For more than 30 years, Lombardy, Catalonia, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Baden-Württemberg have been pooling their interests as economically flourishing regions strong in research. Working groups meet at regular intervals, especially in the areas of research, technology and culture.
The technological transition to electric mobility and new mobility solutions will fundamentally change global innovation and value chains in the automotive industry. New forms of cooperation between leading innovation networks and established business locations in Europe are needed in order to maintain the innovative strength and the industrial performance of the European community against new research and technology locations, particularly in Asia and North America.
As early as 1988, the regions of Baden-Württemberg, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Catalonia and Lombardy started their close cooperation with the European network of "Four Motors for Europe". At the outset, this European initiative mainly focused on questions of economic, scientific and cultural cooperation. In the past few years, however, the focus shifted to cooperation in technological sectors with strong growth potential.
On the initiative of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing of Baden-Württemberg, the Four Motors for Europe have launched an unprecedented collaboration on future mobility technology with the network dialogue "Electric mobility and future transport technologies". By sharing information and experience, but also by implementing cross-border activities, the leading mobility locations in Europe - Baden-Württemberg, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Catalonia and Lombardy, in cooperation with the partner regions of Flanders and Wales - have been making an important contribution to the industrialisation of electric mobility and the implementation of future mobility solutions in Europe.
Representatives of the respective mobility clusters and networks meet at regular intervals at biannual work sessions, held alternately in the partner regions and significantly driven forward by e-mobil BW. They mainly focus on exchanging views on current and economic affairs with an impact on the industrialisation and market introduction of sustainable mobility technologies and transport solutions, but also on initiating common transnational project activities. Alongside this, the network dialogue serves as the basis for numerous bilateral and multilateral networking activities between companies, universities and research institutes from the regions of the Four Motors for Europe. In addition, the Four Motors for Europe regularly go on joint missions to relevant international business and technology locations.
Because of their above-average economic power and high innovation dynamic, the Four Motors for Europe are also held in high regard at European Union level. The network dialogue "Electric mobility and future transport technologies" is in regular contact with representatives of the European Commission as well as other relevant organisations and representations in Brussels. It creates an important platform for the affiliated clusters and networks, permitting a targeted communication of needs for action, project activities and strategies at the European level.
