The role of the Energy Cluster of the Valencian Community as an orchestrator within an innovation ecosystem

Abstract

In a context of accelerated industrial transformation driven by digitalization, the energy transition, and increasing pressure for sustainability, clusters have emerged as key actors in the articulation of innovation ecosystems (Irú n et al, 2022). Their role has evolved from simple sectoral groupings into strategic coordination platforms capable of catalyzing collaborative processes among companies, technology centers, universities, and public administrations (Cooke, 2001). A cluster is a geographic concentration of companies, institutions, and interrelated organizations operating within the same sector or value chain, which collaborate to enhance competitiveness, foster innovation, and generate productive synergies (Porter, 1998). The Energy Cluster of the Valencian Community (CECV) in Spain has developed the program named CECVImpulsaIA360, a pioneering initiative that integrates generative artificial intelligence, sustainability, and industrial digitalization to accelerate technological transition in energy-intensive sectors. The program is structured into six phases—from territorial prospecting and needs diagnosis, to challenge prioritization, solution mapping, collaborative pilot design and execution, and impact evaluation—and aligns with the Valencian Strategy for Artificial Intelligence and the European Next Generation EU funds (CECV, 2025). This approach has enabled the identification of specific challenges in key high-energy-consumption sectors (agri-food; ceramics and glass; chemicals and petrochemicals; steel and metallurgy; paper and pulp) and their connection to technological solutions offered by companies within the cluster. The annual event Impacto+, organized within the framework of the program, and the academic award for the best Bachelor's and Master's theses in the field of "Energy and AI" reinforce the program’s educational and outreach dimension, fostering interaction between companies, technology centers, and universities. Participation in national and international conferences and the publication of results in research and knowledge transfer journals will contribute to systematizing and disseminating the knowledge generated in the management of this innovation ecosystem led by the CECV. This ecosystem is continuously self-reinforcing. In fact, the design of CECVImpulsaIA360 emerged from a structured listening process to the productive fabric of the Valencian Community (including technology breakfasts, bilateral meetings, working groups, and B2B sessions), where energyintensive companies from various sectors expressed recurring energy and sustainability challenges: reducing consumption and costs, improving efficiency and competitiveness, predictive maintenance, waste valorization, and process digitalization (CECV, 2021; CECV, 2022). The event Artificial Intelligence in the Energy Sector (co-organized with ValgrAI in 2025) confirmed the traction of the AI-energy approach and helped prioritize lines of action such as predictive demand models, digital twins for efficiency, and automation of energy decision-making. These findings reinforced the need for a comprehensive program focused on use cases and scalability. The convergence of these challenges with the capabilities of the CECV’s business base (SMEs and digital/energy startups, technology centers, and universities), and with European priorities for green transition and digital transformation, led the CECV to structure a phased response—from prospecting and competitive advantage analysis, to challenge and solution identification, annual event organization, and academic dissemination of results, including awards for the best theses in this field to attract talent—with AI as a transversal enabler. The program articulates a collaborative value chain: it identifies “on-site” challenges in large energy consumers, matches them with technological capabilities (AI, IoT, digital twins, storage, circular economy), and orchestrates meetings and demonstrator projects that serve as a basis for scaling, supported by the communication and transfer platform ComunicaEnergía as a channel for visibility and dissemination (Irú n et al, 2020). Looking ahead, clusters must adapt to increasingly complex scenarios, such as generative artificial intelligence, the energy transition, and the geopolitical reconfiguration of value chains. Based on the CECV’s experience, effective orchestration relies on: (i) early and continuous detection of demand-side needs; (ii) agile methodology to move from challenge to pilot with efficiency and CO₂ KPIs; (iii) transfer platforms (events, awards, content) that attract talent and visibility; and (iv) inter-cluster and international networks to scale solutions. CECVImpulsaIA360 encapsulates this logic and aligns AI + energy transition with academic-business dissemination to maximize territorial impact.