The Lombardy Energy Cluster in Italy has over 470,000 employees in clean and traditional energy sectors, accounting for 20% of Italy's GDP. The cluster includes over 100 companies, 7 research centers, and 5 institutions focused on conventional energy, nuclear, renewables, smart grids, and energy efficiency. Key strongholds are biomass/waste-to-energy with over 70 companies, 13,000 employees, and €4.5 billion turnover. The cluster aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation, obtain a gold label recognition, develop new waste-to-energy projects, and explore Horizon 2020 opportunities in 2014.