The FRAMES project is part of the European cross-border cooperation programme POCTEFA, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Its objective is to strengthen the resilience, competitiveness, and modernization of supply chains in the aerospace, space, and defence (ASD) sectors across the French-Spanish border regions.
Driven by a strategic partnership bringing together key players from the industrial ecosystem—Aerospace Valley, AERA (Aragón), HEGAN (Basque Country), and the Occitanie Chamber of Commerce and Industry—FRAMES is a strategic initiative dedicated to supporting manufacturing SMEs, which are at the heart of today’s industrial transformation.
With a duration of 18 months, the project has a total budget of €200,000, co-funded at 65% under the POCTEFA programme.
Challenges and Context
European industrial supply chains, particularly in the aerospace, space, and defence (ASD) sectors, are facing significant challenges:
- Increased vulnerability to international crises and supply chain disruptions
- Increasing pressure to meet environmental sustainability requirements
- Accelerating technological transformations driven by Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0
- Challenges faced by SMEs in accessing the tools, expertise, and networks needed to support their transformation.
In this context, manufacturing SMEs—key links in industrial value chains—must strengthen their capacity to adapt and innovate in order to remain competitive. The FRAMES project addresses these challenges directly by promoting an integrated approach that combines technology intelligence, knowledge structuring, cross-border cooperation, and stronger connections among ecosystem stakeholders.
Project Objectives
FRAMES pursues a central objective: to strengthen and modernize aerospace, space, and defence (ASD) industrial value chains by supporting the adoption of advanced technologies by manufacturing SMEs.
This objective is pursued through several operational pillars:
- Enhance knowledge of SMEs’ industrial capabilities across the cross-border region.
- Increase the adoption of Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 technologies.
- Strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of supply chains.
- Promote public-private collaboration and industrial partnerships.
- Build a sustainable cross-border ecosystem.
Project Approach and Content
FRAMES is based on an integrated approach structured around several complementary dimensions:
1. Strategic Technology Intelligence
The project establishes a joint technology intelligence framework to monitor the key innovations shaping the industry of the future, with a particular focus on:
- Physical industry: automation, robotics, collaborative robots (cobots), advanced manufacturing, innovative materials, and resource management.
- Digital industry: artificial intelligence (AI), big data, cybersecurity, and ERP, MES, and PLM systems.
- Cross-cutting technologies: the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality, human–machine interfaces (HMIs), and digital twins.
This technology intelligence aims to provide SMEs with practical, accessible, and directly actionable information.
2. Support and Knowledge Transfer
Throughout the project, webinars and thematic workshops led by industry experts will be organized to:
- Raise companies’ awareness of emerging technological opportunities.
- Present practical, real-world use cases.
- Facilitate the adoption of innovative solutions.
3. Mapping Industrial Capabilities
A comprehensive data collection exercise will be carried out to:
- Identify the technological and industrial capabilities of SMEs.
- Assess their needs, challenges, and development prospects.
- Develop a comprehensive overview of the cross-border ASD ecosystem.
4. Development of a Strategic Catalogue
As the project’s main deliverable, the Industrial Capabilities Catalogue will provide:
- A comprehensive directory of SMEs and their areas of expertise.
- A strategic analysis of the industrial ecosystem.
- A decision-support and collaboration tool for public and private stakeholders.
A decision-making and collaboration support tool for public and private stakeholders.
5. Ecosystem Connectivity and Engagement
The project will conclude with a final event featuring:
- B2B matchmaking sessions.
- Dedicated networking activities.
- The mobilization of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) to foster the development of transnational business partnerships.
The objective is to create tangible collaboration opportunities and lay the foundations for long-term cooperation.
Expected Results and Impact
Through its activities, FRAMES aims to deliver lasting, structural impacts across the cross-border region:
- Strengthened cooperation between French and Spanish organizations.
- Enhanced competitiveness of manufacturing SMEs.
- Accelerated technological transformation of ASD value chains.
- Creation of a more resilient and integrated industrial ecosystem.
- Strengthened long-term collaboration beyond the lifetime of the project.
Partnership
El proyecto se basa en una colaboración equilibrada entre actores franceses y españoles:
- Aerospace Valley (France)
- AERA (Spain)
- HEGAN (Spain)
- Occitanie Chamber of Commerce and Industry (France)
This cooperation fully demonstrates the added value of the cross-border approach promoted by the POCTEFA programme.
Financial Support from Interreg POCTEFA
The FRAMES project is 65% co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg VI-A Spain–France–Andorra Programme (POCTEFA 2021–2027). The objective of this programme is to strengthen the economic and social integration of the Spain–France–Andorra cross-border area. .
