCAIRA programme will be of great benefit to the regions involved, as it will contribute to the expansion of their productive and entrepreneurial fabric through job creation and the promotion of a culture of entrepreneurship.
The specific objectives of the project are:
- Contribute to the definition of regional and industrial strategies aimed at boosting economic growth in rural areas of the SUDOE zone.
- Launch a unique programme of comprehensive advice for entrepreneurs and start-ups that develop their projects within a green framework.
- Promote the right conditions for the projects presented to find the necessary support (financial, technological, and legal) to prosper and continue to scale.
SCAIRA will also contribute to the transfer of knowledge and best practices between the participating regions and promote harmonious development throughout their territories from a social, economic and demographic point of view.
Inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
As tradition dictates, the kick-off meeting, which took place on 21-22 February in Toulouse (France), was organised by the coordinator. Representatives of the main entities came to the Aerospace Valley headquarters to discuss, among other things, the action plan for the first half of 2024 and to exchange views on the challenges that the deployment of the work packages could present once the project has been officially launched. Another important point on the agenda was the need to implement strong internal coordination mechanisms, which are essential in collaborative projects. But it was not all work during the SCAIRA kick-off meeting. There was also time for anecdotes. One of the most curious was the one shared by the host, who revealed that the famous French aviator and author of the world-famous story The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, made test flights along the runways on which the French grouping of aerospace engineering companies is now located at the beginning of the 20th century.