However, the transition from fossil fuels to e-mobility is not just a technological change – it’s an economic revolution with far-reaching consequences. Electric motors require approximately 3,000 fewer components than traditional internal combustion engines. For Central and Eastern European regions, which specialize in the production of these components, this means an urgent need for adaptation.
Regional Challenges in Numbers: We Are Not Alone
Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, and other Central and Eastern European countries have become key links in the European automotive supply chain. These countries produce almost two-thirds of all passenger cars in Europe. In our region, the automotive sector accounts for an average of 4 to 5% of all jobs.
However, this strong position is now threatened by technological transformation. Estimates suggest that up to 600,000 jobs in the European automotive sector are seriously at risk. While Western European regions have invested in research, innovation, and the creation of new value chains for e-mobility in recent years, Central and Eastern European regions have remained a production base with lower added value and more limited access to strategic decisions.
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This creates a paradoxical situation. In the first half of 2025, European vehicle sales fell by 1.9% year-on-year, and manufacturers are struggling with high costs and consumers’ conservative approach to electric vehicles. At the same time, Chinese brands like BYD recorded a 165% increase in sales and are gradually securing positions in the European market. For our regions, this means double pressure: technological transformation meets growing global competition.
Estimates suggest that up to 600,000 jobs in the European automotive sector are seriously at risk.
Why is connecting Western and Eastern Europe crucial?
This is where the principle behind our new Bridge & Shift project comes into play: mutual learning between developed and developing regions. It’s not about charity or a one-sided transfer of knowledge. It’s about strategic cooperation that holds value for both sides.
Developed regions like Heilbronn in Germany or Aragon in Spain have already undergone a similar transformation to the one we are currently experiencing. They have experience in systematically mapping industrial ecosystems, can identify missing links in the value chain, and create support tools for small and medium-sized enterprises. They have learned how to attract investments in new technologies and how to effectively connect research with industry.
Less developed regions involved in the project, such as Ostrava, Nitra, and Rzeszów, in turn, bring a dynamic production base with a skilled workforce. They bring flexibility, a desire to innovate, and potential for rapid growth. They offer attractive conditions for investments and have the ambition to move higher up the value chain. Together, these regions can create a stronger, more resilient, and more competitive European automotive industry.
Bridge & Shift: More Than a Project, a Blueprint for the Future
Bridge & Shift is a 24-month European project funded by the Interregional Innovation Investments program. The project connects automotive clusters, innovation agencies, and regional partners from five countries – Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. INOVATO represents the Nitra region in the project and plays an important role.
The project’s mission is clear yet ambitious: to help automotive regions learn from each other, identify gaps in industrial ecosystems, and create concrete strategies to manage major changes in mobility. This is a systemic approach based on the conviction that no region can successfully transform in isolation. We need to learn from each other, share experiences, and jointly seek solutions.
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The EACSY Framework as a Compass for Transformation
The project uses the EACSY framework, which defines the main trends in the future of the automotive industry. The acronym stands for Electric powertrains, Autonomous driving, Connected vehicles, Sharing economy, and Yearly updates.
This framework serves as a common language for all participating regions. By mapping the position of regions and companies against these trends, we can identify who is ready for the future and who needs support. It’s like a GPS navigation for transformation – showing where we are, where we’re headed, and what alternative paths exist. It allows us to compare ourselves and learn from those who are further ahead in certain areas.
What will Bridge & Shift specifically bring to the Nitra region?
For our region, the most important outcome is the creation of a detailed analysis of our industrial and automotive ecosystem. This involves mapping value chains from the smallest sub-suppliers to final vehicle manufacturers, identifying missing links, and understanding where we have competitive advantages and where we need to improve.
This type of analysis is usually very costly. Consulting companies charge tens to hundreds of thousands of euros for similar studies. However, thanks to Bridge & Shift, we are learning to carry it out internally, with the support of advanced European regions that have already gone through similar processes. We will not only gain a finished document but also methodology and know-how that we can utilize in the future.
