Aerospace Valley recently hosted the fourth and final BRIDGESMEs Focus Group in Mérignac, focused on the Aerospace & Defence ecosystem. The session brought together SMEs, public authorities and development agencies to discuss the realities of industrial transformation and gather input for the project’s upcoming policy recommendations.
The event was organised as part of the BRIDGESMEs Focus Group series, designed to collect direct insights from companies across the project’s target ecosystems. These sessions aim to identify the needs, barriers and opportunities faced by SMEs in their transition towards Industry 5.0, with a focus on more sustainable, resilient and human-centric industrial models.
The Mérignac session gathered 9 participants and gave four SMEs the opportunity to share their experiences of industrial transformation. Their contributions helped identify the main barriers that can slow down the adoption of Industry 5.0 principles and advanced technologies, as well as good practices and practical solutions that could support other companies in similar processes.
The discussion also benefited from the participation of public authorities and development agencies, which helped address these challenges from different perspectives. This exchange contributed to a better understanding of how existing support mechanisms could respond more effectively to the concrete needs of SMEs.
As the final Focus Group of the project, the session closes a series of discussions carried out across the BRIDGESMEs ecosystems, including Mobility, Transport & Automotive, Aerospace & Defence, Electronics, and Tourism and Cultural & Creative Industries. The insights collected throughout the series will feed into the project’s policy recommendations for institutions, policy makers and stakeholders.
On behalf of Aerospace Valley and the BRIDGESMEs project, we would like to thank AC Dismantling, SkinPack Solutions, CMP Composites and Cellutec for sharing their experiences and contributing to the discussion. We also thank Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine and ADI Nouvelle-Aquitaine for their valuable input.
The results of the Focus Groups will be shared during the BRIDGESMEs final event, helping to turn SME experiences and stakeholder perspectives into practical recommendations to support the transition towards Industry 5.0.
