AFIL Strategic Communities are working groups that members choose to join based on their interest and commitment to strategic topics for the Lombardy manufacturing sector, which are identified and developed starting from the interests and expertise of the participants. The Communities represent the ecosystem of regional stakeholders relevant to each topic and aim to identify challeng­es, needs, and opportunities in advanced manu­facturing, with the goal of fostering synergies and collaborations, and proposing projects and solu­tions capable of supporting the growth and compet­itiveness of the industrial ecosystem. They originate from a dual approach: on one hand, a top-down perspective aligned with the specific priority themes of the Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) of Lombardy Region and driven by emerging topics at an European level; on the other hand, a bottom-up approach that gathers members’ needs and is driven by them, as they contribute content and direction.

Although the specific activities of each Strategic Com­munity strongly depend on the level of maturity achieved and the degree of involvement of the various members, the working groups share common objectives and follow a similar path, enabling them to fully seize avail­able opportunities, both in terms of funding and Europe­an positioning within the numerous interregional initia­tives in which the Cluster participates.

Also through the aggregation of regional value chains around strategic topics, thanks to AFIL’s involvement in the Expression of Interest for Value Chains by Lombardy Region launched in 2022 and continued in subsequent years, the Strategic Com­munities promote cultural growth and disseminate in­dustrial best practices that demonstrate the benefits of developing and implementing innovative products, technologies, and processes in manufacturing.

Collaborations take shape in the development of pro­ject proposals and in defining the content and pri­orities of the specialisation area to be submitted to in­stitutions, primarily Lombardy Region, in order to obtain support for short-, medium-, and long-term actions.

Within the Strategic Communities, AFIL plays not only an operational support role but also a guiding role toward key topics and in facilitating the creation of critical mass. In particular, the Cluster’s actions include:

• transferring priorities and activities to institu­tions, so that they are aware of industrial needs and challenges and can integrate discussions and inputs collected through Roadmaps and the S3 into work programmes and public funding schemes;
• positioning members in national and European contexts, providing visibility to activities and best practices of Strategic Community members, involv­ing them in partnerships, and capturing internation­al opportunities;
• supporting the definition of value chain projects by bringing together key regional stakeholders active on the topic and fostering constructive dialogue;
• drafting studies related to the S3 and other Eu­ropean regions to highlight regional strengths and challenges, providing aggregated and useful data;
• managing and animating the Strategic Commu­nities through the organisation of events, webinars, workshops, and missions;
• broadly communicating Strategic Community ac­tivities through website news, publications, and other dissemination actions, including dedicated tools;
• networking among organisations and engaging a critical mass, also by identifying and involving new participants.

The Strategic Communities currently active in AFIL are:

• Additive Manufacturing
• Advanced Polymers
• De- and Remanufacturing for Circular Economy
• Machinery
• Secure and Sustainable Food Manufacturing

These should not be considered fixed or exhaustive entities. The Cluster is open to new emerging relevant topics and promotes continuous collaboration with existing initiatives in order to capitalise on synergies. A clear example is the creation of the Strategic Community Machinery, launched in 2024 following a process of reflection and aggregation linked to the Lombardy value chain of advanced and sustaina­ble machinery and production systems.

Starting from mid-2022, AFIL’s efforts have also focused on the Expression of Interest for the de­velopment and consolidation of production and service value chains and industrial ecosystems, launched by Lombardy Region with the aim of sup­porting and increasing the competitiveness of exist­ing value chains or ecosystems, as well as generating new ones linked to regional specialisations.

Through this regional initiative, AFIL facilitated the creation of nine regional value chains connected to the topics explored within the Strategic Commu­nities:

1. Ecosystem for the Development and Industrialisation of Additive Manufacturing Technologies in Lombardy (AMaLo)
2. Sustainable and smart value chain of advanced polymers
3. Innovative and sustainable value chain in the steel sector
4. Regional Recycling Processes for Textile (RE4TES)
5. Inclusive, efficient, and sustainable value chain of natural textiles and fashion
6. Lombardy value chain of advanced and sustainable machinery and production systems
7. Safe and sustainable agri-food value chain (FISICO)
8. Excellent Components for Electrified Vehicles (COEVE)
9. Value chain of sustainable structural components in advanced aluminium technologies for automotive applications.

The last two value chains represent special cases, as they are not strictly linked to a specific Strategic Com­munity. The “Excellent Components for Electrified Vehicles (COEVE)” project is the result of a joint in­itiative between AFIL and the Lombardy Mobility Cluster, which, with the support of the Politecnico di Milano, aimed to bring together their respective mem­bers to create a regional industrial hub on vehicle electrification, focusing on the development of pro­cesses and technologies for production, end-of-life, and smart components. The project “Value chain of sustainable structural components in advanced aluminium technologies for automotive appli­cations” was developed by the member company Streparava S.p.A., with AFIL acting as a facilitator, with the aim of improving efficiency and innovation in processes and increasing sustainability through digi­talisation and the use of recycled materials.