Xecs is a Eureka Cluster

Paris, 15 September 2021 – AENEAS Industry Association is pleased to announce that Nadja Rohrbach is joining as its new Xecs Director on 15 September 2021. Ms Rohrbach will be in charge of the new Xecs Eureka Cluster, as well as the existing Penta and Euripides Clusters.

This appointment follows the departure of Peter Connock, who is stepping down as Penta Director at AENEAS after nearly six years. Mr Connock played a key part in the creation of the Penta Cluster, a funding instrument aimed at catalysing RD&I in the areas of nano- and microelectronic enabled systems and applications. More recently, Mr Connock helped establish synergies between the Penta and Euripides2 Clusters leading to the launch of synchronised and joint calls, with AENEAS managing both programmes for the benefit of the Electronic Components & Systems (ECS) industry as a whole.

Thanking Mr Connock for his dedication, AENEAS Director General Caroline Bedran, said:

“Peter not only managed both Clusters very successfully, but he also did an excellent work in shaping the Xecs Cluster within the new Eureka Cluster Programme (ECP) environment.”

 Ms Rohrbach brings extensive experience to the position of Xecs Director. With an academic background in biology and immunology, Ms Rohrbach spent several years as a scientific officer for a member of the German Federal Parliament. Subsequently she joined the DLR Project Management Agency, initially focusing on Eureka and network projects, before becoming head of the Eurostars group. Three years ago, Ms Rohrbach was seconded by the German government to the Eureka secretariat in Brussels, where she was appointed central coordinator for the new ECP and worked with various bodies to draft the first Multi-Annual and Annual Operational Plans.

“As this new Xecs Cluster is coming to life, I am very pleased that Nadja is joining us as the new Xecs Director, in charge of Penta, Euripides, and the new Xecs Cluster. Nadja is well known within the Eureka community and has many experiences working for and with public authorities. Nadja will bring her expertise in making Xecs a great programme!” said Ms Bedran.

Xecs, is an industry-driven initiative that builds on the highly successful Euripides² and Penta programmes, and is designed to accelerate electronics RD&I by partnering with National Funding Bodies. It will be presented at an Xecs Launch Event on 28 September 2021 together with the opening of the first Xecs Call. Focussed on the ECS community, Xecs a Eureka Cluster, encourages innovation beyond the state-of-the-art, stimulates growth and helps create a better life for all of us by driving the sustainable digital transformation of our economy and society.

About Xecs

Xecs is an industry-driven Eureka programme designed to accelerate the pace of sustainable innovation in Electronics Components & Systems (ECS) and related Applications. Xecs is a Cluster from Eureka, the world’s biggest public network for international cooperation, present in over 45 countries.

Open to all – Large Enterprise, SME’s, Research and Technology Organisations and Universities – Xecs provides networking tools and organises ECS community events in which participants can generate and present project ideas, build consortia and find projects in which they can exploit their expertise and capabilities.

Programme participants also benefit from personalised support and guidance from the Xecs team. Being part of Xecs funded projects encourages innovation beyond the state-of-the-art, accelerates growth and helps create a better life for all of us by driving the sustainable digital transformation of our economy and society.

Xecs is managed by the AENEAS Industry Association, with strategic focus provided by AENEAS and its partners Inside and EPoSS, as captured in the ECS Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda.

More here: https://eureka-xecs.com

Read the full press release here.