This spring was the busiest yet in the EXCITE project — within a few weeks, two regional partner meetings took place: mid-March in Warsaw (Poland, hosted by “Mazovia Cluster ICT”) and early April in Sofia (Bulgaria). BHV cluster was represented at both by Minvydas Latauskas.
Warsaw: the ICT cluster landscape in Central Europe
“Mazovia Cluster ICT” is one of Poland’s largest information technology clusters. During the meeting, participants visited several major cluster members in Warsaw’s technology district, met representatives of Poland’s investment agency PAIH, and discussed different countries’ business-support models.
BHV’s report to the Mazovia partners covered how Lithuania’s startup ecosystem is functioning after Brexit and the new geopolitical situation, and which sectors (cybersecurity, fintech, hardware) remain the most competitive internationally. The Polish cluster faced the same question — so the discussion was practical and concrete.
Sofia: the Balkans join digital transformation
Bulgaria’s “Cluster for Digital Transformation and Innovations” presented its growing membership — particularly AI-solution and software-development companies seeking export opportunities into the EU internal market.
This meeting was interesting for BHV members from a price-competitiveness angle — Bulgaria’s IT services sector offers highly qualified talent at relatively low cost, which for Lithuanian companies could mean both competition and a partnership direction (for example, in nearshoring models).
What’s ahead in the second half
After two regional meetings, the EXCITE consortium is beginning intensive preparation for the project’s biggest event yet — a mission to Spain, to the Basque Country’s industrial capital Bilbao, planned for November this year. We’ll share more separately — and open invitations for BHV members to join the delegation.
— Marius Pareščius, President of the BHV cluster