The ResC4EU CSA project strengthens the resilience of supply chains of European SMEs. The project is organized around four key objectives: (1) defining risk, disruption and alerts models for the supply chains of 14 “at risk” industrial ecosystems; (2) developing a holistic European value network for strengthening supply chains fostered by industrial clusters and strategic alliances; (3) accelerating the adoption of advanced methods and technologies for sustainability and resilience, through the use of a dedicated digital B2B platform, thereby benefiting from platform based growth models through network effects; and (4) demonstrating supply chain resilience of industrial ecosystems while also achieving climate neutrality and sustainability of economic processes.

The consortium consists of six industrial clusters that have immediate access to over 1000 SMEs. Two research institutes cover logistics, supply chain risk modelling and product life-cycle analysis, respectively. Two SMEs, one orchestrating the outreach activities of the project and the other providing an open source, multisided, B2B supply chain platform derived from a H2020 project, complete the team.

The workplan is designed to first activate the SMEs in the 6 clusters and then engage them in three ways: (a) to foster knowledge transfer early on, between the more technology-aware SMEs and those interested in innovating their processes; (b) to develop an actionable model for supply chain analysis that can be supported by the platform and will lead to immediate supply chain risk mitigation and resilience; and (c) to create impact by fostering new pan-European as well as cross-regional collaboration using a mix of strategically planned physical meetings and large-scale virtual community-building activities, among them “ResC4EU Net-Zero Industry Academies”.

The cluster organizations cover logistics and supply chains of GHG-heavy industry, wood and furniture, advanced IT and have – in sum – outreach into all 14 industrial ecosystems, for which Pilot initiatives will be launched. In conclusion, ResC4EU is designed to bolster the resilience of European supply chains of 14 industrial ecosystems “at risk”, including: mobility, transport & automotive; retail; proximity & social economy; textiles; tourism; aerospace & defence; renewable energy; energy-intensive industries, electronics; digital; construction; agri-food; health; and creative & cultural industries.