Tèxtils.CAT organized a cluster exploratory mission to Saudi Arabia from 24th to 27th of February 2025 as part of xBUILD-EU project, led by the cluster with funding from the European Commission.
The mission aimed at exploring opportunities and networking to foster synergies and to exchange knowledge within textile, construction and advanced manufacturing sectors in Saudi Arabia and specially in Riyadh.
During the 4 days mission, xBUILD-EU delegation visited different innovation stakeholders to understand local cultural nuances and the country growing focus on digitalization across industries. The main insight of the mission is that Saudi Arabia is open for business, particularly in on-site manufacturing opportunities, with strong support for companies setting up in Riyadh.
The delegation met with consultants from the hub5consulting, representatives from the King Saud University, the Federation of Saudi Chambers of Commerce & Industry, the Saudi Fashion Commission, and visited the Big 5 trade fair as major exhibition for construction in order to gain insights into the Middle East role in the value chain, along with trends in sustainability, digitalization, and Vision 2030’s transformative GIGA-projects.
Those visits enabled Tèxtils.CAT to better understand and explore potential synergies, particularly in the context of future collaborations between EU and Saudi Arabia in terms of industrial partnerships.
Internationalization is a key area of the cluster strategy addressing two major objectives: increasing the competitiveness of its members with facilitated access to third country markets and the increased visibility of the members at international level thanks to the cluster participation in key events, both in Europe and internationally.
Collaborations undertaken in xBUILD-EU project support these activities to reinforce the links with Saudi Arabian stakeholders and opening new potential collaborations. The project has also facilitated the financial support of Catalan SMEs to explore opportunities in Middle East through dedicated cascade funding support.