The outputs will include detailed value maps of the current and future state, showing what our automotive ecosystem looks like today and what it should look like in the next five to ten years. Based on this, we will create a concrete regional action plan with clear steps and responsibilities.
This will also include strategic roadmaps for the development of new value chains, for example, in the areas of batteries, electric powertrains, or software for connected vehicles. The project will also provide recommendations for regional and national policies that can either support or hinder the transformation.
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Opportunities for Companies in the Region
For companies in our region, the project opens up new possibilities. We will identify specific opportunities for investment and growth – from the transformation of existing businesses that produce components for internal combustion engines to attracting new companies that will fill missing segments of the e-mobility value chain.
Companies will gain direct access to experts from the most advanced European regions. It’s not about theoretical lectures, but about real connections with people who have already tackled similar challenges. A key supplier of exhaust systems from our region can learn from a company in Aragon that successfully transitioned to producing battery components. An engineering company can find partners in Germany who are developing robotic solutions for the new generation of manufacturing.
The project will also provide an overview of upcoming trends and technologies. Companies will know where to invest, what skills they need to develop in their employees, and where to look for new business opportunities. They will receive support for their transformation towards a digital, electric, and autonomous future – not general support, but specific support tailored to their unique situation.
The Role of INOVATO: Effective Funding and Consortium Building
INOVATO has a specific and strategically important role within the project. We lead Work Package 9, which focuses on Funding Actions, i.e., financing and consortium building. This means we play a key role in identifying European, national, and regional grant opportunities that can support the transformation of our region.
It’s not just about sending newsletters with information about calls. Our role is to actively help members navigate the complex world of grant schemes, understand which programs are relevant to them, and how to prepare high-quality project applications. Even more important is consortium building – connecting companies, research organizations, and partners from across Europe for major project calls that require international cooperation.
This capacity will remain in the region even after the Bridge & Shift project concludes. We will have established processes, contacts, and experience that we can utilize not only for the automotive sector but for the entire industrial ecosystem of the Nitra region. This is the true multiplier effect of European cooperation.
Learning from the Best: The Power of Twinning Partnerships
One of the most interesting aspects of the project is the emphasis on capacity building through direct mentoring. The project utilizes the principle of twinning partnerships, where each developing region is paired with a developed region that acts as a mentor.
For the Nitra region, this means a direct exchange of experience with regions that have already undergone a similar transformation. It’s not about reading reports or watching presentations. It’s about personal meetings, company visits, and workshops where specific problems are jointly addressed.
It also includes cluster benchmarking, where we compare our management standards, ways of working with members, and innovation support methods with European leaders. This comparison is not about criticism, but about identifying areas where we can grow and improve. Joint workshops and training sessions will focus on practical topics – for example, how to create effective support for mobility startups, how to map value chains, and how to collaborate with universities on technology transfer.
The sharing of best practices will go both ways. Developed regions can also learn from us – for example, about flexibility, ways of working with industry, and the ability to react quickly to changes. European cooperation works best when it is based on mutual respect and the conviction that everyone has something to offer.
For the Nitra region, this means a direct exchange of experience with regions that have already undergone a similar transformation.
Beyond Automotive: The Mobility Region
A key message of the Bridge & Shift project is to move beyond the past. Automotive must transform into a broader field of mobility. This is not just a semantic difference – it’s a fundamental paradigm shift.
The future of mobility represents sustainable transport solutions where various modes of transport are combined – from bicycles to electric scooters to autonomous minibuses. Connected mobility systems enable vehicles, infrastructure, and people to communicate in real-time and optimize transport.
The future also includes shared vehicle platforms that change the way we think about transport – from ownership to access. This is complemented by infrastructure for smart cities, where mobility connects with energy, data networks, and services for citizens.
