On 15–16 September, the FITT-NESS consortium met in Palermo, Sicily, for its last meeting before the project comes to an end. Inês Saavedra and Anna Gallinat represented SHINE 2Europe.
FITT-NESS (Fostering Innovation & the Twin Transition for iNclusive environments) connects four regional innovation ecosystems in the furniture sector: Lombardy and Sicily in Italy, Murcia in Spain, and Northern Portugal. The project promotes collaboration, knowledge sharing and innovation, with a focus on smart homes and inclusive, age-friendly environments, strengthening partnerships between regions and creating new business opportunities for companies in the sector.
Within the consortium, SHINE 2Europe led the development of the FITT-NESS Train-the-Trainer training package and was responsible for the project’s policy recommendations, drawing on input from stakeholders in the furniture sector as well as in green buildings, smart homes, design-for-all and age-friendly environments.
With the project nearing completion, partners reviewed the status of all deliverables, which have now been produced and are being finalised, including SHINE’s policy recommendations. The consortium also discussed next steps to carry FITT-NESS and its results forward beyond the end of the project, so that the collaboration between regions and businesses continues to deliver value.
Following the consortium meeting, close to 20 companies from Portugal, Spain and Italy came together as part of the FITT-NESS Twinning Actions to network, exchange experiences and strengthen their skills, with a particular focus on brand identity.
More information about the project is available at www.fitt-ness.eu.