North Paris, Villepinte, 5 November 2024 – A significant new step towards internationalisation, which gives further impetus to the European project ”Level 1 Accelerator for the Defence Sector-Leviatad” of which the Ligurian Marine Technology Cluster is the lead partner.
Against the backdrop of Euronaval, the global trade fair dedicated to naval defence, an agreement was signed between the Leviatad Consortium and Naval Québec aimed at strengthening transatlantic cooperation in this sector, with a view to consolidating the respective supply chains and promoting the resilience and sovereignty of European and Canadian industries.
In addition to the Canada and Italy, are involved France, Belgium and Croatia: countries home to centres of excellence in defence, naval and underwater engineering, renewable energy, yachting and business development, brought together as part of the European Leviatad project: Ligurian Marine Technology District, Navigo, Toulon Var Technologies/System Factory, De Blauwe Cluster, Croatian Defence Industry Competitiveness Cluster.
The consortium is part of the programme Joint Cluster Initiative, aimed at strengthening European sovereignty in strategic sectors.
Naval Québec it represents the entire maritime supply chain in the Canadian region and is tasked with promoting the growth and competitiveness of businesses in Québec’s maritime industry, particularly in the sectors of shipbuilding, maintenance, technological innovation and marine energy; both within the region and on the international stage, it promotes cooperation and innovation across a wide range of sectors linked to the maritime industry.
The memorandum, which will have the a term of 48 months and may be renewed upon expiry, as provided for promoting the competitiveness of businesses from the countries represented in the agreement at an international level, thereby strengthening their resilience in strategic defence sectors; the collaboration will take the form of exchanges of expertise, joint research and development projects, and collaborative initiatives between industrial centres in the areas concerned.
In order to enhance the effectiveness of the memorandum of understanding, both parties will also work with the government authorities in their respective countries to identify and overcome obstacles to cross-border cooperation, whilst seeking support for joint initiatives and harmonising policies and regulations.
“The partnership with Naval Québec will enable us to create vital synergies between our companies and networks, thereby enhancing our capacity for innovation and competitiveness in the international naval defence market. This agreement marks the starting point for further enhancing the efficiency and development capacity of the emerging European naval defence cluster, which is taking shape through the Leviatad project; thanks to this initiative, several companies have been able to boost their competitiveness in the sector by focusing on internationalisation and technological innovation” emphasises Lorenzo Forcieri, President of the Ligurian Marine Technologies District.
“This memorandum of understanding represents a decisive step towards developing new commercial opportunities and enhancing cooperation between the shipbuilding supply chains in Québec and Europe. We are delighted to be working with such prestigious European partners to strengthen our sectorsays Pierre Drapeau, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Naval Québec.
