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Clusters are individuals - VDI/VDE-IT

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Competence<br />

Cluster<br />

Centre of<br />

Expertise<br />

Centre of<br />

Expertise<br />

Centre of<br />

Expertise<br />

Centre of<br />

Expertise<br />

Centre of<br />

Expertise<br />

Figure 39: The organization of a Finnish Competence Cluster<br />

Competence <strong>Clusters</strong> as Umbrella Organizations for<br />

Centres of Expertise<br />

Superordinated to the centres of expertise the program established<br />

competence clusters that gather the key organizations<br />

at centres of expertise located in different regions,<br />

to collaborate and implement strategic development programs.<br />

A competence cluster will enable the more effective<br />

utilization of fragmented national expertise-based resources<br />

and, at the same time, increase the ‘critical mass’ required<br />

for research and product development thereby creating<br />

more attractive centres of expertise. Competence clusters<br />

will collect currently fragmented regional resources, make<br />

their utilization more efficient, and create a new, effective<br />

channel for the dissemination of knowledge and expertise<br />

for the benefit of regional business and research. A national,<br />

cluster-based alliance of the best centres of expertise will<br />

channel the attention of the regions away from competition<br />

with each other and towards intensifying international<br />

competition. Cluster-based collaboration among centres of<br />

expertise will also sharpen regional specialization and the division<br />

of duties. Networking will also encourage universities<br />

to specialize in strong fields of research, and thereby also to<br />

increase co-operation between institutes located in different<br />

regions.<br />

Managed by a cluster coordinator, who is based at a Centre of<br />

Expertise, a competence cluster comprises complementary<br />

fields of expertise of at least two centres of expertise located<br />

in different <strong>are</strong>as. Today the program is implemented by 13<br />

national competence clusters (see Figure 40), each of which<br />

comprises four to seven regional centres of expertise. 59 Rather<br />

than aiming comprehensively to develop entire industrial<br />

sectors, a competence cluster seeks to develop its more<br />

functional fields of top-level expertise or promising new sectors<br />

worthy of development, through which the centres can<br />

work together to develop the competitiveness and business<br />

of the whole cluster. The fields of expertise contained in the<br />

clusters may include not only technology-based sectors but<br />

also other <strong>are</strong>as such as the service sectors or the so-called<br />

creative sectors.<br />

A competence cluster must have a management team that<br />

controls and supervises cluster (and coordinator) activity. If<br />

necessary, a cluster may also have a broader-based committee<br />

that meets less often, and which sets operational targets<br />

and encourages the commitment of different organizations.<br />

59 For further information about the different competence clusters please see www.oske.net/<br />

en/competence_clusters/.<br />

104

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