Imagine a city where your phone knows when the bus will arrive, where the nearest available shared car is, what the air quality is like on your route, and which mode of transport is both the fastest and most ecological.
Bridge & Shift helps our region move from being a parts manufacturer to a hub for innovative mobility solutions. We have the prerequisites for this – a skilled workforce, industrial tradition, and a strategic location in the heart of Europe. We only need the right connections, knowledge, and courage to embrace the new.
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Real Impact: Creating Functional Partnerships
The most important outcome of the project will not be a value chain map, nor a detailed analysis, nor an action plan. The most important will be the creation of lasting partnerships and networks that will endure even after the project concludes in 2026.
If a company from Nitra seeks a technological partner for new product development, it will gain contacts in Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Poland. An investor group from Aragon, when considering expanding production into Central Europe, will already know our region and who to contact. And when the European Commission opens a new call for funding mobility projects, we will have consortia ready across five countries that can react quickly and prepare high-quality proposals.
This is the true value of international cooperation. It’s not about papers, conferences, or scientific studies. It’s about people, relationships, and trust. Projects like Bridge & Shift create space for these relationships to be built naturally, in the context of working together on specific tasks. And such relationships then function for years, creating value far beyond the original project.
What does this mean for your company?
Whether you are a supplier of components for internal combustion engines, a software developer, a logistics company, or a manufacturer of engineering parts – this transformation affects you. No one in the automotive ecosystem can stand aside and hope that the changes won’t affect them.
For suppliers of traditional components, the project will help identify opportunities for diversification. Perhaps you produce pistons for internal combustion engines and fear that your company has no future. However, you can use the same manufacturing processes and know-how to produce components for electric powertrains, battery cooling systems, or parts for hydrogen fuel cells. Bridge & Shift will help you find these opportunities and connect with partners who can support you on this journey.
For innovative companies already working on new technologies, the project opens doors to advanced European ecosystems. You can participate in pilot projects, test your technologies in real-world environments with major manufacturers, and gain access to funding for further development. Connecting with Western European regions can be a bridge to international expansion.
Access to grant opportunities is important for everyone. Both the European Union and the Slovak government are preparing billions of euros in the coming years to support industrial transformation. However, not everyone will automatically receive this money. It will go to those who can prepare high-quality projects, build strong consortia, and convincingly demonstrate that they can create value. And that’s precisely where INOVATO and the Bridge & Shift project can help you.
Join This Journey
The transformation of the automotive industry is happening whether we are ready for it or not. The Chinese are building gigafactories for batteries, the Germans are investing billions in autonomous driving, and the Americans are subsidizing electric vehicles. We can choose to remain a low-cost production base that manufactures what someone else dictates. Or we can choose to be an active part of the transformation as a region that participates in shaping mobility in Europe.
With projects like Bridge & Shift, we don’t have to be alone in this. We have partners who will help us, mentors who have walked a similar path, and a network of allies across Europe. In the next two years, INOVATO will be involved in all key project activities – from regional analyses and the identification of investment opportunities to the creation of funding consortia. We will share the findings with members and the wider community through workshops, reports, and individual consultations.
Bridge & Shift is not just another European project with a nice logo and a pile of reports that no one will read. The future of our region depends on such decisions. This approach will enable us to ensure that in the transformation of the automotive industry, we are not just catching up with others, but are among the leaders setting the direction. At the same time, it presents an opportunity to show that Central and Eastern European regions are not merely the production halls of the West, but full-fledged partners with ambition, capabilities, and vision.
Do you want to know how Bridge & Shift can help your company? Contact us at INOVATO. Together, we will not only bridge differences but also move towards an innovative future.
Bridge & Shift is funded by the European Union under the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) program, grant agreement no. 101225426. The project runs from 2024 to 2026 and connects seven partner organizations from five European countries.
TEXT: Anna Čaplovičová, Natália Stašíková
PHOTO: Unsplash, Anna Čaplovičová
